HIGHWAY TO ALE

Chicago Craft Beer Week - Day 6 (Tuesday May 24, 2011)

2011-05-25T16:32:00.012-05:00

Jak's Tap
1. Bridgeport - Kingpin Double Red Ale. My Rating: The glass is half empty

Haymarket Pub and Brewery (has very good food).
1. Pizza Port (16 beers on tap)! This was definitely the most well organized and enjoyable tap tasting of this scale that I have ever been too! I had a lot of the beers - too many to list. It was especially cool to briefly meet with Haymaket brewmaster Peter Crowley and Pizza Port brewmaster Jeff Bagby and thanks to them for being so nice and letting me sit and have a beer at their table!! My Rating: The glass is full
2. Haymarket - The Alarm Double American IPA. My Rating: The glass is full
3. Haymarket - Fear American IPA. My Rating: The glass is full

Chicago Craft Beer Week - Day 5 (Monday May 23, 2011)

2011-05-24T13:10:00.012-05:00

High Dive (has good food)
1. New Belgium - Dunkelweiss. My Rating: The glass is half empty

Cleo's
1. Summit - Unchained 06: Gold Sovereign Ale. My Rating: The glass is half empty

Twisted Spoke (sadly, I missed all the Goose Island barrel-aged stouts that were available earlier this night)
1. Stone - Arrogant Bastard". My Rating: The glass is full

Chicago Craft Beer Week - Day 3 (Saturday May 21, 2011)

2011-05-23T18:12:00.016-05:00

Small Bar - Logan Square
1. Two Brothers - Cane and Ebel (firkin). My Rating: The glass is full
2. Two Brothers - Askew Sour Ale. My Rating: The glass is half full
3. Half Acre - Gossamer Golden Ale (firkin). My Rating: The glass is empty (at least for the firkin version).

Quenchers Saloon
1. Bear Republic - Racer 5 IPA. My Rating: The glass is full

Owen and Engine (my first time here - highly recommended)
1. Two Brothers - Oak Aged Resistance IPA. My Rating: The glass is full

Cole's
1. Great Lakes - Dortmunder Gold. My Rating: The glass is full

Revolution Brewing
1. Dos Osos West Coast IPA. My Rating: The glass is full

Rocking Horse
1. Great Lakes - Lake Erie Monster. My Rating: The glass is half full

Chicago Craft Beer Week - Day 2 (Friday May 20, 2011)

2011-05-23T17:54:00.016-05:00

Small Bar - Fullerton
1. Half Acre - Baume Rye Stout. My Rating: The glass is half full
2. Two Brothers - Oak Aged Resistance IPA (firkin). My Rating: The glass is full
3. Metropolitan/Small Bar - Gold Star for Robot Boy (single hop pilsner). My Rating: The glass is half full

Paddy Longs
1. Three Floyds - Alpha King. My Rating: The glass is full

Chicago Craft Beer Week - Day 1 (Thursday May 19, 2011)

2011-05-20T20:32:00.012-05:00

I kicked off the first day (yesterday night) of Chicago Craft Beer Week in my own spontaneous way.
The 4 bars that I visited and the draft beer that I had at each place:

Maria's Packaged Goods and Community Bar
1. Lagunitas - A Little Sumpin' Sumpin' Ale
My Rating: The glass is full

the Village Tap
1. New Holland - Envious
My Rating: The glass is half empty

Jerry's Sandwiches (highly recommended)
1. Port - Wipeout IPA
My Rating: The glass is full

The Beer Bistro
1. Lagunitas - Undercover Investigation Shut-Down Ale
My Rating: The glass is full

Tonight (right now!) I'm off to Small Bar - Fullerton, and then maybe Paddy Long's or Sheffields.

Happy Chicago Craft Beer Week!

Sticky Fat from Half Acre

2010-09-04T21:49:00.009-05:00

I'm enjoying these first few days of autumn-like weather and the Labor Day weekend with a growler of Sticky Fat from Half Acre Brewing Company in Chicago. It was just released and will probably have a very limited availability (in growlers only at the brewery). Read their tale of the Sticky Fat Bear on the Half Acre blog here.

I always love ales brewed with fresh/wet hops, which Sticky Fat most certainly is. But it is also a very nice dark ale along with the hoppiness, so it has fantastic balance of flavor.

Sticky Fat was released on Friday September 3 and already has a grade of A (outstanding) on BeerAdvocate.

It may be the perfect kind of ale to get in a growler. With the ABV at a reasonable 6.5% and with the fantastic flavors in each pour, you can keep drinking this one all weekend.

Happy Brew Year's Eve

2010-04-07T23:50:00.006-05:00

Read this Wired article, to learn why today is the 77th anniversary of Brew Year's Eve, April 7, 1933. It's better if you are enjoying a cold beer while you do!

The pic to the left is a shirt that I have, made by Yesterbeer, which is a cool company that makes and sells vintage beer-related shirts and other products.

Pub Pics - Paramount Room

2010-04-06T17:20:00.003-05:00

Since my birthday in March 2008, I have enjoyed many times at Paramount Room, which opened in Fall 2007. Paramount Room is about 2 blocks southeast from the Grand/Halsted/Milwaukee intersection and just near a train track bridge (and it always smells like chocolate outside because of Blommers Chocolate nearby). I enjoy their frequently rotating taps of craft beer (always with an updated list), their excellent Kobe burger and tempura fried green beans, and the comfortable modern pub atmosphere. We usually sit in the underground lounge space, but this time we sat at the first table by the front door. Featured in this edition of "Pub Pics" is a pint (being thoroughly enjoyed, hence the "glass is half full"!) of the recently available Two Brothers Long Haul Session Ale. This ale is light in body and alcohol (only 4.2%) but has such fantastic flavor with oaky notes, due to the aging in French oak fermentation tanks (foudres). Maybe I need a little break from all those strong IPA's lately, but I seem to be enjoying this one a lot more than other reviewers. Plus it's a great session ale to have while watching all the Chicago Blackhawks games - who are hopefully "in it for the long haul". And that's why it's my Beer of the Month this April 2010.

And it Stoned Me at the Spoke (Stone Brewing at Twisted Spoke 04-01-10)

2010-04-03T15:18:00.013-05:00

This past Thursday, April 1 2010, I went over to one of my favorite beer/bourbon bars, Twisted Spoke (Grand and Ogden) for a special event with Stone Brewing. As many of you have probably heard, Stone Brewing is pretty much taking over many bars/taps/stores this week with a large selection of their beers, which have never been sold in Illinois before now. On that note, I have never before had the chance to try any beers from Stone Brewing before this event, which was the first day to kick-off the "Stone Beer Week in Chicago". All 20 of the taps were Stone beers! I got there around 5:45pm, and by about 6:15pm the place was packed as you can see from the photo.

Even though we had to wait a while for our first round of beers, it was worth it and the bartenders were trying their best to accommodate the early crowd. We first got the Double Dry Hopped IPA (which was excellent and maybe my favorite), Sublimely Self-Riteous Ale, 13th Anniversary Ale, and Smoked Porter (which was also excellent). Second round was Arrogant Bastard Dry Hopped, Levitation, Ruination, and Vanilla Porter. You can find lots more great information about all the Stone beers on their website here.

The beers that we tried are noted (by check marks) on the full list of beers available, which is shown here in this post (click it to view larger). We also met a very nice and knowledgeable guy who marked on list which beers you can find in bottles or not. Glad I got that Double Dry Hopped IPA before the tap ran out! I might attend another Stone beer event next week, where I may try some of the other rarer/stronger beers such as the Bel-Go Barley Wine or the Russian Imperial Stout Barrel Aged. But I just couldn't handle these during my time at Twisted Spoke. All the beers I had there were a great introduction to Stone Brewing for me, and they left me, well, kinda stoned!

