Rugged One

Time to give Southern Tier another shot with something new. This was nicely done. A big bready backbone, some strong lingering hop bitterness, a beefy body, and 8% ABV made this one Imperial style worth drinking. The Southern Tier Uber Sun. A jacked up Imperial version of their popular summer seasonal Hop Sun.

More super awesomeness courtesy of Founder's. I'm really glad that they now distribute in this state. Special thanks to Deuane for the bottle. Nah! Just more of the same barrel-aged greatness that Founder's is known for. This one had an almost perfect blend of sweetness, spices, dark fruits, and chocolate wrapped up in a bourban blanket. Just fantastic stuff! I took my good ole' sweet time with this guy. I love the Founder's label art and this one is no different. They are usually really unique and perfectly sum up the beer inside. So will I find a crazy banjo-strumming redneck inside my bottle? The Backwoods Bastard. A bourban barrel-aged version of their Dirty Bastard Scotch Ale. I had previously had this at the Extreme Beer Fest last February and really enjoyed it. Now it's bottled. Awesome!

Trying to play some catch up here. This one's for you Bubba! Indeed it does! Initially, it's a complete hop bomb on the palette but as it warms, it achieves some nice balance with it's sweet caramel backbone. This is one experience worth living again and again. Good stuff! As you can see, the bottle promises an "Intense Hop Experience". Would it deliver? The Sam Adams Hallertau Imperial Pilsner.

Here's some pics from last nights DuClaw release. We met up with Deuane and his crew at the recently reopened Bel Air location because of their later release start time. Not as many pics as I normally do from these things. Just too much fun being had. Of course it wouldn't also be a trip to MD without stopping at a liquor store. Ronnies was a pretty servicable place too. Lots of good six-packs to be had. While Deuane and I enjoy the spoils of this evening's release. It really is a nice Barleywine. I hope to have it again before it's gone. Kim enjoys some Venom on nitro, the first time that we've tried it like that. It was interesting. They have a release set-up here similar to the one we went to at Arundel Mills. They'll fill your free snifter right there where you pick it up. Pretty cool! Of course it wouldn't be a trip to DuClaw without a release party. And this is probably the best one of the year since it's for their best beer. The Devil's Milk Barleywine. An excellent American hopped-up Barleywine to be exact. There wasn't alot that looked that different. They improved the bar area somewhat and removed the old brewhouse to make way for offices. Back for the first time in awhile to the original DuClaw location in Bel Air, MD. There was a major fire here in Aug. of 06 and finally reopened in Sept. of 07. They took their time though and did a major renovation of the inside.

Here's some pics from a visit we took to the one in Gaithersburg last winter Bubba,which also included our first time visiting that Whole Foods and Sweetwater Tavern. http://www.themeparkreview.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=18179&postdays=0&postorder=asc&start=2360 Finally got back to ABC the other day to see if my mug had come in yet. And I go for the always tasty Susquehanna Stout on cask, which is quickly becoming one of my favorite beers here. Unfortunately, they were out of their Kriek, so Kim settled for their super sour Frambois Lambic. Well since it's got a bear on it, it's only fitting that my first mug fill is of of their November specialty, the Grinnin' Grizzly. You bet it has! And I'm pleased to see that it has a pretty cool design this year too! Back at the ABC for the moment of truth. Has my mug finally come in yet?

