DerekRx

I sure hope the transitions on this are a lot less extreme than the ones on G-force at Drayton Manor or that they do something to keep the lap bars locked more firmly in place. Nothing says discomfort quite like having a lap bar trying to get close and cozy with your kidneys for even a minute long ride.

^Thanks for the pictures (finally!). We can't get bottles of Dark Horse stuff here yet, but we've had their stuff before, and will be stocking up on it next month. So it looks like Nicole may finally get to meet Matt next week, which we believe should start the Apocalypse and be the end of the world. In fair warning to all of you, tonight's brew is just that! Lots of great flavors of fruits like apples, pears, grapes, lemon, and pineapple as well as spices like clove and coriander, and some wheatness. It may be the End of the World, but I feel fine Unibroue's La Fin Du Monde, #68 on BA's Top Beers on Planet Earth, a Tripel all the way from Quebec

I like the band, I like the song, but I don't think it fits the theme of that area of the park, nor do I think it works with a mine train. I would think of "Life in the Fast Lane" as being more like Rock'n'Roller Coaster, being a fast launched coaster with lots of twists and turns and inversions. Of course, I still want to see the world's longest B&M flying coaster with audio themed to "Freebird"

^Hey, that's just the way Joe looks, he can't help it! Seriously though, while the goofy pictures are confusing as to whether the beer is liked or not, I also think it's a little sad to criticize people for ACTIVELY participating when you just take pictures and do nothing with them. So who ends up looking like the bigger dork in the end, the guy who takes pictures to post them, or the guy who takes pictures to post them but doesn't post them? Any who, it's St. Patty's Day, AKA St. Drunk's Day, so what a better way to celebrate than to drink something! But instead of drinking some fizzy yellow crap beer dyed green, I'm going all out Irish with an Irish Dry Stout straight from Ireland. Lots of roasted malt and smoke flavors in this, masked the chocolate and coffee flavors I could vaguely pick up, but still one of the best things I could think to drink tonight. All the way from Carlow, Ireland comes an Irish Stout from Carlow Brewing Company, O'hara's Celebration Stout. Don't worry, the super head went away fairly quickly

^No way, man! This season belongs to Richard Petty, like it should be!

It's been some time since we've done the local stuff around us, so with great weather yesterday, we figured it was time to get out! The bar area still exists, though this too shall be gone in a few weeks, replaced by booths. The long bar will exist no more when the place reopens, moved to a more central bar area in the back of the restaurant instead of the front. Farewell old Victory Brewpub, we'll miss you, but look forward to the new and improved version coming in May! Inside the entire dining area is closed off, only a few tables exist elsewhere for eating Come May this will be the new entrance to the place. The old entrance will be solely for the handicapped and smoker's walk outside They're doing a complete redesign on the brewpub with a different atmosphere, new bar, more seating, and a brick oven for pizzas Afterwards we took a quite stop off at Victory before they close up shop for a month or so and Nicole's Moroccan Chicken and Couscous salad looked pretty tempting as well as always, Drafting Room's food rules. New to the menu was Cinnamon Almond Chicken in a dried cranberry and raspberry lambic chutney, served with apples and gingered sweet potatoes. Yum! I went for the Philadelphia Brewing's Rowhouse Red, sort of a farmhouse ale, and pretty good Where we learn it's Bock Month. Nicole tried the Summit Maibock, but it was too sweet for her. Next up, The Drafting Room for dinner Heath went for brewer Brian's GABF winning Nevermore Lager, packing in the roasted goodness Since $1 from every pint sold goes to benefit local fire depts, I decided to grab one. Not bad, even if it is just an ESB. I'm sure the brewer would rather use his own recipe to brew something awesome Their March release just came out, the Fire Chief Ale. All Rock Bottom's carry this, all using the same recipe. It's been a while since we've been back to Rock Bottom too Alas, my HopSlam has not survived past Friday. Oh well, that just means we got time to go elsewhere! Heath chose to go with the Rogue Double Dead Guy Ale, big on the malt character First stop was back to Capone's to enjoy more from Philly Craft Beer Week. I went with Flying Fish's Apple Jack, a tripel aged in Apple Brandy barrels. Not bad (for Jersey!)

