restaurants

New Blog Summit Saga India Pale Ale

Starting a tap, we are going to explore a new brew from the Summit Brewing Company.  The new brew is called Summit Saga India Pale Ale.  Summit Brewing Conmpany was founded in 1986 by Mark Stutrud in St Paul, Minnesota.   It is nice to see this brewery trying to do something new in their beer portfolio.  When they started releasing their Unchained Series, there was a change in the air in the Summit Brewery.  They were doing beers that fit the St Paul area.  Now they are trying to grow even more in other areas of the states.  This beer is their second new beer this year. The first new one was their new Summer Ale replace their old seasonal, which was Summit Hefenizen Ale. Let us get into the beer.

It has a light copper color. It has a grapefruit to mango smell with a little spicy. The taste of the beer is of grapefruit and mango with a slight carbonation taste. This is a very drinkable beer. This is a slight different IPA then what is on the market.

Here is a description from their website (www.summitbrewing.com):

Named after the Norse goddess Sága, drinking companion of the God Odin. With a divine tropical fruit hop aroma and clean, assertive bitterness.

Here is their website and twitter addresses:

Website: www.summitbrewing.com

Twitter: @summitbeer

Closing the bar, I love this beer and I am happy to see this brewery doing something new and different. There are a few beers that from this brewery. I love their EPA, maibock, porter, winter ale, and oatmeal stout that I wish was package. The rest of their beers are average. This is my thought pattern not yours. Make sure you try their beers and draw your judgment on them. However, this beer to me has brought them back to the front of the line, I cannot wait to see how this beer does against rest of the beer market. Enjoy it! Drink it! Metal it! \m/

Cheers!

Bill DJ Weiser

Email: djweiser13@comcast.net

Twitter:@djweiser

New Blog Brooklyn Brewery Brown Ale

In this blog, we are going to talk about one of my favorite breweries and beers. The beer that will be feature is called Brooklyn Brewery Brown Ale. Brooklyn Brewery was founded in a run down side of New York City in 1987 by Steve Hindy and Tom Potter. Later a very talented brew master, who is Garrett Oliver, that has several books out now joined the team at Brooklyn Brewery. That is a little history now let us get into one of their beers.

This beer pours into the glass as brown without a head. It is darker than New Castle Brown Ale.  It has a toffee to caramel smell in the beer.   The beer taste like a sweet carbonation nutty going on in the favor.  To me, Brooklyn Brown Ale is a fresher version of New Castle Brown Ale. I know the brewery would not like to hear that statement.

Here is a description from the bottle:

Richly mahogany in  color, Brooklyn Brown Ale is richer and hoppier than its mild and malty English forebears.  Chocolate and coffee flavors punctuate the roasty malt background.  Brooklyn Brown is  brewed with malted barley, hops, water, and yeast, and will taste best before the freshness date indicated.

Here is a description from their website (www.brooklynbrewery.com):

This is the award-winning original American brown ale, first brewed as a holiday specialty, and now one of our most popular beers year-round. Northern English brown ales tend to be strong and dry, while southern English brown ales are milder and sweeter. Brooklyn Brown Ale combines the best of those classic styles and then adds an American accent in the form of a firm hop character and roasty palate. A blend of six malts, some of them roasted, give this beer its deep russet-brown color and complex malt flavor, fruity, smooth and rich, with a caramel, chocolate and coffee background. Generous late hopping brings forward a nice hop aroma to complete the picture. Brooklyn Brown Ale is full-flavored but retains a smoothness and easy drinkability that has made it one of the most popular dark beers in the Northeast.

Here is a few areas to get to know this great brewery:

Website:  www.brooklynbrewery.com

Twitter: @brooklynbrewery

In closing, this is a very drinkable beer with a ton of favor. I can drink this beer any of the season of the year. There is nothing more to say asides it is an awesome beer. Go check this beer out and let me know what you think of it. Drink it! Enjoy it! Metal it! \m/

Cheers!

Bill DJ Weiser

Email: djweiser13@comcast

Twitter: @djweiser

New Blog Redhook Long Hammer IPA

In this blog, the beer that will be featured is from Redhook Brewery and it is called Long Hammer IPA. This brewery was founded in 1981 by Paul Shipman and Gordon Bowker in Seattle, Wa. This brewery is known to have all of their beers be very drinkable for any event and time of the year.

This beer in the glass is a light copper color. The smell is citrus to almost earthy.  The taste of the beer is of carbonation to some citrus drinkable and able to drink it all day. It might be drinkable but it is not well balance. I feel the hoppies over take everything.

Here is a description from their website (www.redhook.com):

The generous addition of hops both during and at the end of the fermentation process (dry-hopping) gives our India Pale Ale its characteristic bitterness and piney citrus aroma and flavor.  The medium body, crisp finish, and moderate alcohol and IBU levels makes this one of America’s most drinkable and best-selling IPAs.