This past weekend, we just wanted to get out of the area and go do something somewhere new. We had some shopping to get done and had never been to the giganitc Tyson's Corner Center Mall in Northern VA. There's actually a lot of good beer in the area but unfortunately, we've only checked out a small portion of it because we never feel like stopping on the way back from visiting the VA parks. Sounds like it's time for a BACT Attack without the coasters. H&K style! I finish up another fun-filled day of beer drinking with their Ghost Town Pumpkin Ale. It was pretty light and not very complicated but they insist on doing the whole "ring the glass with spices and bits of nuts". Whatever. And so ends another extreme beer drinking day with H&K. Until next time. Cheers! And some little mexican eggrolls with guac sauce too! Some snackage was definitely in order. Nothing a giant bowl of guacamole can't cure. Kim gets in on the beer action with a Kokopelli IPA. Again, pretty decent and a definite step up from the normal Pale Ale they always have on tap here. Gotta start out with the Chipotle Porter. It was decent. Not overly spicy or anything. Another shot (and easier to read too) of their tap list. Now normally Sweetwater is good for usually one or two interesting beers being on tap at one time. We lucked out tonight! Just down the road and our final stop of the day. Back at The Sweetwater Tavern. I had heard that this place can get quite busy in the evenings and it was! Luckily, we avoided the 40 min wait for a table and fanagled our way to a couple of seats at the bar. Unfortunately, I had to control myself for the most part but we'll be back again in a couple of weeks. Oh my! Look at all of that Bell's! Pretty much all the good stuff they have out right now. Expedition, Double Cream, Java and Cherry Stouts, Winter White, Third Coast, Batch 8,000, Best Brown. I love it! After that fun, little side trip, it was time to get down to business at Whole Foods. Which of course means beer shopping We actually liked this one more than the one in Gaithersburg, MD. Much more spread out here while the other one is more build up on floors. I also really dug the amount of signs and cool Dogfish theming at this one. We had a chance to talk to the owner of both restaurants and offered our congrats on finally gettting the place open. ...and went with a good ole' reliable 60 Min IPA. Just a good IPA that never lets you down. Luckily the bar wasn't too full. Lot's of the usual suspects on draft and even a few rarities too. The World Wide Stout on tap was tempting but at about $1 per oz, I decided to save my wallet and liver... And this one was a long time coming too. I think that it was originally supposed to open last spring. Anyway, naturally being a new restaurant on a Saturday night, the place was packed. That's allright though, as I only wanted a drink. And because we just happened to be driving by on the way to our next location, we couldn't pass up a chance to stop off at the brand spanking new Dogfish Head Alehouse in Falls Church that just opened the other week. I decide to go for their Oatmilk Stout. It was a good choice too since it had some nice sweetness from the milk that went well with it's roasty chocolate undertones. Kim goes for some of their root beer. It was a good one too with a nice licorice taste. Gotta go for some of the their Fall seasonal Pumpkin beer. The Pumpkinator! Ok, it didn't quite terminate my palatte but it was very good. Nice medium body and a good balance of pumpkin and spices. Shot of the board with their staple beers and a couple of seasonals. The design of the place was pretty cool. Since it's non-smoking, everything is located in one large room, with all the dining room seating situated in a circle around the gigantic circular bar. The serving tanks in the middle are a nice touch as well. Why it's the Arlington location of the Capitol City Brewing Company. Stop #3 is yet another shopping complex in Arlington. This one the Shirlington Village, which was actually a really cute area of shops and what not. Gee, what could be here? I finish up with another giant mug of their GABF winning Ballston Brown. And it's dry hopped on the hand pump to boot! Good stuff! I guess that's why they have a secondary bar in the back to accomadate all those crowds (and to supply the back patio when it's open). Uh, do you think that Wednesday nights are popular here? Jeez, they're practically giving it away! Of course! Their best selling and award winning Mother Martha's Light Ale style Kolsch. It was rather light and easy drinking. Hmmm. What do you think Kim will go for... I decide to go with some of this month's specialty release. The Spout Run Porter. On nitro and Mug Club sized too. Nice creamy body with good roasted chocolate notes. And another shot of the taps. Shot of the board. This is another Rock Bottom that is blessed to have a decent brewer here that's into creating solid yet creative styles. The front bar isn't nearly as big as the one at the King of Prussia location but we'll get back to that later. ...is a location for yet another popular brewchain. The Arlington Rock Bottom! Much like most of these, this has both a mall entrance and street entrance. Next stop. Yet another mall. The Ballston Commons in Arlington. This was another good sized mall, standing 3 levels and tucked away in the corner of the bottom level... Kim tries some of their housebrewed Root Beer. One of several she would have throughout the day. Being lunchtime, we went for this crab and artichoke dip to help with the hunger. It was very good. They had a bunch of different German styles on tap but I settled on their seasonal, the Autumnfest. They also serve a traditional Marzen here but this seemed like a sweeter take on it. The place was pretty packed but we found a cozy nook right behind the bar area. After a hard morning of shopping, one gets thirsty. Luckily, here at the Tysons Corner Center, they have a location from the Gordon Biersch to help quench that thirst.

