Rugged One

Getting back to the beer and ice cream thing. When I was in So Cal last week, it was a common at some of the breweries to offer Stout and Porter floats. Unfortnately, I didn't get to try one. Next time though. I guess Derek was on to something a couple of months ago when he mixed his stout and ice cream bar! Some of the last 2 nights samplings. Finally. The latest offering from Weyerbacher. The Simcoe Double IPA. Mmmm. Great balace of hops and malt and a nice citrus aroma. Looking forward to more of this one. Finally got around to trying some of the Cricket Hill Hopnotic IPA that Adam had hooked me up with. A little weak at first but more flavors came out the warmer it got. Ended May with a Maibock of course. This one was kind of local (from Fordham Brewing in Annapolis) and was quite good.

Yeah, we visited this place two years ago and we still talk about how scary some of the stuff we saw was. Back then nothing said welcome to the park, like the smell of cow crap and the giant rusting ruin of the Thunderbolt Express in front of the parking lot. Oh well, at least they got rid of one of them.

So on Monday, after a fun filled weekend involving Holiday World, Beech Bend, PKI, and SFKK, we still had a little bit of time to kill in Louisville before our flight home. Of course we couldn't leave town before visiting at least one local micobrew. Our flight back to Baltimore on Monday night was oversold so Kim and I gave our seats up for a bunch of Southwest credit dollars that will be used to finance our return to San Diego later in the year. At the hotel I broke in my 750 ml bottle of Homewrecke I finished up with the Smoked Wheat, which was pretty much as advertised. All in all, we enjoyed the BBC and it will definitley be a stop whenever we're in town. Jay digs the Darkstar porter. Lots of brewing going on in the back. Turns out it's an IPA. A really hoppy and delicious one at that! They had all kinds of good looking stuff on tap. I was all intrigued by what the Mind Numbing Ale could be. We did find out that the original Blue Grass Brewing Company was open and it turned out to be a great choice. The first couple of places we tried to call first but they didn't open until later in the afternoon and the one that was supposed to be open (Brownings) ended up not being open at all when we showed up. Shame as it looked like a cool place, situated right

Ah come on Wally, I really enjoy your posts. You always have some interesting beers to share with us all. I haven't been able to post for awhile do to my various travels over the last couple of weeks, so I've got some catching up to do. I'll start with last night and work my way back over the last couple of weeks. I finished up with a Misfit Red Amber Ale to try and put out the fire (notice I'm sweating from how spicey this stuff was). For dinner I had my DuClaw favorite. Their spicey jambalaya. And holy crap was it spicey! While Kim enjoyed their Bare Ass Blonde Ale. I started out with a Venom Pale Ale. We enjoy the bar vibe at this one but it's alot smaller than our favorite one in Fells Point. We went to a beer release at this one back in December and you couldn't even move in the place. Kim and I hit up the DuClaw branch last night at the Arundel Mills Mall, which is a huge kick ass mall just south of Baltimore.

I'll keep you posted when we plan on coming out that way Ted. There is the possibility of some other things going on that weekend of Kennycon but we plan on getting out there sometime this summer. We'll definitley be out that way in the fall for Phanton Fright Nights. Glad your enjoying the Curveball Derek. I really dig it. A nice, refreshing Kolsch style for the summer. Anyway, in anticipation of leaving tomorrow morning for a week in sunny So Cal and checking out three of the top breweries in the world over the next couple of days, I had myself an Arrogant Bastard from one of the thee aformentioned breweries I'll be visiting. Look for a BIG update in about a week. Looking forward to seeing where little Arrogant Bastards are born.

Yep, we'll definitley be back up later this summer. Especially if we have some cool people to hang with. We'll also definitely hit up some of Buffalo's finest beer establishments as well.

Oh my god! It pretty much ran wet the entire time we were there and was just running insane. We logged 27 rides for the day. The best was the hour between the meal and the official start of ERT when there was absolutely no one around (including most of the other ACEers) and we just sat on it for lap after lap. We thought the park was very nice for a small, family fun park and the woodie is a real gem (at least in the rain). We plan on coming back up later in the summer for some more rides.

Nice pics guys. It looks like things just started getting interesting after we left you. Wish we could have hung out longer but a little coaster at Martin's was calling our name. And it was sooooo worth it.

Nice pics Paul and it was nice meeting you on Saturday. I'm glad you explained what was up with your handstamp. That thing was starting to scare us a little.

I might take you up on that Ted. I'm planning a beer run through the city the Saturday before Kennycon. After having a whopping 2 beers this weekend during the ACE Con, I needed a quick fix after we got home last evening. A Sierra Nevada Summerfest did just the trick. Mmmm. Summerfest. A great way to kick off American Craft Beer Week.