Style………………….India Pale Ale

Abv…………………….6.5%

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Malts…………………Pale, Caramel, MunichHops…………………..Alchemy, Cascade, WillametteColor SRM………….8.5–>IBUs…………………..44.0

IBUOriginal Gravity..14.4 degrees plato

Brewed Since………1984

Here is their website and twitter addresses:

Website: http://www.redhook.com

Twitter: @redhook_brewery

In closing, this brewery was one of the first breweries that had me hooked on craft beer world. I use to drink their ESB (Extra Special Bitter) all the time. From there, I started to try other craft beers from other craft breweries. I want to thank this brewery for showing me the light on good beer. I like this beer for its drinkable but I believe it is not well balance and over hopped. It does not have enough malt backbone to it. I love this beer in the can but I will not buy it all the time. Drink it! Enjoy it! Metal it! \m/

Cheers!

Bill DJ Weiser

Email: djweiser13@comcast.net

Twitter: @djweiser

New Blog Uncommon Brews Siamese Twin Ale

In this blog, we are going to talk about another brew from a small brewery called Uncommon Brews. The name of the beer is called Uncommon Brews Siamese Twin Ale. If you read my earlier blog on their Bacon Brown Ale, you know a little something on this brewery.

This beer pours into the glass as a light brown with a slightly yellow to white head.  After a while the head will be next to nothing.  You will smell the sweetest of a Belgian Dubbel. The taste of the beer is very complex. You will taste a very sweetness at the beginning then turns into a constant taste through out the pallet of lemon. You will taste sweetness of the malts in the aftertaste with the kick of the lemongrass that they brew in the beer.

Here is a description from the can:

There’s a longtreadition in Belgian brewing of using exotic spices to enhance a beer’s flavor.  Although many have been used, coriander is undoubtely the king.  In tribute to this heritage we present to you our Siamese Twin Ale.

It is traditional Belgian-style Double seasonal with coriander and entirely uncommon Thai spices.  At first surprising, the floral notes of lemongrass and sharper bite of kaffir lime blend with the deep malt of this double to produce a dangerously drinkable beer.

Served alongside a fiery curry or enjoyed on its own, the Twin brings a taste of the tropics to every occasion.  And who doesn’t need a taste of the tropics every now and then?

Here is their website and twitter address:

Website: http://www.uncommonbrews.com

Twitter: @uncommonbrews (Not sure if it is theirs and if it is active)

In closing, this is a really good beer until the lemongrass kicks in the beer. I love their Bacon Brown Ale. I respect this brewery to think outside the box and have the coverage to put this beer out in the market. I love when craft breweries do something different then the same thing that other breweries did in the past. Believe me, we have enough those beers in the market. I would love to hear your thoughts on this brewery and beer. Drink it! Enjoy it! Metal it! \m/

Cheers!

Bill DJ Weiser

Email: djweiser13@comcast

Twitter: @djweiser

New Blog Milwaukee Brewing Hop Happy India Pale Ale

Starting another tap, we are going to talk about another beer from the Milwaukee Brewing Company and it is called Milwaukee Brewing Hop Happy India Pale Ale.  If you read my earlier blogs on this brewery, you will know the history of it.  Let us get into the beer now.

This beer is a beautiful copper tone to it in the glass. It has a nice earthy to piney smell to the beer. As far as the taste of the beer, it is very smooth and well balance for being an India Pale Ale.  A nice sweet carbonation taste in the beer with a slight circus kick in it. Aftertaste has the nice dry earthy hop snap to it.

Here is a description of the beer from the website (www.mkebrewing.com):

Brewed with three different kinds of hops, this IPA is balanced by the oats added to the mash. The oats not only add an unexpected sweetness, but also a heavier mouthfeel.

Here is a video about the beer from their website (www.mkebrewing.com) also:

http://youtu.be/KHbJ5StqoI4

Here is a few spots where you can get some information on this brewery:

Website: http://www.mkebrewing.com

Twitter: @mkebrewco

Last call, I really enjoy many of the beers that this brewery makes in their lineup. I love this beer for many reason but mainly because it is not overly hoppy like most IPAs out now. Plus, this beer is very drinkable for any season. Go hunt this beer down and let me know what you think of the beer. Drink it! Enjoy it! Metal it! \m/

Cheers!

Bill DJ Weiser

Email: djweiser13@comcast

Twitter: @djweiser

New Blog Sebago Brewery Lake Trout Stout

In this blog, we are going to talk about a beer I received through my Beer of the Month. This brewery is unknown to me just like this brew. This brewery was founded in 1998. They offer a full line of different beer styles all the east coast.

This beer is black in color like your normal stout with a constant light brown head.  The smell from the beer is strong chocolate. The taste is not very good to be honest. The beer starts out water tasting and then a chocolate taste along a strong chocolate aftertaste.