AleFest Chicago 2009 Follow-Up and Photos

2009-07-14T21:04:00.011-05:00

Just as it was last year, AleFest Chicago 2009 (3rd Annual) was a fantastic time this past Saturday, on a beautiful day near Soldier Field. There were about 150 beers from which to sample, although I have actually had a lot of them before, so there wasn't much beer new to me. I still enjoyed tasting beers that I haven't had for a couple years or having some of my old favorites. Some of my favorite breweries were there, including Two Brothers, Lost Coast, Dark Horse, Charles Wells, Goose Island, Great Lakes, Unibroue, Wychwood, Lagunitas, and Founders. A brewery that's newer to me is Barley Island from Indiana and I very much enjoyed their Barfly IPA and Dirty Helen Brown Ale (which I favorably reviewed last year) which were poured from their great looking taps. Unfortunately, one of my favorite breweries Three Floyds was not there again this year, so it seems they are never interested in participating in this AleFest, even though they are so close to Chicago. For the special ReplicAle 2009 event, for which many breweries brewed their version of a Belgian-style wit beer, I only tried the ones from Piece Brewery & Pizzeria and Emmett's Tavern & Brewing, which were both excellent (as expected). Enjoy my slideshow of photos that I took during my time at AleFest Chicago 2009, along with my girlfriend Lin and her dad Denny:

AleFest Chicago (3rd Annual)

2009-07-09T18:27:00.008-05:00

This Saturday July 11 will be the 3rd Annual AleFest Chicago.
It will be in a large field just outside of Soldier Field Stadium from 2pm to 6pm.
We went last year and had lots of fun and overall thought it was excellent. Therefore, I am definitely going again this year.

It is $40 for admission, but that gives you 20 samples from a selection of over 150 craft beers, a commemorative AleFest sampling glass, and event sampling guide with informative beer and brewing references, along with many other features. This year, the proceeds will go to support the Illinois Craft Brewers Guild, and on their website they elaborate on this year's special "ReplicAle" which will be the style of Belgian Wit.

If you love beer like me, and this time and location is convenient for you, you should try to make it.

Last year, I wanted to write about my AleFest 2008 experience but never got around to it, even though I had plenty of material (reviews, photos). Hopefully I will write about my AleFest 2009 experience, soon after attending this Saturday.

I also have literally tons of new photos and beer reviews that I have been meaning to post, but have been extremely busy for the past 6 months. I will have to figure out a way to get this blog up to speed this summer.

Pub Pics - Elephant and Castle Pub in Chicago

2009-02-07T18:00:00.004-06:00

Pub Pics - Small Bar in Avondale, Chicago

2008-10-22T19:18:00.004-05:00

Oktoberfest & Pumpkin Beer at Delilah's Follow-Up

2008-10-13T12:42:00.009-05:00

A couple weeks back (I gotta write more often on this blog!) I went to Delilah's in Chicago for their Oktoberfest & Pumpkin (& Autumn Beer) "Festival". I did not buy the $20 tasting for all the beers (2 oz. each, I think). I have already had many of the beers on the list. So, I just had four beers that I have never had before. I also tried to get some photos, but as expected Delilah's is just too dark.
To the left, you can view the list of beers offered at Delilah's - just click it to view larger.
Here are my ratings.

Weihenstephaner Festbier - The glass is full

Arcadia Jaw Jacker Spiced Ale - The glass is half empty

Breckenridge After Rakin' Autumn Ale - The glass is half full

Lakefront Pumpkin Lager - The glass is empty

In general, I am not really into pumpkin ales. I say ales, because as you can see from my rating of the pumpkin lager above, I just don't think pumpkin works well at all in a lager. Recently, I had a pumpkin ale that I thought was really good and enjoyable to drink, so I made it the Beer of the Month for this October. It's Brooklyn Brewery's Post Road Pumpkin Ale.

I'm back! And probably going to Delilah's tonight.

2008-09-23T12:21:00.015-05:00

Don't worry. Highway to Ale is not dying. I had to take a break for a while, since I was moving and starting a new job. I am all settled in now and actually making some decent money, so I have some new interesting beers about which I will write. However, I haven't really figured out my internet situation outside of work, so the minimal internet access at home has definitely contributed to a decrease in my posting. Looks like I will combine July, August, and September for what will be my most recent "Monthly Beer Review and Rating" at the end of this month. For the past two months, I have actually been minimizing beer bottles that I would have to recycle by drinking primarily growlers of different styles of beer from Emmett's Brewery in West Dundee and Piece Brewery in Chicago. I do have some regular bottled beer to also review and rate.

Just now I put up my pick for Beer of the Month for September on the right sidebar - it's one of my favorite seasonal beers and it's called Heavy Handed brewed by Two Brothers. I didn't get around to posting a Beer of the Month for August before, but there will be one in the list. I also have many more things that I have been meaning to post, such as some beer related events that happened way back in the Spring and Summer. And, of course, I have lots of "Pub Pics" and a few new "Weird Beer Thursdays" lined up for the near future.

Ok, regarding tonight, Delilah's in Chicago is having an "Oktoberfest and Pumpkin Beer Festival". This is rather perfect since I haven't had the chance to write about Oktoberfest beers in particular this month, and I am also still trying to determine which pumpkin beer I like the best. So I will probably check this out. I'll try to get some photos, but not sure if they will show up well since it is usually so dark in Delilah's.
From Delilah's website, here's the info for tonight:

Oktoberfest & Pumpkin Beer Festival

On Tuesday, September 23rd, Delilah’s will be hosting a comprehensive tasting of Oktoberfest, Harvest, & Pumpkin beers. We will be tasting every possible version of these beers available in this market – plus a five year vertical of Ayinger Oktoberfest.
Beers to be tasted include but are not limited to:

Ayinger Oktoberfest
Paulaner Oktoberfest
Hacker-Pschorr Oktoberfest
Becks Oktoberfest
Goose Island Oktoberfest
Summit Oktoberfest + Sierra Nevada Harvest Ale + Buffalo Bills Pumpkin Ale
New Holland Ichabod Pumpkin Ale
Dogfishead Pumpkin Ale
Lakefront Pumpkin Lager & O’Fallen Pumpkin Ale

This is guaranteed to be ideal for both the new enthusiast as well as the long term aficionado – and talk about becoming an educated shopper.

Tuesday, September 23th, 5pm - 9pm
Delilah’s - 2771 N. Lincoln Ave. Chicago
(773) 472-2771
There is no cost to attend and the various beers will be available to purchase by the 2oz sample or whole bottle/pint - information about the beers will be available. Call with any questions.

Things are very busy!!! More exciting posts soon.

2008-08-01T03:59:00.002-05:00

I am currently moving. It is a lot of work. When I am done, hopefully by Sunday, I will write more posts. Such as the Monthly Review and Rating for July, a new Weird Beer Thursday, and many more. And, of course, I will celebrate by drinking some good beer. Cheers!

Pub Pics - M.T. Barrels in West Dundee

2008-07-26T21:03:00.006-05:00

M.T. Barrels is in West Dundee, Illinois, and has a rather comical name. It is just steps away from what has turned into one of my favorite breweries (and tavern/restaurant), Emmett's Tavern and Brewing Co. in West Dundee. So if don't live way out northwest from Chicago, and you make the trek out to West Dundee, then you could try both while your out there. Thanks to my girlfriend's family, I am now an official member of Emmett's Beer Club and we have been going pretty regularly for dinner and mug night on Tuesdays.
On Saturday June 14, we attended the Elgin Brewfest 2008, which I haven't yet written about and probably will not write about. I know of it because my friend/fellow beer connoisseur Seth lives in Elgin and tells people about it each year. You can check out a great slideshow of photos that he took of the Elgin Brewfest 2008 on his blog here. After the fest ended, I headed over to West Dundee to have some ale at Emmett's, but they were closing, so we went to M.T. Barrels and enjoyed their American Pale Ale (pictured below) and Amber Ale, both of which I can recommend. I cannot recommend their other beers.

AleFest Chicago - A Celebration of Craft Beer this Saturday!