Yeah, a laptop is definitely on the shortlist of major purchases for us. Of course, we'd be able to afford one a lot quicker if we didn't keep going on all of these damn trips! As for the beer favorites, it's pretty tough for me to come up with a difinitive list, as it's constantly changing depending on what I'm in the mood for. For favorite types, I really dig wheats, doublebocks, marzens, imperial stouts, and of course IPAs in any form. Whatever brings the hop insanity to my lips! Went back to an old fav of mine from one of my favorite breweries. The Bear Republic Hot Rod Rye. This has a strong hop presence that blends really well with the maltiness of the rye. I haven't had the chance to partake in too many ryes but I really dig the style and look forward to trying some others. The Bear Republic Hot Rod Rye. It really revs up the 'ole tastbuds.

Finally, day 4 took us to BGT before flying back home in the evening. Finally, had an Amberbock with lunch at the Zambia Smokehouse. Gotta love the view! The new Tilt energy beer. I used to make the ginseng for this at my old job. Kim and I both agreed it smelled and tasted like cough syrup. Michelob Ultra Amber. Blech! I take the "regular Bud" versus "skunky Bud" challenge. We did BGT's version of beer school. As you can see, it's a little different than the setup at BGW's version. The class itself was a little different as well. Gratuitous double fisting shot! Of course I had to go for some more Spiced Wheat. Yeah, another Hospiltality House. Why doesn't BGW have one of these?

Day 3 took us to Animal Kingdom in the morning and Cypress Gardens in the afternoon. After that we headed back to Tampa for the evening. Followed by a Boulder Beer Mojo IPA. A little light on the hops but not too bad. They did however have a decent selection of micros on tap, so we had to make do with what they had. First up was a Avery Redpoint Ale. Not too shabby. Of course we had to stop back at the Tampa Bay Brewing Company. They are actually getting ready to move to some swanky new digs down the street which unfortunately meant that they didn't have any of their house brews on tap.

Day 2 took us to Universal Orlando. Kim and I have been here so many times now, that the place has really become more of a laid back visit for us. Which of course means when those mid-afternoon lines get too long, we look to hole up somewhere and have a cold one. Where I had my only fruity drink of the trip. A Cyclone. We had originally planned to hang out at our favorite Citywalk locale, the piano bar at Pat O'Briens, but we were so tired from a lack of sleep the previous two nights that we just decided to grab some dinner and head home. You can't beat the view either. Cheers to the Hulk! Some couple decided that they needed to seat their 3-year daughter right next to me at the bar, which got a little annoying, so we took our ourselves to the Backwater Bar up at the front of the park. Where I proceded to have another Fosters. ....and a Heineken. Had myself a Fosters... Later we headed over to the Alchemy Bar for happy hour. Where I tried a a Lone Palm Ale, the Margaritville house beer. We had some lunch at Margaritaville.

I'm glad you weren't dissapointed by the Liberty brews Derek. Man, I wish I could have been there having one with ya! Lord knows I wasted many a Saturday afternoon in the bar there. Well, Kim and I just got back last night from a nice little four day visit in Florida. Of course when we weren't at the theme parks (and even when we were) we were finding some tasty beers to drink. Day 1 took us to Sea World and then over to Disney for some fun at the Boardwalk and Downtown Disney. Next up was the Gadzooks Pils. This one wasn't too bad either. I was actually impressed with the beers at Big River and look forward to returning to try some more. I first tried the Rocket Red Ale. This was a surprisingly hoppy red ale and was quite tasty. After Seaworld, we headed over to Disney's Boardwalk and the Big River Grille & Brewing Company for dinner. Then I sampled the Bare Knuckle Stout. I always try this in a vain attempt that maybe it will get better. It's actually not too horrible. It just has too watery a taste for a stout. My first beer of the trip! The new spring seasonal from A/B, Spring Heat Spiced Wheat. I had had this last month at BGW and really dug it. This is a nice citrus tasting wheat beer that goes down really good on a hot day at the park. Gee we're at a Busch Park. I wonder if we'll visit the Hospitality House? Of course we will!

I think that you'll definitley like the Ruination Adam. It's up there with the other Double/Imperial IPAs I've had recently. The Lagunitas is definitely more about the subtle flavors than the hops. It's getting harder to find regular IPAs that really drop the hop bomb on you (excluding Thunderhead). That's OK, that's what the big boys are for. Well I'm off to catch a flight to Tampa. Hopefully I'll have some pics up Tuesday night of what beer adventures await in Florida.

Well tonight is my last night of work at my crappy job, so in celebration, I finally broke into my bottle of Stone Ruination Imperial IPA that I've had in the fridge for awhile now. And it was worth the wait. This has to be one of, if not thee, hoppiest IPAs I've ever had. I was almost hopped out by the end of this one and trust me, that's a big feat! The only drawback was that it had a slight alcohol taste to it but that was only minor. An awesome Imperial IPA and I'm looking forward to visiting the brewery in a couple of weeks. The Stone Ruination Imperial IPA. It pretty much earned it's name, as it just about ruined by taste buds. In a good way!

