Rugged One

1,000th post! Kind of fitting it's done by the guy who started the thread. Great pics Derek! It looks like you and Wally had a great time. Man, I really need to get out there now. Maybe not this year but definitely next. Finished up with some Rockville Rye while doing my best Me face. Started out with probably my favorite of their staple beers. The Water Gap Wheat. Just a really decent wheat beer that always hits the spot. Stopped by the ABC for lunch today. They had a good number of stuff of tap.

Great pics Mike. It's good to see that you had your priorities straight on your trip out there (ie. lots of beer).

Ah man, you got to go to Thirsty Bear! I love that logo. Finally broke into my bottle of Sly Fox Rt. 113 IPA last night. This one was kind of interesting. Started out with some nice sweet citrus notes but then got hopppier and hoppier the more I drank it. Heh, I'm not complaining though. Also, yeah for the beer thread on reaching a 100 pages! My how it's grown in only a few short months. The Sly Fox Rt. 113 IPA. Kind of a schizo IPA but I still enjoyed it.

San Fran looks awesome man! As does that sourdough gator. All those wonderful Nor Cal beers make me want to jump on the plane right now! Keep up the great pics.

It looks like your'e having a good time with all those great beers out there Derek. Make sure you have a Thunderhead at Pryamid when you go. I love the shirt but if I sold Kim for beer, who would drive me around to all these breweries?

Wow, that's a nice selection of stuff you brought back there Mike. Enjoy the Racer X. I love that stuff! Wow, with everyone either just visiting Nor Cal, currently visiting Nor Cal, or living in Nor Cal, I was feeling left out. Good thing I had some Liberty Ale on hand to help raise my spirits. Liberty Ale. Fantastic stuff. Makes me want to go do some trip planning now!

Great pics so far Derek. I'm glad to see that the babies made it allright.

Thought that I would throw of some shots from Sunday's adventures. Kim and I headed to the King of Prussia Mall in King of Prussia, PA on Sunday. For those that don't know, this is one of those mega-malls that used to be one of the largest around when it opened. The last time we were there in December, it was a complete madhouse, so it was nice to get there early and look around without the crowds. Of course I couldn't leave without a souvenir. Thanks for reading. While I enjoyed the Hopdevil cask. BTW, Happy Birthday Wally! This one's for you! Kim had a Mad King's Weiss. Of course on the way home, we had to stop at Victory for a drink. We next hit the movie theater across the street and saw V For Vendetta on the IMAX. It was a pretty kick ass flick. Yeah it was! Not bad. We enjoyed Rock Bottom. We'll definitely be back to try some of their other stuff plus it's always good to have a brewery handy in the mall to help quench your thirst while your shopping. We had a movie to catch and time was getting short, so I only had time for one more. Went with Uncle Patty's Oatmeal Stout. Was it any good? Mmmmm, barbecue nachos. Kim keeps it light with the Lumpy Dog. The Prussia's Pride IPA of course! They had some nice looking stuff on tap. Gee, what will I go for first? They had a really nice bar area, with a good vibe. It helped that it was still early and there wasn't many people there yet. It looks like there's some serious fermenting going in there. Of course I wouldn't be posting this unless there was beer somehow involved. In this case, it's the Rock Bottom Brewery, located in the mall.

That stinks. I was looking forward to riding this on our first visit to the Great Escape this summer. Oh well, it sounds like in recent years, you had a pretty iffy chance of riding it anyway.

The wife and I did an Ocean City credit run last August. Started the day off at Baja Amusements (they allow you to ride the Wacky Worm). Then it was off to the boardwalk. Hit the Ocean City Pier first, as it opens earlier, and then Trimpers. Didn't ride the Sooper Jet as it's powered. If you like darkrides, make sure you ride the Haunted House. It's a seperate admission but it's super long, although a lof the gags weren't working as we went through. Then we went north and hit the Jolly Roger. They also allow adult rides on their Wacky Worm. Finally, like I said before, if you really like darkrides and have time, continue north to Reboboth Beach, DE and ride the Haunted Mansion. It's probably my second fav, only behind the one at Knoebels. Oh, and like others have said, eat some Thrashers french fries. With vinegar!

Dude, you have got to be kidding me. Peanut butter and burgers? Those are like my two favorite things and never once have I thought of putting them together. Until now.