To end Favorite Breweries Week, we'll take a little trip to Grand Rapids, home of Founders, definitely one of my favorite breweries, and I haven't even been there yet. Not that fantastic. Very little carbonation and lots of wheat flavors, very little tastes of anything else. Something I picked up somewhere along the way that Nicole and I decided to split last night, Pyramid's Imperial Hefeweizen To think, the Kentucky Breakfast Stout comes out today. It's taking awesomeness and aging it in whiskey barrels! Can't wait to get me some more of that too! Founders Breakfast Stout, lots of coffee and chocolate flavors in this guy

Last week's favorite breweries theme got cut a little short because I came down with an illness midweek, so why not pick up where I left off for the rest of this week. and as for that rare brew, we'll review it in a few weeks, but here's a hint as to what it is. Looks like Bell's Hopslam wins, and stays with the theme, being another one of my favorite breweries that just doesn't seem to brew anything bad. Hopslam was especially fantastic, loads of pine and citrus with a good malty backbone, spices, and even covered up the abv nicely While there, I may as well partake in dinner and a glass of something great during Philly's craft beer week and tonight I had to make a run down to Capone's to pick up something super rare that just came out. Lots of bread flavors in here, as well as lemon, honey, clove and ripe bananas. Until I can move to San Diego, another favorite brewery is just a short hour's drive from my house, Troegs! Time to break out the fairly new Scratch #7, a Weizenbock, now that #8 is out and #10 is coming too soon. Now that's definitely some West Coast styling in that brew, though it did have lots of head, probably from not being completely fresh. Can I retire to there yet? Definitely high on my rankings is Port Brewing/Lost Abbey and all their wonderful Pizza Port locations. And nothing says San Diego quite like a Wipeout IPA

^Sweet stuff, Justin. Stinks that you couldn't get into Rogue, but just another excuse to go back, just make sure there isn't a fest going on at the time! We haven't hung out with other BACT members for quite some time, so when Adam asked us to visit and join them in touring High Point Wheat Beer Company's first open house of the year, we happily obliged, as they're one of the top breweries out there according to BA. And while up there, we turned it up a bit by visiting another top brewery in the area, as well as some other fun stuff. After another scary, rain-filled drive back to Jersey, we decided to crack open more Captain Lawrence in the Nor'Easter and one of the last remaining bottles of New Jersey's old Heavyweight Brewing, the Biere D'Art to end the night. Thanks for having us over, Adam! We'll do it again sometime Cha-ching! When I rode it, it was just called "Haunted Coaster", but now it's got a better name. Jeff can count it again! Because some people need the credit and we're the Beer and Coaster Team, after all! While in the Palisades Mall, may as well check out Krazy City. Why? and the 5 of us didn't do that bad, we were pretty hungry! The empty plates will show how much you owe, so it's time to start chowing down the stuff keeps rotating around and you pick off whatever you want (don't worry, it's all labeled and the ingredients are listed) This ain't just any old sushi restaurant though, we've got conveyors in here! Time for dinner, no better place than a sushi restaurant at the Palisades Mall So long, Captain Lawrence, hope to see you again when this stuff is released! before we head out, time to get more of our favorites, like the Smoked Porter Heath offers to help bottle some stuff in exchange for some Golden Delicious, which sold out in like 1.5 days. and even do some science experiments in there They're doing this in like 4 or 5 different styles throughout the year, though nothing is out right now. We were also free to check out the brewery, including where they are barrel aging some Smoke right now and as for me, some Fresh Chester Pale Ale No need for your tickets here, Adam, they serve you whatever you want, like the Liquid Gold, Brown Ale, and Smoked Porter (though just 2 samples of each kind) Another brewery that does tastings...for FREE About a rainy hour's drive later we had arrived just north in Pleasantville, NY, home of Captain Lawrence Brewing Ellen and I enjoyed the Maibock fresh from the barrel, good honey sweetness. High Point was pretty cool, lots of enthusiasm going on, and some great beers. Looking forward to having more from them. The founder, Greg, tapped the barrel with one hit But the biggest news of the day was the tapping of the Maibock, some of it straight from a barrel Brian Boaks of Boaks Beers was our guide Time for a bit of a tour of their small brewery Kim also enjoyed some Classic while I went with the Pale Ale, which was pretty darn good for not having anything German about it! Adam and Heath start out with the Blonde Wheat and Classic Wheat Everyone gets 4 tickets for samples High Point, home of Ramstein beers, lots of German inspiration, including the yeast