2008-07-10T00:39:00.011-05:00

Sorry, this is kind of late for anyone out there who didn't know about this yet. AleFest Chicago is happening this Saturday July 12 from 1pm-6pm at Soldier Field Staidum Green (just outside Soldier Field). Apparently this is the 2nd annual one, but I don't remember hearing about it last year at all, and I was pretty busy, so obviously I didn't go before. This year, I have seen posters for it up in some beer bars that I have visited recently, so I figured it must be pretty good. Then I found the nice website where it has all the details. Admission is $40, but includes a bunch of stuff such as 20 samples of craft beer, a commemorative tasting glass, a stainless steel bottle opener, and it's also for charity for the The Lupus Foundation of America, Illinois Chapter (LFAI). Then I looked at the list of breweries that will be there (I have them listed below), and I was quite impressed! I'm still not sure if I will definitely go, but I am seriously considering it. Now I have some free time, but not much money, since I'm between jobs right now. Sounds like a pretty sweet deal and a good way to spend this Saturday, though, so I may go for it. Anyone else already planning on going, or wanting to go?

Participating Breweries Include:

Abita
Allagash
America’s
Arcadia
Avery
Ayinger
Belhaven
Bent River
Black Sheep
Blackthorn
Blue Cat
Boston Beer
Boulder
Breckenridge
Brooklyn
Chang
Charles Wells
Chimay Trappist
Destihl
Dogfish Head
DuBocq
Emmett’s
Flatlanders
Floris
Flossmoor Station
Flying Dog
Gaffel
Goose Island
Gordon Biersch
Gouden Carolus
Great Lakes
Greens

Hirter
Jever
Kaiser
Kasteel
Lagunitas
Lefebvre
Left Hand
Lindemans
Lost Coast
LunaR
McAuslan
Metropolitan
Mickey Finn’s
MT Barrels
New Holland
North Coast
Piece
RAM/Big Horn
Rock Bottom
Samuel Smith
Southern Tier
St. Louis
St. Peters
Stiegl
Three Floyds
Two Brothers
Unibroue
Wexford
Wychwood
Young’s
Zatec

Pub Pics - Poor Phil's in Oak Park

2008-07-09T23:59:00.005-05:00

Items that are awesomely contained within this "Pub Pic" from May 2008 at Poor Phil's in Oak Park:
1. Tasty popcorn
2. Delicious soft-shell crab sandwich and creamed spinach
3. Two Brothers' Bare Tree (Barley Wine Style Weiss Beer) (The Glass is Full)

Monthly Beer Review and Rating - June 2008

2008-07-01T01:13:00.020-05:00

It was little slow here this past month of June, as far as postings go, but I was still enjoying many great beers. And I was too busy yesterday (last day of the month) to post this. Here we go with the monthly ratings.

At Home:
Weihenstephaner - Hefeweissbier Dunkel
One of my favorite beers from the world's oldest brewery. The regular hefeweissbier is awesome too. I just like the dunkel (dark) even more. That's why it was the Beer of the Month for June 2008.

My Rating: The glass is full

Harpoon - IPA
This is my second beer to try (first one was their Munich Dark, which was quite good) from this Boston brewery. Their India Pale Ale is pretty good. Nothing all that memorable or special but just a solid IPA. To me, it seemed more like an English-style IPA, than a more hoppy American-style IPA. It works quite well as a refreshing summer ale, and will still help you take the edge off at 6%.

My Rating: The glass is half full

Breckenridge - Summerbright Ale

This beer wasn't all that bad, but I just didn't care for it much. Unfortunately, it was the only beer I had cold when my folks were over, so we drank it anyway, since it was kind of refreshing on a hot day. It was too grassy and skunky for my tastes. Maybe the 6-pack I got wasn't all that fresh. Definitely not worth it, if that's how it's intended to be.

My Rating: The glass is half empty

Two Brothers - Oh Brother! Tripel Ale
Oh Brother! is the May 2008 Artisan Beer release for Two Brothers (one of my favorite breweries), so I was sure to pick it up when I saw it at Binny's in June. I poured it into the distinctive Kwak glass, if you're wondering. I thought it was very good, and a good example of the Tripel Belgian-style from an American brewery. Maybe a little sweeter, a little hoppier, and more oily/viscous than Tripels made in Belgium. Lots of spice and fruit flavors going on. Good amount of alcohol too, at 8.5%, which is hidden by all the flavor, so watch out.
My Rating: The glass is full

Three Floyds - Blackheart
This is a very strong (9%) English-style IPA, so it can actually be called a Double IPA. So, if you feel like having a strong beer, I would highly recommend this excellent ale from an excellent brewery. It's made with English malts, hops, and yeast, and even aged slightly in oak for that "19th century taste". A taste which I very much like. There are interesting and complex fruit and spice flavors, especially as it warms a bit. It's bit pricey ($10 for 22 oz.) but I would say it's worth it, and may be hard to find now. Oh, it also has the most insane label that I've ever seen on a beer bottle. Click on the photos below (as you always can) to view larger versions of the left and right sides of the label.
My Rating: The glass is full

Goose Island - 312 Urban Wheat Ale
I used to not like this beer that much, but now I am a fan. It is, of course, a great summer beer and even tastes very good right out of the bottle (with a bottle cozy to keep it cold), without needing to pour it. A 12-pack is quite affordable at about $12. Although I prefer the flavor of Three Floyds Gumballhead, which uses delicious Amarillo hops but is more expensive, Goose Island's 312 is a good beer on a hot day and a great deal as a 12-pack.
My Rating: The glass is half full

Emmett's - McCarthy Red Ale
Available in growlers from Emmett's Tavern and Brewing Co. (we go to the one in West Dundee). Just an excellent red ale. Actually all the beers made by Emmett's are great.
My Rating: The glass is full

Three Floyds - Alpha King Pale Ale
Still one of my all-time favorite beers, especially regarding pale ales. Awesome.
My Rating: The glass is full

Great Lakes - Burning River Pale Ale
Another fantastic pale ale from an excellent brewery. Less hoppy and more malty than Three Floyds Alpha King, but I like it just as much.
My Rating: The glass is full

Sierra Nevada - Southern Hemisphere Harvest Fresh Hop Ale
I don't have much time to go into a lot of detail, but I really like fresh/wet-hopped ales.
Usually, fresh-hopped ales are only available by certain American breweries in the Fall, because this is when the hops are harvested in the northern hemisphere and must be used quickly while they are fresh. Sierra Nevada can now offer this fresh-hopped ale in the Spring by getting fresh hops from New Zealand. This is a good offering from Sierra Nevada, but it didn't taste as good to me as other fresh/wet-hopped beers that I have had, such as Two Brothers Heavy Handed or Left Hand Warrior IPA, which had more sweet malts for balance. Unfortunately, these are the only fresh/wet-hopped beers that I have seen available to me in Chicago. I will probably write more about fresh/wet-hopped ales another time.
My Rating: The glass is half full

East African (Kenya) Breweries Ltd - Tusker Lager
I think this is the first lager that I have put on this blog. Well, besides that post about Schlitz. (By the way, the "new"/original recipe of Schlitz is pretty good, but for the price, I would rather drink microbrewed beers.) Anyway, I remember Tusker was a refreshing and good light lager for hot days a couple Summers ago. It's from Kenya, and I think it's a little better than most American macrobrewed lagers. But, there are lots of much better lagers from around the world. My Rating: The glass is half empty

On Tap:
at The Map Room, Chicago, IL

Charles Wells - Bombardier - Great English bitter - My Rating: The glass is full.
Lost Coast - Downtown Brown - This is the first beer I've tried from this brewery from Eureka, California. It was really good! - My Rating: The glass is full.
Monk's Cafe Flemish Sour Ale - This Flanders-style sour red ale is brewed by the Van Steenberge Brewery in Belgium for Monk's Cafe/Belgian Beer Bar in Philadelphia. Normally I would not even order a sour ale, but surprisingly I actually liked this one and it's worth a try at least once. Especially during these Summer months. Here's what others think on Beer Advocate. - My Rating: The glass is half full.