A new Victory seasonal is out. The St. Boisterous Hellerbock. This one was allright for a hellerbock. Had both a malt and hop presence but neither one really stood out. The pour was very light. Much more so than I expected. I'm a little dissapointed by this one, especially since it's from Victory. Still, a decent, smooth, sprintime brew. The Victory St. Boisterous Hellerbock. Unfortunately, there isn't too much in the way of being boisterous about it.

Great pics everyone. It's awesome to see some people not letting a little rain get in the way of their fun. Also, it's nice to see the Dane Train and the Su Fi get some respect.

Great pics as usual Derek. That caption for the pic of you with Soren and Greg is a classic. Not too mention the look on that ladies face on Test Track. That's a bummer about your flight home. We've flown Southwest a lot over the last couple of years without too many problems. Here's hoping our Saturday morning flight to Tampa this weekend is problem free. Although I probably just jinxed it by saying that.

Some post coastering brewery stops from this past weekend. After opening day at Knoebels, Kim and Jay and I stopped at the ABC for a late dinner. Then on Sunday, after a fun day at SFA, we stopped at the Ellicot Brewing Company on the way home. For an appetizer, we tried some gator tail. It was definitley interesting. Kind of like chicken with the texture of calamari. I finished up with the Big Red Bock to go along with my big red sun burnt face. While Jay tried the Boomerang Lager. I started out with the Kolsch. Rather light and refreshing after a hard day of coastering. They actually had a decent selection of stuff on tap, mostly all of a German style. Of course I have to have the obligitory "tanks behind glass" shot, just to make sure you know they are actually brewing beer here. Home of the Ellicott Mills Brewing Company. Welcome to historical Ellicot City, MD. How do we know it's historical? Because the big banner on the light pole says so! At the ABC, I had the Hoppy Trails IPA while Jay tried the Watergap Wheat. I didn't dig the Hoppy Trails as much this go around. A little weak.

Time for a special bonus BTR, as Kim and I stopped off for a beer run at my favorite beer store, Shawan Liquors. This is actually down the street from where I work and is always convenient. I'm leaving the job at the end of next week, so I won't be able to visit quite as much but that's OK, as I really hate my job! Finally, the spoils of our search. The Troegs Sunshine Pils and some Victory Whirlwind Witbier. We shall enjoy! Thanks for reading. Don't worry Derek, some of this is coming home with us for you. Have I mentioned yet how awesome this place is? While rummaging through the coolers, we discovered a new Troegs beer. The "Heath Face" Hefe. Inside the cooler. Gee, which stack of cases in this pic doesn't belong with the others? Mmmm, a bunch of new spring/summer seasonals are ready to go. Plus they carry a ton of stuff from everywhere from the East Coast to the West Coast to everywhere in between. As well as a great selection of imports. Something I really need to try more of. This place has just an awesome selection of case, six-packs, and singles. Time to stop off at my favorite beer buying establishment. Shawan Liquors.

The beer release parties at DuClaw have been coming fast and furious lately, as this was the second one this month. The featured attraction this time, a completely new brew from the folks at DuClaw. The Berserkr Baltic Porter. As usual, Kim and Jay and I had to investigate. This button pretty much summed up the evening. Good times! Thanks for reading. And I pull out the special limited edition Heath "Berserkr" face. Jay puts his Viking beer horns on for the occasion. Time to go nuts with some Berserkr! Finally, it's release video time. This one was actually pretty good, as it utilized the majority of it's footage from the criminally underrated Jim Carrey flick, The Cable Guy. Preview of next month's release and one I'm quite excited about. The Serum Double IPA. Yes! Beer release trivia time! Oh course the subject this time was everything Vikings. Finally, the Bad Moon Porter. The Celtic Fury Irish Stout. Self photo beer drinking time! The Snake Oil Imperial Pils. Mmmmm, yummy happy hour eats. Potato skins and nachos. and Kim had her Kangaroo Love lager. Jay had the Bad Moon Porter... We all started out with our usuals. Me with a Venom... Happy hour was in full swing when we got there. Group cheers! This week's release was the Berserkr Baltic Porter. Back to DuClaw. Complete with rock star parking out front.

Nice report Derek. Too bad you missed the Fly-O-Plane. It's definitley one of the craziest and painful (in a good way) flats I've ridden. I guess they removed it to make room for the Oh Zone but they are supposed to bring it back next year.

I'm glad to see they had a nice turnout for the event. I think that was like double what they had last year. Gee, I wonder why? It's nice to hear that Goliath is living up to the hype. I can't wait to get down there in June for some sweet, sweet airtime.