With the night off from work, Kim and I headed down to the DuClaw Brewing Co. in Baltimore, MD for this months beer release party. The Celtic Fury Irish Stout. I have to work tonight, so yesterday was pretty much my St. Patricks Day. As a matter fact I picked up a growler of it to enjoy this weekend. Have a safe and happy St. Patricks Day everyone and thanks for reading. Finally it was time to try the Celtic Fury. And it was a rather good Irish Stout. ....with a coupon for $5 off the t-shirt. Which I of course had to get. Picked up my free glass.... Kim shows off her Kiss Me I'm Drunk button. Actually, I should have been wearing this. Let the Celtic Fury flow! Release video time. This one was dedicated to all things Irish. It was OK. They've done better and funnier ones though. Then they show a preview for next month's release. These are usually more entertaining than the actual release video. Next month is the Snake Oil Imperial Pils. Finally it was time for the beer release. For a few minutes before the release, they always play some snippets of trivia pertaining to this month's selection. In this case, the Irish and stouts. And the Misfit Red Amber Ale. Couple more. The Bad Moon Porter. Probably my second favorite of their staple beers. With my baby, the Naked Fish Chocolate Raspberry Stout. Yum. Mmmmm, pretzels and wings. Perfect bar food. Kim had the Kangeroo Love light lager. Aaahhh, the Venom Pale Ale. What I always start out with. This is an excellent pale ale. Nicely balanced and very hoppy. I love it! Hmmm, what to try first. Which of course had the 8 rules of Pint Club. The only one I don't agree with is #5. I've double fisted pints at this place lots of times. I got my courtesy take home Pint Club glass. I had just signed up for DuClaw's frequent drinkers club, The Pint Club, last weekend so it was time to activate my membership. The Fells Point location is our favorite of the four, as not only is it in a really kicking part of town but definitely has the best bar setup with the bar in the middle and the seating around it. When you first walk in, there is one simple rule you must follow. Although I would find out later there are more. Home to the Fells Point branch of the DuClaw Brewing Co. Welcome to the sunny Bond St. Wharf in Fells Point.

Since Derek has been profiling some tasty Pyramid selections, here's one other I tried tonight. The Pyramid ThunderHead IPA. My god, this thing is hoppy. Definitely one of the stronger hop bites I've recently experienced from a regular IPA. I should have some pics up tomorrow night from my first PTR of a DuClaw beer release party. The Celtic Fury Irish Stout! The Pyramid ThunderHead IPA. Just like it's namesake coaster, it's smooth but crazy.

Dude, I don't think that your smile could get any bigger in that pic with the Dortmunder. Nice PTR. One of these days we'll head out there for Solace.

I've got way too many that I've bought over the last couple of years (about 4 bins full). I'm definitely going to make an effort this year to try and cut back what I buy at parks. Some places like Knoebels always kills me because it seems like every year, they not only get new merch, but it's decent looking stuff too.

Tried another North Coast brew last night. The Old No. 38 Stout. This was pretty good. Very malty but a little bitter with some nice hints of chocolate and coffee. Old No. 38 Stout. Good stuff!

Congrats Derek! Of course, more money means more beer! On to tonights brews. One of the cooler label designs I've seen out there. Then it was on to something new. The Hoptical Illusion IPA from Bluepoint. This one kind of toned down the hops in favor of some tasty citrus and floral notes. I'm definitely going to have to revisit this one soon. First I knocked back a Pyramid Hefe.

Yeah, the first time I saw the stuff at the distributor, I was like "Those illustrations look very familiar." Then duh, I realized it was Steadman art.

No problem man! I'm glad your enjoying them or at least enjoying marveling at their superior foamy heads. Tried something new from Flying Dog Ales in Denver. A brewery that I happen to really enjoy. The Gonzo Imperial Porter. This is the tribute beer to late, great Hunter S. Thompson and was quite tasty as well. The Gonzo Imperial Porter. Complex and crazy. Just how I like 'em.

Tried another one of the Brooklyn brews that Derek hooked me up with. The Brooklyn Winter Ale. This one was pretty much par for the course as far as winter ales go. Malty and a little sweet. Decent enough I suppose.

After Dr. Ruth prescribed me multiple daily beers last night, I hit up a couple of Victory brews tonight. Actually it's a pretyy good time right now for getting Victory specialty beers on the market. The Ten Years Alt. I really like this. Awesome malt to hops transition. Makes me appreciate fine brewing. The St. Victorious Doppelbock. Sweet and smooth and malty. I'd love to have this one on tap in the house right now.

Why it's something that you intrigued me with two months ago Wally. The Lagunitas Maximus. Man I had to dig back deep in the thread for this pic!

You can send it back with Derek in a couple of weeks. He knows what I want.

Hmmm, let me see: Corona is designated a "Budweiser Brand" and Bud has a 50% stake in Corona to help boost it's international presence. Do they market for them as well now? A-B distibutes Widmer Bros. products. A-B will become the U.S. distributor of Grolsch. *This is rather recent* A-B and Redhook have teamed up in a joint partnership. A first I believe between "big beer" and "craft beer". All in all, I think that's it's very smart for Bud to realize that they need to get involved in both the import and craft beer aspects of the industry. There's a reason why they are on top of the game. Better yet, it's best for Wally, you get's to buy all of this stuff on his card. And yes, I did look this stuff up but just because I was so darn curious.

Once again Derek, you amaze me with the speed of which you get those pics up. We had a good time, as usual, drinking some great beers with ya! I only wish I could keep my eyes open when that darn flash goes off.