Pub Pics - Duke of Perth in Chicago

2008-06-29T02:37:00.009-05:00

My favorite pub in Chicago is not Irish. It's Duke of Perth. It's Scottish. Took this pic a while back, on April 17, 2008. I remember that not only was this a random Thursday that I fortunately decided to go out to my favorite pub in the middle of the afternoon, but it was one of the first nice/warm days of this year that we had here in Chicago. It was perfect. The pint in the photo is a Belhaven Twisted Thistle IPA, which I had after a pint of Belhaven Scottish Ale. Along with the second half of the pint shown, I thoroughly enjoyed a plate full of the best fish and chips that I've had (at least in Chicago). They also have, of course, a large selection of scotch whisky. Check it out for yourself if you've never been: http://www.dukeofperth.com/

Enjoy this first edition of "Pub Pics" on Highway to Ale.

Weird Beer Thursday - Dark Horse Raspberry Ale

2008-06-12T04:06:00.004-05:00

Dark Horse Raspberry Ale

Why it's weird:
Ale brewed with real raspberries.

What's up with this beer:
Back to the fruit beer this time. This Raspberry Ale comes from Dark Horse Brewery in Marshall, Michigan. In the recent past, I have enjoyed their Amber Ale and their Crooked Tree IPA. I have to say that the Raspberry Ale was pretty refreshing when served cold (so it could make a great Summer beer), but in general I just wasn't that into the flavor. It seems that I am more fond of Blueberry Ale than Raspberry Ale. Although I do like raspberries quite a bit, I don't think that they work that well with beer. There is some tartness, which is OK, but there is another taste / aftertaste that I didn't really enjoy - and I can't really explain it. Just something about the mix of flavors from real raspberries with the beer ingredients didn't work for me. Also, the amount of carbonation seemed too high to me. In general, Dark Horse is true to their word (in details below) in that their Raspberry Ale is definitely more of a real ale than just being a fruity malt beverage. But I didn't think the beer itself was that great. It's not that bad, just something I would not buy again. If I was given it for free, I would probably drink it, especially served very cold on a warm Summer day.
The label reminds of illustrations from a book that I liked when I was a child - The Giant Jam Sandwich.

Details: (from the brewery)
A lot of people have asked us "why are there Bee's on the label?” Well, we don't really have an answer for you other than they just look cool. This is a light bodied easy drinking ale. We only use real raspberries so the flavor is very mild fruit and balanced, not what you would expect from a "fruit" beer. The way we see it is we're brewers so lets make good beer, not some fruity carbonated malt beverage. Oh yeah, our motto..."beer first fruit second".
ABV 5%

My Rating:
The glass is half empty.

Monthly Beer Review and Rating - May 2008

2008-05-31T17:43:00.012-05:00

At Home:
Southern Tier - IPA
A solidly good IPA. A little off balance for me.

My Rating: The glass is half full

Great Lakes - Moondog ESB
A very good beer, but not excellent.
You really can't go wrong with any
beer from Great Lakes Brewery.

My Rating: The glass is half full

New Belgium - Springboard Ale
This is indeed a good beer for Spring and Summer,
but the unusual ingredients of wormwood, lycium, schisandra,
and 2% ale aged in oak barrels just didn't work together that well
to taste that good to me. It was interesting to try, but I will likely
not want it again.

My Rating: The glass is half empty

Founders - Centennial IPA
This is one of the best IPA's that I have ever had. Awesome.
My Rating: The glass is full

Lagunitas - Lucky 13
A great beer and a great deal ($5).
My Rating: The glass is full

On Tap:
at Poor Phil's in Oak Park, Illinois

Two Brothers Bare Tree Barley Weiss - first time having this, I really enjoyed it - My Rating: The glass is full
North Coast Red Seal Ale - one of my favorite overall great ales - My Rating: The glass is full
New Holland Existential - intense and strong, and I like hoppy beers, but doesn't taste very good overall, as it is very off balance to me - My Rating: The glass is half empty

at Small Bar, Avondale/Logan Square, Chicago, Illinois

Lagunitas IPA - My Rating: The glass is half full
Victory Prima Pils - My Rating: The glass is half full

at The Hopleaf, Andersonville, Chicago, Illinois

Surly Bender - My Rating: The glass is full
Founders Red's Rye - another awesome one from Founders - My Rating: The glass is full

Weird Beer Thursday - Wostyntje Torhouts Mustard Ale

2008-05-29T23:26:00.008-05:00

Wostyntje - Torhouts Mustard Ale

Why it's weird:
Ale brewed with mustard seeds.

What's up with this beer:
So last week we had black and green peppercorn beer. This week, we have a different spice - mustard seeds.
Picked this up from Binny's the other day. I think it was about $4. You should be able to find it in the Belgium section of beers. I also remember having this a couple years ago at Hopleaf, which has it there on the bottle menu.
The flavors are rather subtle. I think it is a pretty tasty beer, but was expecting more pronounced flavors. Specifically, from the mustard seeds, of course. It has a creaminess to it, which I've noticed seems to be a trend with beers brewed with seeds. There is some sweet fruitiness. There was also some unique bitterish and barely spicy finish, due to the hops and mustard seeds. It's interesting that is has a cloudy yellowish/orangish color, kind of a little like the color of fancy mustard, like Grey Poupon or something. Maybe it was just my tasting of it this time, but I was expecting more flavor. There are some funky little flavors going on, but again, they are slightly detectable. Overall, it is very nice quality beer, which I would expect from Belgium, but nothing to get all that excited about, and not even that "weird". It is rather light and pretty refreshing, and I could see it as being quite good to have in the summer with a bratwurst topped with mustard and sauerkraut or sweet onions. Here's what others are saying about Wostyntje on Beer Advocate.
Brouwerij De Regenboog also makes a very good and flavorful witbier called Vuuve (Flemish for "Five").
"Regenboog" is Dutch for "Rainbow".

Details: (from the brewery)
Wostyntje Torhouts Mustard Ale
Brewed & Bottle by Brouwerij De Regenboog
Brugge, Belgium
Wostyntje is a dark blonde ale brewed with 90% barley malt, 10% munich malt, 2 sorts of hops (Kent Goldings and Challenger), light and dark candy sugar, and (crushed Torhouts) mustard seeds.
7% Alc./vol.

My Rating:
The glass is half full.

Weird Beer Thursday - Route Des Épices

2008-05-22T20:47:00.010-05:00

Route Des Épices (Spice Route)

Why it's weird:
Rye beer brewed with black and green peppercorns.

What's up with this beer:
I almost went with another fruit beer this time but fortunately I found this one, to take us on a different route. Last time I mentioned that I really like rye ales. Well, here's one with a peppery kick! This is my first time to have a beer from the Dieu Du Ciel microbrewery from Canada. The helpful clerk at the beer store recommended this to me, saying they just got it in and that it was unique, and he was so right. It is a delightful beer and fun to drink. It is definitely a lot less hoppy and hearty as the American rye beers can be, and the pepper lingers and tingles on your tongue - fun! It poured with a great creamy white head that stuck around throughout drinking. There is some sweetness, and some real rye flavor, but the pepper dominates, which is fine by me as it is an interesting flavor that works well with this beer (and for this post!). The overall body of the beer tastes lighter than it appears and I like the amount of carbonation. Somehow, the pepper flavor intensified as I got to the last sips, and actually my tongue was slightly numb when I was done. Yeah, of course this isn't a beer that I would have all the time, but - this is Weird Beer Thursday. It is not a very strong beer, at only 5%. It is definitely worth a try if you have the chance. It's a very high quality beer. I would try their other beers too, such as their (I'm just going to use their names in English) "Mortal Sin" and "Smoke Screen". I like their beer labels too! And I haven't been to Montréal yet, but when I eventually go, I can stay in this cool apartment for rent above their brewpub!
Just as I finished writing this, there was still a little bit left in the glass, so I shot it real quick in my mouth, but it kind of went to the back of my throat. Whoa! There's that fun pepper flavor again. What can I say, I guess I like-a the fresh-a pepper.