^^ Well you did get to your first beer festival this year, so I guess anything is possible! Don't forget to charge your batteries! ^Be patient young Bubba. The Sharks jersey will appear soon.

^ We've been trying to get Matt to go to Three Floyds for over a year now. Good luck! By the way. That Red Brick Ale is terrible. I hated the taste of it.

I've got a bottle of that Jewbalation 11th myself Bubba. It looks like I'm going to have to crack into that soon based on your review. It may be getting cold outside but it's still the Fall. Ah, just as fresh and tasty as last year's. Tons of piney, fresh hop character with a dollop of citrus to boot. Good stuff! Some of this year's batch of Great Divide Fresh Hop. A Wet Hopped APA. And unlike like last year, I found some during the actual Wet Hop season.

Time to revisit an old favorite tonight. This is a great example of a big American Barleywine. A large and flavorful malt background balanced nicely by a equally huge hop profile and it isn't afraid to wear a little alcohol on it's sleave. One of the finer American Barleywines out there. The Hog Heaven from Avery.

I wasn't sure if I was going to post these or not from last Saturday's visit to Balitmore since I didn't take any pics from the rest of the day's fun but here are some anyway. Afterwards, we continued our belated Halloween celebration with a viewing of The Nightmare Before Christmas in 3-D. Unlike last year, we finally got to see this one. Pretty cool too. Of course I had to pair one DuClaw October beer up with another. The Mad Bisphop of course! Kim really enjoyed it as well. *Note to self. Definitely bring growler next time!* It was pretty darn tasty too. Fairly sweet with a nice spice kick, I wish I had remembered my growler. ...cuz we still hadn't try their new Spiced Munich Dunkel that was just released on the 31st. Called appropriately enough, 31. Back at the Arundel Mills DuClaw for the first time in like 3-4 months. Kim and I decided to celebrate Halloween a couple of days late...

So this past Thursday after work, at the invite of our new BA friends Deuane and Carolyn, we met up at the nearby Brewhouse Grille. They have a pretty kick ass happy hour here and we met a bunch of really cool local beer enthusiasts. We're hoping to do this at least once a month from now on. I finish up with another 22oz of Sierra Nevada Harvest. Fresh, tasty, and only $3. Awesome! Kim's even gets in on the action with a 22oz Pliny of her own. OK, I actually helped her finish hers because we needed to make it home. Deuane and I enjoy a special happy hour treat. 22oz of Pliny the Elder for $3. Yes, you read that right. Happy hour at Russian River itself can't even top that! And this was a nice fresh keg too, not that unbalanced stuff we had at the Drafting Room the other week. Oh my! And they have something special on tap. Back at the Brewhouse Grille for the first time in awhile.

^ Would you like me to wear a Sharks jersey next time I post Bubba? I've got one. By the way, the other night I had something from out your way. Well it tasted as advertised, like a beefed up Hefe that hide it's 7.5% alcohol pretty well. This had a fantastic banana smell as it warmed but unfortunately the taste really couldn't keep pace. If you find it, I'd recommend trying it a least once if you've never had the style. The Imperial Hefeweizen. Part of the Pyramid Brewers Reserve 2007 line.

Some more Fall drinking from earlier this week. Eh, not too bad. Fairly sweet but had some citrus notes and hop bitterness that threw me for a loop. Time for another somewhat local Oktoberfest. This one courtesty of Flying Fish in NJ. Kim's gives me a hand with this one. It was a little thin in the body but was just as advertised. Lots of Pecan nuttiness and sweet caramel notes. That's right, it's the Abita Pecan Harvest Ale, a Brown Ale brewed with real Pecans. As they say down South, "it's pronouned pee-can, not puh-con". Now that it's finally getting colder and actually starting to feel like fall, we figured that we'd get into this six pack of the latest fall seasonal from a brewery that's a little hit or miss for us.