How can Ireland be considered an expansion and a new country when the whole area was there for years. All they did was throw shamrocks all over the place and make a bad simulator even worse! Still, whatever they add, Busch will do it proper, probably with more upgrades in the upcoming years.

Tonight's participant in the "My Favorite Breweries" theme comes to us all the way from San Diego. Again, another place I haven't had 1 bad thing from and wish the stuff was distributed directly to me here in PA. Big thanks to Heath for this Christmas present, I've been holding off on drinking it for long enough! While it's no Pliny, this beer definitely holds its own as a double IPA. Lots of pine and citrus hops with a great sweet malt backbone and even a little hint of peppermint. Makes me wish it was 366 days ago and I was in San Diego right now Alesmith's Yulesmith, a double IPA released twice a year (at Christmas and at Christmas in July).

2nd night of My Favorite Breweries Week brings us to Surly, fairly new to the beer scene, but they sure have raised a raucous in the industry. Can't wait to check out more from these guys from Brooklyn Center, just a short drive from Minneapolis. Wow, that's one funky Marzen, but it sure is good! Lots of hop character as well as rye, but also with that nice Oktoberfest sweetness mixed in. Luckily I grabbed one when I was in Germany 2 years ago! Surly's SurlyFest, what appears to be an Oktoberfest style, though BA lists it as a Rye Ale. In any case, it's canned and needs to be let free, in a stein so says the can

I recall hearing this back in the day. Supposedly the drawbridge was to be the entrance to the ride, which would be behind the whole fortress. Germany was also supposed to have a ride thru train that never came to be, but the queue was built, I think. I also remember hearing about the proposed Russia and Switzerland areas, sad they never came to be. Awesome stuff so far, Matt. I miss EPCOT Center, especially the old Journey and Horizons.

^No problem, Joe! Thought I'd give you more thanks for your gift by enjoying one today. I figured it was time for another theme, so the new theme of the week: Brews From Some of My Favorite Breweries. Sadly, there are more favorite breweries than I can cover in a week (and some I don't have any beers from right now), but here will be 7 of them over the next 7 days. It's hoppy yet it's a wheat. It rules. Now if only they would make themselves more readily available instead of constantly giving little tasting spurts to areas and then "cutting back" Next up, even though Three Floyds has a major ego about how great they are, they brew some great stuff, like Gumballhead so I can't deny them One fine hoppy red ale with lots of malty flavor as well, thanks Joe! First up, Big Hoppy Monster from Terrapin, who just recently opened up their brewery in Athens, GA.

There's a good chance we'll be able to meet up with you for some coasters at least one of the days. Twist my arm and maybe we'll even stop by a local watering hole as well. I'll keep you posted when I know more!

Friday may have been Leap Day, but for us it was Growler Night. Time to head over to Heath's place to enjoy some Friday Night Pints featuring stouts. Lots of burnt character in this one, along with some dark fruits, a touch of chocolate, and coffee, but to me it was just lots and lots of burnt marshmellows and soy sauce. Though maybe the Valdez acted more like Exxon and less like Juan and crashed my tastebuds. next up, the much acclaimed High Desert from Sweetwater as always, Kim made enough food for an army. But when the food is this good, it goes fast! and holy Jebus is there coffee in there! Sure beats the free stuff they were giving away at Dunkin Donuts on the same day! A gift from Deuane who ventured down there the week before, returning with Valdez, a big old coffee stout First up was a growler all the way from Pisgah Brewing in Asheville, NC

17/20 and I guessed on a lot of them. Guess I don't really know that much about parks that closed before I was interested in coasters.