Details: (from the brewery)
Route des épices (Spice route)
Bière de seigle au poivre - 5% alc./vol.
341 ml (11.5 fl. oz.)
Brasserie Dieu Du Ciel!
St-Jérôme and Montréal, Québec, Canada

Routes des épices (French for "Spice Route") is a rye beer brewed with both black and green peppercorns. Initially, the beer reveals flavours of fresh grain and malt, which give it notes of chocolate, caramel, and fruit. The pepper flavour and aroma is fully revealed in the finish, which leaves a pleasant, spicy, tingling sensation on the tongue.

My Rating:
The glass is full.

A Great Beer for a Great Cause: Reunion '08 Organic Red Rye Ale

2008-05-08T18:42:00.010-05:00

Just to let you all know, I am probably going to be way too busy to write any posts in the next week or so, but after that I will be back. I have many things that I would like to write about, but they will have to wait until I have the time.
Instead of a "Weird Beer Thursday" today, I would like to briefly write about and give links to Reunion '08 ("A Beer for Hope") Organic Red Rye Ale. I easily found this at my small local neighborhood beer store (chilled), so hopefully you can find it easily too. So, pick it up, enjoy, and know that it's all for a great cause.
Here's the info and all the relevant links:

Reunion '08: A Beer for Hope - Organic Red Rye Ale brewed with caraway seeds

It's about $5 or $6 for a 22 oz. bottle, and ALL of the profits are donated to the Institute for Myeloma & Bone Cancer Research.

From the website and on the back of the bottle:

"This year's version of Reunion is an organic red rye ale, featuring a malt forward character balanced by spice notes from the rye, caraway seeds, and hops. Once again we have brewed Reunion in cooperation with Dan Del Grande at Bison Brewing.

The 2008 Reunion Ale celebrates the life of our dear friend and partner in this project - Virginia MacLean. Virginia lost her battle with Mutiple Myeloma on June 4, 2007. It was Virginia's wish that we continue the mission of raising funds for The Institute for Myeloma & Bone Cancer Research (IMBCR), so that others could benefit from their research. We know of no better way to honor her legacy.

Every day over 1,000 people are diagnosed with this currently incurable form of bone cancer. IMBCR is working on novel chemotherapy drugs to cure patients like Virginia. Every dollar and every day gets us closer to that cure. You can make it a reality. To learn more please visit: www.IMBCR.org.

Many thanks to all who have supported this project and help us honor Virginia's memory. Our additional thanks to Dr. Jim Berenson and his team at IMBCR for their tireless work on behalf of myeloma patients everywhere.

Cheers!
Pete & Alan

Pete Slosberg's image used courtesy of Pete's Brewing Company.

INGREDIENTS: Organic Barley, Organic Flaked Rye, Hops, Organic Caraway Seeds, Water, Yeast.

BREWED & BOTTLED BY:
BISON BREWING CHICO, CA 95928
CERTIFIED ORGANIC BY CALIFORNIA CROP IMPROVEMENT ASSOCIATION."

Reunion Beer Links - has all the links to relevant sites and info and blogs that have already done a great job writing about it this year and last year.

I really like red rye ales, so I highly recommend this beer. I have to be honest and say that I don't think that it is quite as good as others I really like, such as Two Brothers Cane and Ebel, or Bear Republic Hop Rod Rye, but these are also different variations of the style, so I don't really like to compare. It's a great looking beer and a delicious beer. Plus, for such a great cause - you gotta just buy it and try it.
It also a great beer to have around this time, when we are still having chilly and rainy weather lately here in Chicago.
I wasn't originally going to give a rating for this beer, but what the heck. I think you know what it may be.

My Rating:
The glass is full.

Schlitz. The cheap beer with the most gusto.

2008-05-03T18:29:00.004-05:00

Last night, I drank and enjoyed some Schlitz. This was mostly due to the fact that I am very poor right now. But this is also due to the fact that I like Schlitz. In fact, I believe that Schlitz is the best tasting cheap beer. In recent years, it has been hard to find, although I know that my local bar has always had Schlitz cans for $2. Now, Schlitz is coming back in a big way, with the original 1960's formula. Um, I'm not sure what this will really mean, but sounds good to me.

I don't see this being a recurring trend for this blog, but I couldn't resist posting this video. It's a 1984 TV commercial for Schlitz "Bull" Malt Liquor, featuring The Marshall Tucker Band and 38 Special (rockin' tunes play automatically). 38 Speical clearly wins in the web design category.
Here's the video:

Couple of thoughts after watching this commercial:
How many guys are in those bands anyway?
I like the short guy with the hat in 38 Special.
At a few parts, I am not really sure what they are yelling about. I don't even think that they are using real words.
If 38 Special started marching towards me in a bar, demanding that I drink a Schlitz "Bull", you best believe that I would have one. Heck, I'd probably buy them a round too.
If I was drinking said beer in said bar situation, I would be on a constant lookout for a raging bull to suddenly come crashing through the wall.

Can't get enough old Schlitz commercials?
Here is another hilarious Schlitz "Bull" commercial featuring Tommy James & The Shondells and the Average White Band, with a more groovin' take on it.
Here's one with James Coburn dressed as a cowboy ordering a Schlitz light in a bar with a "captain" guy and a toupeed bartender.
Here's one featuring a motorcycle guy and Boston's "More Than A Feeling".
Here's a 1969 commercial of people enjoying the original Schlitz at a picnic.

Weird Beer Thursday - Bar Harbor Blueberry Ale

2008-05-01T19:33:00.005-05:00

Bar Harbor Blueberry Ale

Why it's weird:
Obviously, it's made with blueberries (from Maine!).

What's up with this beer:
I kept seeing this at my local beer store last year, but at that time I was not into fruit beers at all, and I thought for sure that I would not like it. Now, my tastes have changed and I have enjoyed many "fruit beers" recently. That Chicago Tribune article about fruit beers must have really piqued my interest. I previously reviewed a Mbege-style ale which is brewed with bananas, and recently at The Hopleaf I had the interesting Surly Two, which is made with lots of cranberries (those BA reviews are accurate), which could easily be featured as a "weird beer" but I didn't get a photo. By the way, I can't wait to try more beers from the excellent Surly Brewery, but right now they are mostly only available in Minnesota.
I still do not like really fruit beers, like the ones that overly tart or are more wine-like than beer-like. So, once I realized that this Bar Harbor Blueberry Ale is more like an actual ale instead of a really fruity beer, I was confident to buy it and try it. Plus, I very much like blueberries. Turns out, I really liked Bar Harbor Blueberry Ale. It had subtle aromas of blueberries and also a subtle taste of fruit/blueberries, so it is not really fruity at all. Mostly, it was just an overall well-balanced amber ale that was enjoyable to drink. It is pretty much like drinking blueberry muffins, which I think is awesome. The six-pack that I purchased did not last long at all. My girlfriend also tried a bottle and also thought it was good. At one particular tasting time, I was still up at the early morning hours enjoying some of this blueberry ale, but then I got hungry. I found some blueberry waffles in my freezer (frozen from Trader Joes, which aren't all that "blueberry-y" either), so I toasted those up and ate 'em with the beer - it was a delicious (and might I say perfect) combination!
I have heard of a few other "blueberry beers" that exist out there, but I can see Bar Harbor Blueberry Ale probably being the best. They even state on the label that it is "America's Original Blueberry Ale". Although, Bar Harbor Blueberry Ale is not on the level of excellent, it is solidly good and I very much recommend it. And obviously, you will like it if you like blueberries and amber ales, both of which I happen to very much like.

Details: (from the brewery)
Bar Harbor Blueberry Ale
The Atlantic Brewing Company
Bar Harbor, Maine, United States
A light fruit ale, made with Maine wild blueberries. As opposed to many of the sweeter fruit beers on the market, our addition of fresh Maine wild blueberries in this light ale yields a subtle blueberry aroma, without the sweet aftertaste.

A mixture of the following Mutton malts, pale, crystal, and Munich, are combined with wheat to give this ale its lighter body, and we only use minimal amounts of Target and Willamette hops.

ABV 5.2%

My Rating:
The glass is half full.