Well I'm glad that you and Ellen were able to get there with us Adam. Especially to try the Pumpkin Ale. That keg that kicked while we were there was the 3rd one allready in only 5 days. And that's all by the pint too! I don't think that it's going to last very long into November like they orginally thought. So with Adam posting our Saturday and Sunday visits, I'll put up a few pics from that Friday night. And I finish with their Oktoberfest. Not bad for a local attempt at the style. Adam gets all shy with the paparazzi as he enjoys a Hop Hog. Ellen likes her Strawberries without chocolate thank you and has the regular Strawberry Wheat. Oh and Go Sox! ...as did I. It was decent. Definitley more of the Stout came out than the strawberries. Adam decides to give that a shot... Oooh, something different on cask! The Chocolate Covered Strawberry. A mix of their Milkstout and Strawberry Wheat. Adam and Ellen had never been to the LBC or downtown Lancaster for that matter (they were surprised that it wasn't all fields;) so we figured that this would be the perfect time for a visit.

Tonight's beer comes from a PA brewpub that we've taken forever to get up to. Otto's Pub & Brewery up in Happy Valley. After trying tonight's beer, I'm not waiting any longer. Wow, where has this local hop bomb been? Just juicy hops and citrus the whole way through. I can't wait to try some of the other stuff these guys brew. I've got to include a close up of that bottle. Instant classic! The Double D from Otto's in State College, PA. A, you guessed it, Double IPA.

Nothing says Fall like yet another Wet Hop beer. Definitely interesting. This has the same grassy hop aroma and taste of other wet hop ales but this one seems to be much more British in nature. The hops are somewhat muted and sweet and earthy. Not too umpleasant but definitley not what I was expecting. Session #20 from the Harpoon 100 Barrel Series. The Glacier Harvest Wet Hop Ale.

Even more Oktoberfest action... And it really is! A little sweeter than I remembered it being from last year but still excellent. Prost! One of the finest Marzens around. The Paulaner Oktoberfest.

Disney World (more specifically Disney/MGM) in May of 2002. I finally got over my lifelong (I was 27 at the time) fear of roller coasters and rode my first there. The Rock N' Roller Coaster. We were living in SC at the time and finally decided to drive down and visit Orlando. We didn't get to the Disneyland Resort until January of 04.

October drinking continues, as we seem to be really flying through this month. Pretty solid! Nice spice and pumpkin balance plus there's some unexpected hop bitterness in this guy too (something that Smuttynose is prone to do). Of all the Pumpkin Ales I've had in bottles, this is definitely one of the top ones. Next up, another local Pumpkin Ale. OK if you consider local the Northeast. This one from Smuttynose in Portsmouth, NH. Very nice but interesting. It starts out very sweet but then some unexpected hop character rears it's head and sticks around. First up, something local in the form of a Stoudt's Oktoberfest.

I was feeling pretty hoppy last night. Let's see what did the trick... Just as tasty as before! Pungent sticky hops and zesty grapefruit notes dominate this guy. This actually reminds me alot of a lesser version of the Troegs Nugget Nectar, expect the Nectar has a lot more going on in the malt department. There you go Bubba! Now you know what to expect! Time to revisit the Lagunitas Kill Ugly Radio. This time with a full bomber all to myself.

^ Thanks Ted. I thought that he looked familiar. Your right, it is a very informative and fascinating doc.

^^^ Heh Cameron, were you in a documentary last year called Tilt: The Battle to Save Pinball? I really enjoyed that one.

We just might have to keep that in mind for next Fall. Great, yet another thing to do in October. Ah, if only there were more weekends in the month.

Alas Wally, I've shown Derek all I can in the ways of DuClaw. It's time to let the little guy spread his wings and down some Venom on his own. Here's a Halloween beer if there ever was one. Yowzas! This beer does have bite! Strong hops up front with a nice caramel/chocolate maltiness to keep it balanced. This reminds me of some hoppy ambers I've had but the thick body and 8% ABV definitely put this in the realm of Strong Ales. The Great Lakes Brewing Nosferatu, a hoppy Strong Ale. Quick bit of trivia, the GLB can use the name and likeness from the 1922 film for free since the movie is in the public domain.