Here is a description from their website (www.sebagobrewing.com):

Lake Trout Stout is midnight black with a thick and creamy head.  It is a full bodied stout brewed with oatmeal and plenty of hops to balance the roasted barley. Our stout is an experience.  It tastes the same way it looks – dark and rich. It is named after the famous deep water Sebago Lake Togue or Lake Trout which inhabit the depths of Maine’s deepest lake. Enjoy.

BEER DETAILS:

Style: Stout

History: First Brewed in 1998

Orig. Gravity: 13.5 °P

Color: Midnight Black 170 SRM

ABV: 4.7%

IBU’s: 32

Pairing Suggestions: rich sauces, grilled meats, or chocolate

Here is their website and twitter addresses:

Website: www.sebagobrewing.com

Twitter: @sebagobrewing

In closing, I love stouts in every style, however, Irish Dry Stout is very dry and I feel you need to drink a water with this style of beer. This beer is good but not bad. Since I cannot get this beer in Chicago, I will be enjoying my last two bottles of this brew. Drink it! Enjoy it l! Metal it! \m/

Cheers!

Bill DJ Weiser

Email: djweiser13@comcast.net

Twitter: @djweiser

New Blog Dogfish My Antonia Pilsner

In this blog, we are going to dig into Dogfish Head My Antonia Pilsner.  Here is a little history of the brewery called Dogfish Head Brewery.  It was founded in 1995 by Sam Calagione in the state of Milton, Delaware.  They try to do different things to the old classic beer styles.  Their tagline says it all, which is “Off-centered ales for off-centered people.”  They do several different styles of beer that they sell out in the market.  They were featured in documentary “Beer Wars” and the TV show called “Brew Masters” on Discovery Channel.

This beer is your normal german pilsner. It has a ton of carbonation in this 750ml bottle. It is slightly cloudy with a golden to yellow in color. It has a slight circus smell or nothing in the smell from the beer. The beer has a tastes of circus with carbonation in it. The aftertaste is dry that will make you want to drink water with the beer. The dry aftertaste is slightly bitter that comes from the hops, however, it is not a huge bitter aftertaste like from IPAs.

Here is a description from the bottle:

This here beer is a lagerific departure for our ale-centric brewery.  A marriage of old world tradition and new world innovation, My Antonia is brewed with pilsner malt and continually-hopped with a blend of Noble and West Coast hops.

Here is a story on their website (www.dogfish.com):

My Antonia (named after the Willa Cather read), is a continually-hopped imperial pilsner. This lager for ale lovers is citrusy, sweet and refined.

My Antonia started out as a collaboration beer when Sam brewed it atBirra del Borgo (hope you can read Italian) outside Rome, Italy, with owner/brewer Leonardo DiVencenzo in October 2008. In 2010, we began brewing My Antonia here in Delaware for U.S. distribution.

As an aside, in June 2009, Leonardo came over to Delaware and brewed our original batch of Namaste with us at our Rehoboth Beach brewpub. And Leo is also one of the brewers involved in the Eataly project in New York City. What goes around, comes around.

Anyhoo… here is our Quick Sip Clip of Sam chatting about My Antonia with his Italian-American grandmother Jessie Calagione (they sometimes veer a bit off topic, but we think it’s a great video and love her ‘cash customers’ story). Cheers!

Here is a few ways to get to know this brewery:

Website: www.dogfishhead.com

Twitter: @dogfishbeer

In closing, I respect these craft breweries for their beer passion they have for this art. Dogfish Head is a great brewery and I love many of their beers. I love how this brewery pushes the limits of beer drinkers taste buds.  However, this beer and many of their beers that are in 750ml, I feel are not worth the money you are paying for what is in the bottle.  Let me say this, the beer itself is pretty good but for the price I feel it is not worth the money. I do love some of their beers that come in 750ml bottles.  I love their Black and Blue, Bitch’s Brew, and a few others. If you are a huge pilsner fan, I believe you will love this brew for the difference that it bring to the beer style. Enjoy it! Drink it! Metal it! \m/

Cheers!

Bill DJ Weiser

Email: djweiser13@comcast

Twitter: @djweiser

New Blog Uinta Dubhe Imperial Black IPA

In this blog, we are going to talk about another small brewery called Uinta Brewery from Salt Lake City, Utah.  We talked about Hyve in my earlier blog.  I voiced how it was very disappointed and I did not like it.  This time around we are going to talk about one of my favorite beer from them.  The beer we are going to sip and visit is called the Uinta Dubhe Imperial Black IPA.  This beer style is a marriage of two awesome styles of beer.  Porter or stout meets IPAs.  You can’t go wrong with that.  This is the latest trending beer style out there right now.

