south craft beers

New Beer Blog Ghost River Golden Ale

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While in Memphis for a Layover, we are going to try a beer from Ghost River.  It is their Golden Ale.  This is the first time on this blog that this brew and craft brewery.  I cannot find any history on this craft brewery from Memphis.  They have two all year-long brews and four seasonals.  Let us get into this Golden Ale.

It has a slight cloudy golden color with small bubbles going up from the bottom of the glass.  The head is a white and constant head.  I am not picking up any aroma.  The taste is a nice refreshing to lightly carbonated.  It has nice lemon to citrus notes.  The aftertaste has a light carbonated to citrus finish.  It is pretty drinkable.

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

Golden Ale
Munich and caramel malts and German variety hops,
mellow and refreshing

Here is their website and twitter addresses:

Website:  www.ghostriverbrewing.com

Twitter:  @ghostriverbrew

Leaving Memphis, I was pretty excited to get to Memphis.  I wanted to see what craft beers they had on draft at the airport.  I have to be honest I was not impressed.  There is very few bars in the airport or where I was at in the airport.  I saw this one and ordered it.  I was pretty excited because I usually like Golden Ales.  I will say it is pretty drinkable and refreshing beer.  It has a nice head and color to the beer.  However, I was not too impressed with it, I just feel the money you invest in this beer.  You are not getting your money worth.  I just found this beer not that good.  I can see people liking this beer and you might be one of them.  I am glad I tried it but I will not buy it again.  If I was you, I would pass on this one.  Let me know what you think and please, try their other beers.  Maybe it is just this brew.  Drink it!  Enjoy it!  Metal it!  \m/

Cheers!

Bill DJ Weiser

Email:  djweiser13@comcast.net

Twitter:  @djweiser

New Blog Kentucky Bourbon Barrel Ale

Starting a new blog, we are going towards the south of the United States to take a look at Kentucky Bourbon Barrel Ale.  The Alltech’s Lexington Brewing Company has been in business since 2000.  A doctor that was doing beer brewing as a hobby wanted to do something he loves doing and that is making beer.  That is really how this brewery was born.  Let us get into the beer!

Kentucky Ale is put into some fresh drain bourbon barrel and is aged to make this beer called Kentucky Bourbon Barrel Ale.  This beer is a nice amber color with a constant white head to it.  The smell is a nice earthly wood.  As far as the taste, it has an oak, vanilla to heavy bourbon going on in it.  It is very drinkable and dangerous for the ABV being 8.2%

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

Award winning Kentucky Bourbon Barrel Ale®is a unique sipping beer with the distinctive nose of a well-crafted bourbon.  Our Kentucky Ale is aged for up to 6 weeks in freshly decanted bourbon barrels from some of Kentucky’s finest distilleries.

Subtle yet familiar flavors of vanilla and oak are imparted to this special ale as it rests in the charred barrels.  Pleasantly smooth and robust, Kentucky Bourbon Barrel Ale may also be served as an aperitif or after dinner drink.

Here is a video from their website (www.kentuckyale.com) and Youtube (www.youtube.com):

Kentucky Ale

Here is their website and twitter addreses:

Website:  www.kentuckyale.com

Twitter:  @kentuckyale

Closing the tab, let me say this once and I know the brewery will love to hear this from me.  We, Chicago, gave birth to Goose Island Bourdon County Stout and when we hear Barrel Age Beers, we think it is going to be a stout.  This beer is NOT a stout.  Before the beer is put into the barrel, it is a their normal Kentucky ale, which is between an English Pale Ale and Irish Red Ale.  I really like this beer.  I am a huge fan of barrel age beers and this gives me a little something different then a porter or stout in a barrel.  You can taste more of the bourdon in this beer then a stout that is aged in it.  Stout over takes all the taste from the bourdon barrel.  This beer is very drinkable and I can drink this beer anytime of the year.  I can see a new trend in the craft beer world and I am proud to say this brewery has started.  Go get some!  Drink it!  Enjoy it!  Metal it!  \m/

Cheers!

Bill DJ Weiser

Email:  djweiser13@comcast.net

Twitter:  @djweiser

Cigar City Brewing Jai Alai India Pale Ale New Blog

In this blog, we are going to dig into a brewery and beer I have been wanting to try in a long time.  I have to give a shout out and thanks to my friends Dean and Dee Dee for bring back some bottles to me.  The brewery and beer are Cigar City Brewing Jai Alai India Pale Ale.   I cannot find any history on this brewery.  I did multiple searches on the net and I cannot find anything.  On their website, they have a nice history on Tampa Bay City breweries but nothing on them.  Let us get into the beer.

The beer has a slightly cloudy copper color in the glass with no head. It has a little citrus smell to this IPA.  It has a grapefruit and carbonation with a dry grapefruit aftertaste to the beer. It is a very drinkable beer.

Here is a description on the beer bottle:

Jai Alai, the “merry game” is a game native to the Basque region of Spain.  Tampa was once home to this high speed game, but sadly all that remains here is this India pale Ale that we brewed in tribute to the merry game.  Pair Jai Alai India Pale Ale with Empanadas, Deviled Crabs and other spicy dishes.

Here is a description on their website (www.cigarcitybrewing.com):

Jai Alai, a game native to the Basque region of Spain, is played on a court called a fronton. Jai Alai players attempt to catch a ball using a curved mitt whilst the ball travels at speeds up to 188mph! Proving they have a sense of humor the Spanish dubbed this game, with its ball traveling at racecar speeds, “the merry game.” Tampa was once home to a bustling Jai Alai fronton but sadly all that remains of Jai Alai in the Tampa Bay area is this India Pale Ale that we brew in tribute to the merry game. The India Pale Ale style of beer has its roots in the ales sent from England to thirsty British troops in India during the 18th century. Pair Jai Alai India Pale Ale with Beef Empanadas, Deviled Crabs and other spicy dishes.

Tasting Notes

Pours copper in color with notes of citrus and tropical fruit in the aroma. Flavor has upfront citrus bitterness with a hint of caramel and citrus and tropical fruit hop notes in the finish.

Medals

2010 Best Florida Beer Championship – Gold Medal

2011 Best Florida Beer Championship – Silver Medal

Here is their website and twitter addresses:

Website: www.cigarcitybrewing.com

Twitter: @cigarcitybeer

Closing out, for the wait unit I recieve a bottle in my hands, this beer was not disappointing at all.  This beer lives up to what I was hearing about this beer.  Cigar City Brewing Jai Alai India Pale Ale is not like the other IPAs in the market.  It is very drinkable and has a nice favor to it. I just wish I had more bottles in my refrigater.  This brewery has done a very good job and I cannot wait to try their other beers. I really love this beer.  Go get some!  Drink it!  Enjoy it!  Metal it!  \m/

Cheers!

Bill DJ Weiser

Email: djweiser13@comcast.net

Twitter: @djweiser