Monthly Beer Review and Rating - February March April 2008

2008-04-30T17:29:00.061-05:00

Instead of reviewing/rating beers individually each time I have one, I think I am going to just go through them all at the end of each month. Also, I will keep things pretty easy and brief overall. Some may have a photo, some may not. Some may just have my rating, without further elaboration. Some may be on tap at a pub, but many will be bottles that I have had at home. Since I just started this blog about a month ago, I will include February, March and April 2008 in this "Monthly Beer Review and Rating" from Highway to Ale. They will be listed in roughly the order that I had them (since February up until today). Since there are so many for this installment, probably I will just give my rating and give links, which will give more info about the beer, the style, or the brewery if you are interested. My Rating Guide is shown here at the top left of this post, and always on the right sidebar.

Additionally, you can check out the "Weird Beer Thursday" (Highway to Ale's "Special Feature") beers that I have reviewed and rated so far.

At Home:
Scotty Karate Scotch Ale - Dark Horse Brewing Company

My Rating: The glass is half full

Olde Suffolk - Greene King

review from Michael Jackson ("Beer Hunter")
My Rating: The glass is half full

Altenmunster Winterbier Doppelbock - Allgaeuer Brauhaus AG

My Rating: The glass is half empty

Hairy Eyeball - Lagunitas

My Rating: The glass is half full

Conway's Irish Ale - Great Lakes Brewing
My Rating: The glass is full

Dubbel Reserve - Allagash
My Rating: The glass is full

ESB Special Ale - Ska Brewing
Yep, in a can. I wish more microbrewed beers came in cans.
Read this recent blog post, from A Blog About Beer, about how more craft beers are being canned.
Of course, I poured it into a glass. I just forgot to get a photo of this one.
My Rating: The glass is half full

Celis White - Michigan Brewing Co.
My Rating: The glass is half full

Old Dundee Scottish Ale - Emmett's Tavern and Brewing

My Rating: The glass is half full

Gumballhead - Three Floyds

My Rating: The glass is full

India Pale Ale (IPA) - Moylan's

My Rating: The glass is half full

Hopsickle Imperial Ale - Moylan's

Delicious and beautiful beer! And affordable! One of my new favorites.
My Rating: The glass is full

Dirty Helen Brown Ale - Barley Island Brewing

This is the first beer that I've had from this brewery in Indiana.
Interesting and good brown ale - I would try their others.
My Rating: The glass is half full

Garde Dog - Flying Dog Brewery

This is one of the few beers that I have ever bought, and have been truly disappointed to the point that I would say that I hate this beer. I feel that I wasted my money on this beer. Thought I would try it since it seemed like an interesting new seasonal. Supposed to be in the style of Biere de Garde. But it fails miserably. Tastes to me like Old Style, which would have been fine if I paid $3 for a six-pack (and was expecting cheap crappy beer) instead of $10! Actually, it seems worse than Old Style. Obviously, I think this beer sucks. If I ever want to try the Biere de Garde style again, I will be sure to try any of these instead. Or anything by Brasserie La Choulette.
My Rating: The glass is empty

Crooked Tree IPA - Dark Horse Brewing

Very nice bottle conditioned IPA. I had and enjoyed their Amber Ale a couple months ago. This brewery in Michigan is new for me, and I am really liking their beers. This is the brewery that makes the Tres Blueberry Stout, but once I heard about it I couldn't find it anywhere because Winter was ending.
They also make the Scotty Karate Scotch Ale, with which I started this long review post.
My Rating: The glass is half full

On Tap: Lots of excellent beers!
at Poor Phil's in Oak Park, Illinois (I hit the jackpot at this place!)

Lagunitas Hop Stoopid - My Rating: The glass is full
Three Floyds Travissimo - My Rating: The glass is full
Two Brothers Imperial Cane and Ebel - one of my absolute favorites - My Rating: The glass is full

at Small Bar (technically in Avondale, just north of Logan Square) Chicago, Illinois

Surly Furious - My Rating: The glass is full
Three Floyds Gumballhead - My Rating: The glass is full
Two Brothers Hop Juice - My Rating: The glass is full
Victory Hop Devil - My Rating: The glass is half full

at Emmett’s Tavern and Brewery, West Dundee, Illinois

Emmett's Victory Pale Ale - My Rating: The glass is half full
McCarthy Red Ale - My Rating: The glass is full
Double Barrel Oatmeal Stout - My Rating: The glass is full

at M.T. Barrels Brewery, West Dundee, Illinois

American Pale Ale - My Rating: The glass is full

at The Hopleaf, Andersonville, Chicago, Illinois

Surly Bender - one of my new absolute favorite beers - can't wait until I can get more here in Illinois and to try their other beers - and they come in cans! My Rating: The glass is full
Surly Two - made with lots of cranberries, very interesting but not that great. My Rating: The glass is half full
Dogfish Head Burton Baton - oak-barrel aged strong sipper. My Rating: The glass is full (but would not have more than one)

at Two Brothers Brewery, Warrenville, Illinois - I plan to write a separate post about my experience here, hopefully this weekend.

All About Beer Magazine's "125 Places to Have a Beer Before You Die"

2008-04-30T15:59:00.008-05:00

"125 Places to Have a Beer Before You Die" according to All About Beer Magazine.

Looking through the list, turns out that I have been to many of these places already (I'm 29 years old). Plus, a few of my favorite places to drink beer in Chicago, Illinois not only made the list, but are in the top 50.

Below are the places on the list that I have been to, and of course, drank beer at. "Starred" are places that I have been to many times. The others, just once.

11. Hofbrauhaus, Munich, Germany
**24. The Hopleaf, Chicago, IL (Love it! Just went the other week, and tried three great beers for the first time - Surly Bender, Surly Two, and Dogfish Head Burton Baton. More about those later.)
35. Great Lakes Brewing, Cleveland, OH
**43. Clark Street Ale House, Chicago, IL
**47. The Map Room, Chicago, IL
71. The Brewer’s Art, Baltimore, MD
76. City Tavern, Philadelphia, PA (I walked by, but I think they were closed at the time)
**84. Goose Island Brewing, Chicago, IL
113. beerbistro, Toronto, Canada (we walked by to check it out, but went somewhere else instead. I think it was a little pricier than what we were looking for)
115. John Barleycorn, Chicago, IL (I assume that they are referring to the historic location in Lincoln Park. But still, um, whatever. I would definitely not recommend.)

One place that my girlfriend recently proposed that we go in 2009:
5. Oktoberfest, Munich, Germany (!!!)

Which places on the list have you visited and enjoyed a beer at?
Or is your favorite beer drinking establishment not on the list - what is it?
I would love to hear about it in the comments!

DarkLord Day 2008 happened - I did not go but it looks fun / crazy / difficult

2008-04-29T03:21:00.006-05:00

A couple other beer blogs that I've just started reading are buzzing about DarkLord Day 2008, which just happened this past Saturday, April 26. I could not go, 'cause I have too much work to do lately. I have been to the Three Floyds' Brewery/Brewpub in Munster, Indiana twice before and really enjoyed the place and, of course, the beer. I have never have gone to DarkLord Day in the past, but I have thought about it. I realize that there is much more that goes on than just trying to buy or drink Three Floyds' DarkLord Russian Imperial Stout, but everything about the huge crowd spending lots of time and money to try to buy a bottle of this stuff has always seemed pretty weird to me. I mean, it is the only day of the year that you can buy DarkLord, but c'mon. Not sure I would do this much for it. Actually, I have never had DarkLord, and honestly I don't think I will be that crazy about it when I do have a chance to try it.
Apparently, you have to get there very early in the morning to get in line (one person wrote that there were about 100 people in line already at 6:30 in the morning. And people that got in line later in the morning waited some 5 hours to try to get a bottle. And many who came around late morning didn't get any because they were sold out by 4pm or so.
Well, since I couldn't go, I have to live vicariously through the beer bloggers that did go.
So, these other blogs can tell you all about it with lots of interesting details, each with a different perspective on DarkLord Day 2008.

Chicagoist at DarkLord Day: Never Again (with comments) - Chicagoist

DarkLord Day 2008 troubles overshadow spirit of event - beernews.org - which has a list of other beers that were brought by other breweries. The only one that I have had is the Piece Camel Toe.