This beer in the glass is black until you put it up to the light then it becomes a dark brown.  The smell of the beer is of sweet circus. The taste of the beer is slight chocolate and kick of carbonation to circus kick. The aftertaste is very dry but in a good way.  The dryness from this beer is from the hops and the IBU is over 130.  Just picture yourself eating chocolate cover orange and you will understand this style a little bit better.  It is not fully like that but it gives you a better idea.

Here is a descripation from their website (www.uintabrewing.com):

Toasted, chocolaty dark malts align with an astronomical amount of hops.

They put this also on their website (www.uintabrewing.com):

Named Utah’s Centennial Star in 1996, Dubhe (pronounced Doo-bee) illuminates the front of the big dipper from 124 light years away. Dubhe, also known as Alpha Ursae Majoris, is a red giant that appears orange in color and has a mass 4x that of the sun.

Here is a few places to get information on this brewery:

Website: www.uintabrewing.com

Twitter:  @uintabrewing

Setting up the tap again, I really love this beer.  I love all three beer styles that go into this one beer style.  It is a wet dream for people that enjoy all factors that this style and this beer brings to your coffee table or bar.  This is one of my favorite one in the Black IPA market along with Widmer Pitch Black IPA. Pitch Black and Dubhe are the same style but totally different.  I want you to go out and hunt this beer down and try it.  Please let me know what you think and send a message to the brewery.  Breweries love to hear from us beer drinkers.  Enjoy it!  Drink it! Metal it! \m/

Cheers!

Bill DJ Weiser

Email: djweiser13@comcast.net

Twitter: @djweiser

New Blog Perennial Artisan Ales Saison de Lis

In this blog, we are going to talk about a brewery, who is called Perennial Artisan Ales, that was founded in 2011.  This brewery joins an awesome current lineup of craft breweries in and out of St Louis, MO. This blog will feature one, which is called Saison de Lis, and there will be two more blogs, which are called Hommel Bier and Hommel Bier,to follow.

Just like a normal farmhouse saison ale, it is cloudy and golden to yellow in color. The smell is slightly circus to very earthly.  This Saison just like others is very drinkable and refreshing, which is why this beer style is brew by farmers on their farms in Belgium for their workers.

Here is a few sources to get to know about this brewery:

Website: www.perennialbeer.com

Twitter: @PerennialBeer

On ending, this beer is in big bottles and I am really not a fan of beers in these big bottles.  Unless, it is a really big beer and this saison is only 5% in ABV.  This beer is pretty good but not for the packaging size and price.  They did a very good job doing the American version of this beer.  I would say try it and put your thoughts on this beer.  It would be neat to check out their Brewpub some time in the future.  I will have to hunt down their other beers.  They are brewing some interesting beers.  Overall, this beer has a market just like every beer but I am not the market.  Enjoy it! Drink it! Metal it! \m/

Cheers!

Bill DJ Weiser

Email: djweiser13@comcast.net

Twitter: @djweiser

New Blog Perennial Artisan Ales Black Walnut Dunkel

In this blog, we are going to talk about the second of three beers from Perennial Artisan Ales.  The beer we are going to talk about from this brewery is called Black Walnut Dunkel, which is their spring seasonal.  If you read my blog on Sunday, which is Perennial Artisan Ales Saison de Lis, you will know about the history.

While the beer is sitting in the glass, it comes across as a light brown in color with constant head.  The carbonation during the pouring process is pretty normal for a German Dunkel.  The smell is like roasted chestnuts over a fireplace during the Christmas holiday season. This beer has a taste of a black walnut ice cream. Going deep in detail with that statement. It comes across as a slight sweet chocolate taste with mild walnut sweet aftertaste.  You will taste the walnut throughout the drinking experience but it is there but not really there. I am not a brew master but for reason I am getting some vanilla taste.  I really do not know where that vanilla is coming from in this beer.  It is a very drinkable in the spring to fall season and that is why it is a seasonal.

Here is a description from the bottle:

Black Walnut Dunkel is our first foray into German-style beer.  Originally brewed for an underground beer dinner with our friends at entre, BWD is a rich, malty Dunkelweiss with 250 pounds of Missouri black walnuts.  Game birds, such as quail, pair nicely with the unique, earthy character of the walnuts.

Here is a few sources to get to know about this brewery:

Website: www.perennialbeer.com

Twitter: @PerennialBeer

Closing out the tap, I know what I said in my other blog about their other beer, however, this beer being so different then what is out in the market.  I will pick up a bottle of this beer to pair it with a dessert, salad, or what it says on the bottle wild game.    I am a huge fan of German Weiss more than another wheat out there.  I am a huge fan of this beer.  It is a very good beer and I believe you should search this beer out.  It will be available in all big craft beer stores.  Let me know what you think of this great beer.  Enjoy it! Drink it! Metal it! \m/

Cheers!

Bill DJ Weiser

Email: djweiser13@comcast.net

Twitter: @djweiser