^Sweet! Glad you got the stuff so fast, considering it was sent on Tuesday evening! Tonight Nicole and I met up with Heath and Kim at Lancaster's Iron Hill. Tonight was Mug Club New Membership Night and we joined, so we'll definitely be taking trips there at least once a month. No pictures taken, but considering the mugs are ceramic, you can't really see the beer to begin with, but they did have some sweet stuff on tap that we partook in, including their Russian Imperial Stout, American Brown Ale, and just released tonight especially for the Mug Club, Chocolate Indulgence Stout on Nitro. And that's the latest....until Tomorrow's Friday Night Pints, featuring growlerS!!

^I did have cheddar cheese in my taco, put right above the hamburger so it melts. Tonight it was time to crack open a sweet bottle of awesome that I picked up at Union Jacks over the weekend. Ranked #17 in the world and #13 in America, let's break open some wild! And how was it? Unique and fantastic, of course! Lots of sour cherry tartness with lots of acidic tones and yet you could still taste the brown ale and the wine barrel agedness. Well worthy of its ranking and makes me want more So that's what I did. Even Nicole was interested in trying it, but she only got a taster of it as it's only a 375ml bottle to begin with Even the cork recommends not serving it in a pint glass, but a tulip or wine glass instead It's time for Supplication, a brown ale aged in pinot noir wine barrels for over 15 months AND with sour cherries, Brettanomyces, Lactobacillus, and Pediococcus (a whole bunch of live bacteria and wild yeast) It's always great to see Russian River come to PA, whether on tap or bottled complete with cork

The all day ride pass may have gone up in price in the last couple of years, but so did theme park admissions all over the world...and it's not like Knoebels hasn't been adding rides every year. Sure, it may be a challenge to get $30 worth of rides in 6 hours with $2.50 at the most single ride prices (that's like having to ride one of the coasters like 11 times!) and so much other things to partake in, like all the foods, swimming pool, or any of the free shows, but I know I'm getting my money's worth since I didn't have to pay for admission or parking. Wristbands really help when you're there all day long and want to ride lots, if you don't, there's always tickets. I know when we stop by after lunch in Selinsgrove, we'll just get tickets and do a round, but Knoebels is still the best prices I know of in PA for the quality. And I'm born and raised in Pennsylvania, so apparently I know what I'm talking about!

I'm certain Heath celebrated his day of birth with gusto, and in honor of him on his birthday I decided to enjoy his favorite style of beer by one of his favorite breweries in his favorite area of the country. No clue why, but Happy Birthday Heath! Here's to another year of awesome drinking! and for some stupid reason, I felt like eating tacos tonight and wow, what chocolately goodness! Throw in some licorice, dark fruits, coffee, a hint of hops and some alcohol and you've got one awesome brew. Good thing the next batch comes out in a few short months! and for Heath's Birthday I'll break out a bottle of Stone Imperial Russian Stout, a top 15 brew and something I've been cellaring since last May when we went to Virginia. Very hoppy and almost Nugget Nectar-like, but just a little bit more watered down But the day before Heath's birthday, time to enjoy some Clipper City Heavy Seas Loose Cannon

After seeing first hand how much longer of a delay it took them for a simple typical wooden coaster called "Twister" I am not the least bit surprised if it takes them much longer to bring back an old lost style coaster like Flying Turns. Honestly, when some of us were saying we look forward to riding this in 2009 or 2010 when it finally opens, how many were really joking about it? It's Knoebels, they won't open it just to open it, they'll make sure it's as good as can be before doing so, and the wait will be worth it. They won't be changing the trains halfway through, or adding another train or two, or retracking half the ride just to say they had "the first" or "the biggest" for one season.