DarkLord Day 2008 - Hoosier Beer Geek. This one has all the great photos of the super insanely long line!

DarkLord Day 2008 - Matt's Beer Blog. Some more photos of all the people in the line, and some other details.

DarkLord Day - Beers of My Life. I like this Matt's (from Beers of My Life) approach (strategy?) the best!

So, after reading the other blog stories, if I try to go next year, I think I wouldn't even care about buying a bottle of DarkLord, so I would skip waiting in the insanely long line altogether. Apparently, you can just sample other Three Floyds' beer and other great midwestern craft beers instead! But I guess you even have to get there sometime early-ish in the morning to get into the pub for all that too.

Weird Beer Thursday - African-Style Mbege

2008-04-24T01:49:00.005-05:00

Sprecher Mbege Ale

Why it's weird:
Fire-brewed African-style beer made with sorghum, millet, and banana juice. Um, yeah. This ain't your typical beer.

What's up with this beer:
OK, coincidentally this is the second Sprecher beer that I have tried and reviewed for Weird Beer Thursday. The first was the Mamma Mia Pizza Beer a couple weeks ago, which I had found at a promotional display in downtown Binny's. I found this Mbege beer at a small local liquor store, which also specializes in beer (of course!), as a single bottle in a discount bin. It was 50 cents, so I was like, what the heck - I gotta try this. Um, what can I say. The smell was unlike any other beer I've ever had. Obviously, I am not accustomed to drinking beers that are made with sorghum, millet, and banana juice. At first it was a little off-putting. Not really sure how to describe the aroma, maybe like a sweet 'n' sour. I was quite impressed by the pour, however, so at least it looked like a nice beer, as you can see from the photo. Well, I ended up drinking the whole glass, so it really wasn't that bad. I don't really have much to say, other than it is definitely like having banana juice in your beer (which I actually kind of like). On my old blog, I have already written about another beer that is brewed with bananas that I tried, which was Well's Banana Bread Beer, and which I thought was okay, but too lightly flavored.
Also, with this Mbege beer, I wasn't used to lack of wheat or barley, so the sorghum and millet used instead gave it a little unique flavor that wasn't all that bad, just something I'm not used to. Overall, it was kind of like a banana "cidery" ale, that was kind of refreshing and light, but I also enjoyed the unique and noticeable flavors. If it wasn't for these flavors, I may have given it my lowest rating, but instead I kind of respected it and liked it. But not that much, either.
It was also a little strong, so I could taste the alcohol, which I'm not saying was a bad thing. But one thing I am confused about, is that my bottle stated specifically on the label that it was 7.0% alcohol by volume (therefore, my noticing of such a level), but the Sprecher site says 5.2%.
And because they can explain this beer better than I can, here is Sprecher's brief description from their website:

"Bananas are the main ingredient in mbege style beers popular in Eastern Africa. In keeping with tradition, this is brewed with real bananas and presented unfiltered. Light hints of banana remain present in the aroma and flavor of this unique offering.

Originally conceived of in an effort to provide a traditional African style beer for Milwaukee's African World Festival, our Mbege and Shakparo have won the hearts of people here at the brewery and have been promoted to year round beer status.

Because barley and wheat are not grown in large quantities in sub-Saharan Africa, traditional Mbeges and Shakparos are brewed with sorghum and millet and are therefore able to be brewed gluten-free since neither sorghum nor millet contain gluten. Being gluten-free make Shakparo and Mbege excellent alternatives for those suffering from celiac disease, a genetic disorder that inhibits the digestion of gluten. Our Shakparo and Mbege offerings have been brewed with celiacs in mind and are carefully crafted to ensure they remain gluten-free."

Details:
Mbege Ale
Sprecher Brewing Company
Glendale, Wisconsin, United States
Alcohol by Volume: 5.2%
Degrees Plato (Initial Gravity): 13.25P
Weeks Aged: 6
Bitterness Units: 10 IBU
Year First Brewed: 2006
Recommended Serving Temperature: 50°
Sizes: 16oz Bottles

My Rating:
The glass is half empty.

World Beer Cup 2008 Winners Announced

2008-04-20T19:52:00.007-05:00

The winners have been announced for the World Beer Cup 2008, which happened this past week.

Here is a document which gives some news highlights. It says that Illinois ranked fourth among U.S. States for total awards won, behind perennial leaders California, Colorado, and Oregon.

Here is the full list of all the winners of the World Beer Cup 2008. This year, 644 breweries from 58 countries and 45 U.S. states vied for awards with 2,864 beers entered in 91 beer style categories. I haven't had most of these beers, which is good. This means that there are many great beers for me to possibly try for many years to come.
The beers on the list that I have had and agree that they are good are:
(To save time, I will just list the name of the brewer and beer and the category #, and you can look them up if you want to.) I've "starred" the beers that I especially like.

Dogfish Head Midas Touch (Category #10)
Samuel Adams Black Lager (Category #29)
Flying Dog Old Scratch Amber Lager (Category #36)
Brooklyn Lager (Category #36)
Hoegaarden (Category #41)
Ommegang Witte (Category #41)
Mill Street Belgian-Style Wit (Category #41)
Goose Island Matilda (Category #42)
**Allagash Dubbel (Category #46)
Emmett's Belgian-style Dubbel (Category #46)
Allagash Tripel (Category #47)
Westmalle Trappist Tripel (Category #47)
**La Fin du Monde (Category #48)
Goose Island "312" (Category #51)
**MacTarnahan's Amber Ale (Category #52)
Bass (Category #52)
**Elysian The Wise ESB (Category #56)
**Left Hand Milk Stout (Category #62)
Brooklyn Black Chocolate Stout (Category #65)
Great Lakes Blackout Stout (Category #65)
Schneider Weisse Original (Category #73)
**Schneider Weisse Aventinus (Category #74)
Samuel Adams Irish Red (Category #75)
**Three Floyds Dreadnaught (Category #82)
Rock Bottom Terminal Stout (Category #87)

Three Floyds has awesome coasters/labels

2008-04-20T18:58:00.006-05:00

I have been writing quite a bit about Three Floyds lately. I recently enjoyed the excellent Rabbid Rabbit, and have also become very fond of the great Gumballhead, which I used to not be so crazy about. In general, I am a big fan, and I'll just say that I really like most all their beers, so there's no need to list them all here.
I also like collecting cool beer coasters that I find when I go out to different places.
So far, I have made one "beer coaster poster" that you can view down on the right sidebar of this blog. Since making this last year, I have obtained several more coasters that I guess I will save up for a second beer coaster poster.
The other week I was at my local (and one of my favorite) beer drinking establishment, and they had a bunch of these new awesome Three Floyds coasters. Shown here, are the four sides of the two Three Floyds coasters. Click on the pic to make it huge.
Not sure what's up with the winged-skull one that says "Crush your enemies, to see them driven before you", but it looks pretty cool. The two sides of the other coaster, was actually a label for their Fantabulous Resplendence X Anniversary Ale to celebrate their 10th anniversary, which I had last year when it was only brewed once. You can buy a poster of it on their website store.
The label/poster contains all the characters from all their other awesome beer labels, in a sort of Last Supper painting type of setting, with some other weird stuff in there. I don't know who is the artist for these labels, and I tried looking it up, but didn't find anything.
Here is what the whole label/poster looks like.

Three Floyds' wildly popular DarkLord Day will happen this upcoming Saturday April 26th. More info is here on Beer Advocate. I am not planning on going, because I have a lot of work to do. It always sounds like a lot of fun, but it sounds like it will be very crowded too!

Shiner Light Light

2008-04-12T18:15:00.000-05:00

My girlfriend's parents gave us this. I just realized that it makes for a cool bedside light.
And of course, I could even fill it with Shiner Light beer. Or water. Pretty much the same thing.

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Weird Beer Thursday - Three Floyds Rabbid Rabbit

2008-04-10T07:06:00.000-05:00

Three Floyds Rabbid Rabbit

Why it's weird:
Besides the Three Floyds Brewery stating on their beers "It's Not Normal", and each of their beers always having strange and fun labels (click on the photo to enlarge), this beer has some unique ingredients. The description on their website states that "corriander, lavender, chamomille, and rose hips, and 3 different Belgian ale strains of yeast are used in the brewing process". On the bottle, it also mentions that rock candy is added to the brew kettle.