Tonight after a hard day of moving it was time to kick back with some of the finer ales, Belgian inspired goodness. Lots of spiciness mixed with bread and lemon peel, and 9% to make it even better! Next up, Allagash's Tripel Lots of spices and sweetness, and a little hint of cherries when its warmer. Definitely a stay at home beer though at 11% First up, Troegs Mad Elf, brewed with honeys and cherries, and maybe making an appearance at Joe's house sooner than later

Wow, lots of good stuff happening this weekend, nice to see that! Bubba, I never thought about that, but yes, apparently last week was Imperial Week for me, good find! Yesterday we made a quick dinner stop at Union Jacks where we enjoyed some of the best wings in the world, as well as a beer or two, I finally got to enjoy the Victory Sunset Dunkleweizen as well as pick up some fantastic stuff for enjoyment later in the week. But before I stay up to date, I better finish off a report from last week's adventure to Boston. We started Sunday off at one of the best beer bars in Boston, loaded with over 112 taps and plenty of other things in bottles, and will a huge varying food menu that makes it the Cheesecake Factory of beer bars! As far as beers go, they used to have loads of IPAs on tap, but they seem to have been hit by the hop shortage. Heath managed to grab the Pushing the Envelope Extreme Double IPA while Adam and myself went with the S.W.A.K. Stout, which was excellent. Looking forward to going back sometime, hopefully for more than 1 round. on the other side of the wall was the bar, sporting plenty of their own brews as well as an excellent guest tap list Seemed really dark in the dining area, but had a really cool vibe, and even shows movies on the big screen from time to time and our final destination for the evening was back into Connecticut, specifically Willimantic, home of Willimantic Brewing in the old Post Office, #31 on the list of places to have a beer. But wow, definitely a place you gotta seek out if you want to go there, as Willimantic ain't near anything us BACT dudes usually do (except Adam's In-Laws) and it's no "just passing by" spot Since we were at Fenway Park, I decided to go with the Fenway Pale Ale, while Heath went with the Imperial Stout. The Fenway was pretty solid for an APA, but the Imperial Stout was a little weak, more like an Oatmeal Stout just enough time to enjoy a round at the original location, let's see how the stuff tastes Lots of good stuff on tap luckily there's a Boston Beer Works directly across the street! which was haltered because of construction Then it was off for a tour of Fenway Pahk and they even added another room to the place....complete with more taps!! and a huge assortment of taps. Sadly, they kicked the Racer X the night before thanks to all the darn beer enthusiasts in town, in fact they were out of pretty much EVERY double IPA! WTFO?! A look at the bar area While the other side of the table is all about Brooklyn and its Sixpoint Brewing, new to the Boston area. Heath with the Diesel, Adam with the Righteous Rye, and me all about the Sweet Action We got to meet up with Matt again, who enjoyed a Southern Tier Jah-va Stout while the girls enjoy some Southern Tier Raspberry Porters Here we are at Sunset Grill, located near Boston U. Good thing I didn't go to school there, I wouldn't have made it to any classes!

I know I still have last Sunday's adventures to post, but I decided I'll save that for another time. Right now, here's what I've been enjoying this week. A nice full syrupy body with plenty of coffee flavors, and goes down quite smoothly and before it gets too carbonated, better enjoy some more of the Wake N Bake I got from Joe Definitely worthy of its ranking. Lots of caramel, chocolate and coffee flavors, with a nice alcohol burn and some citrus Next up, Thomas Hooker's Imperial Porter. #70 on the Top 100 American beer list I must say, it was really enjoyable. Certainly not an Abyss, Dark Lord, Kate the Great, or Darkness, but still a worthy RIS, definitely the best in all of Jersey. First, a gift from Adam, Jersey's newest beer, Boak's Monster Mash Imperial Stout.