What's up with this beer:
This was technically my second time having Rabbid Rabbit. The first time was the other week, when I had a 3 oz. sample of it at Clark Street Ale House downtown Chicago. I was very surprised that I liked it so much, because some beers of this style I haven't liked that much in the past. It had delightful spice flavors. So, after this sample, I was looking forward to trying the bottle that I had in my fridge at home.

Rabbid Rabbit is a deep golden, complex, spiced Belgian style ale. The slight haze is from bottle-conditioning, where yeast is added to the bottle for a secondary fermentation. The specific style is Saison / Farmhouse Ale. I didn't used to be that fond of this style, but I think I am starting to like it more now. I have had other saison style ales such as the well-known Saison Dupont from Belgium, and Hennepin from Ommegang Brewery in New York.

Like most of their beers, Three Floyds' Rabbid Rabbit had more of a heartiness/hoppiness than other saison style ales and I enjoyed this. Also, it may have been a little sweeter, and the other unique ingredients and the three types of Belgium yeast must have given the other nice complex flavors. It was such a great combination of flavors. A little spicy, a little sweet, a little fruity/citrusy (coriander), and a little hoppy all brewed together. Delicious! Now that I know how excellent this beer is, I will definitely be having it next time I have the chance. The bomber bottle was a little expensive at $10, but it was really worth it.
Come to think of it, I haven't really had a Three Floyds beer that I didn't like. They are all good to great! I have actually been to the Three Floyds Brewery. I will have to create some sort of section on this blog for the breweries that I have visited.

"Saison" is the French word for season, and real saison ales are brewed in the French-speaking region of Belgium, and have now become popular in the United States. Although these ales were traditionally brewed in the Autumn or Winter for consumption during the late Summer harvest, they also make great ales to have during Spring. Saison style beers are usually refreshing yet complex, with some fruit in the aroma and flavor, can be peppery and floral, and are now usually bottle-conditioned, with an average alcohol by volume range of 5 to 8%.

Details:
Rabbid Rabbit
Three Floyds Brewing Company
Munster, Indiana, United States
Season: Easter
Style: Belgian Saison “Farmhouse Ale”
ABV%: 7.4
IBUS: 45
Color: Light tawny

My Rating:
The glass is full.

Fruit Beer article from Chicago Tribune

2008-04-10T04:38:00.002-05:00

Article titled "Fruit Beer, Redefined" from the Chicago Tribune, Good Eating section, April 9, 2008.

Click on the picture of the article to see very large view, so you can actually read it.

In general, I have not been into fruit beers very much at all. I may have to start exploring more fruit beers. I am really not a fan of Belgain-style lambics, such as framboise and kriek beers, though.

I was actually thinking about having Dogfish Head's Aprihop as the April Beer of the Month for this blog. I think it's really good.

There is another fruit beer that I want to try, but can no longer find it anywhere. I guess it was only around for the Winter and I missed it, or maybe it wasn't distributed here in Chicago. It is Dark Horse Brewery's Tres Blueberry Stout. I really like blueberries. Blueberry and stout just sound like a good combination to me. And I just saw they have a Raspberry Ale which sounds pretty decent from their description, which says that it is well balanced.

I have, in fact, seen Atlantic Brewing Company's Bar Harbor Blueberry Ale (from Maine) at my local liquor store, but I have always been skeptical of buying a 6-pack, with the thought that I would not like it. Maybe I'll give it a try soon.

I would, of course, very much like to try Three Floyds Behemoth Barleywine. The only problem is that it is so darn expensive. A bomber bottle (22 oz.) was like $16, I think.

Revolution Brewing Company gets new brewery equipment

2008-04-09T23:59:00.001-05:00

A new brewery/brewpub is being started up in the neighborhood where I currently live. It will be Revolution Brewing Company.
Today, there was a post on their blog, showing the process of obtaining brewery equipment from a former brewery in Michigan, and moving it to their location in the Logan Square neighborhood of Chicago.
Check out the short story and all the interesting photos in their post "How to Move a Brewery in Three Days".
I will likely not still be around here when this place officially opens up, which not until next year. But it is interesting to follow the progress of this brewery planning and building.

Mamma Mia! Pizza Beer - Update and Rating

2008-04-09T14:44:00.001-05:00

Last week I picked up a bottle of the Mamma Mia! Pizza Beer at Binny's (South Loop Chicago). There was small display there and one pint bottle was $2. I tried it the other day. I thought about having it during a time that I was actually eating pizza, but then decided that it would be better to try it on its own, to only get the flavors from the beer, for an honest tasting. I have to say, it was much better than I had expected. I liked the overall texture/mouthfeel of the beer. It poured with a nice creamy head, too, which surprised me. You can see from the picture that the color of the beer is a hazy orange. Again, it is described as an ale brewed with oregano, basil, tomato, and garlic. I did taste and enjoy the distinctive herbal flavors from the oregano and basil. The aroma was strong with the herbs too, but I liked this. At first, it was fun and refreshing to drink. After I drank about half the pint, there was one thing that I started to not like so much. It was the garlic. The garlic flavor became overpowering, and I realized that I personally don't really like having garlic in my beer.
I do like the idea of a Pizza Beer and I very much like the originality of the brewers of this beer. I'm glad I got to try it. It was quite interesting.
After doing a quick internet search, I learned, not surprisingly, that there are many other sites that have written about this beer. And in a very similar fashion to this post! So, I will just list some of those here.

1) Looks like I agree with this first one about the garlic taste, but I definitely do not agree with their extremely low rating of 0/10.
http://beerlibrary.wordpress.com/2008/04/09/mamma-mia-pizza-beer-sprecher/

2) This next blogger's post is very similar to my review.
http://orbitalr0x.blogspot.com/2008/02/mamma-mia-pizza-beer.html

3) Again, I also agree with this blogger's post.
http://bierjournal.blogspot.com/2008/03/mamma-mia-pizza-beer.html

4) "Suburban Hobbyist Puts New Spin on Beer and Pizza" - CBS2 Chicago news article and video. Definitely gotta check out the video - they first brewed it in their garage, and they throw real slices of pizza into the beer mix!!

5) Style Clarification for Mamma Mia Pizza Beer and Rant - written by the actual brewer (and now owner of Pizza Beer Company) Tom Seefurth, from St. Charles IL, and posted on Beer Advocate. Provides some helpful and interesting insight into how they started brewing this beer and getting it mass produced, first some by Walter Payton's Roundhouse, and ultimately now by Sprecher.

6) And of course, on the official Seefurth's Mamma Mia Pizza Beer website, they have tons of additional info and links, including a section with lots of informative, funny, and entertaining videos (many of which are about different cooking recipes using the pizza beer).
Also, there is a list of all the places you can find Seefurth's Mamma Mia Pizza Beer. Looks like it is even offered on tap at several places in Chicago and nearby suburbs.
So, go try some for yourself and see what you think!

My Rating:
The glass is half empty.

Pizza and Beer. In the same glass. Mamma Mia!

2008-03-28T13:01:00.001-05:00

I don't know what it is about the weekend, but whenever it rolls around, I get in the mood for some pizza. We all know that pizza and beer are a great combination. Well, how about some pizza actually in your beer.

My friend and fellow beer enthusiast at Sethwerks recently tried the new Pizza Beer made by Sprecher Brewing Company, and shares his thoughts about it.

Sprechers "The Original Seefurth Family Mamma Mia Pizza Beer" is an ale brewed with oregano, basil, tomato, and garlic. If I can find some of this, I would definitely give this a try, too.
I find that Sprecher's beers usually tend to be on the malty side, and sometimes I am in the mood for this. I have very much enjoyed Sprecher's Special Amber Lager whenever I have gone to Milwaukee Summerfest in past years.

Weird Beer Thursday - Wattle Seed Ale

2008-03-27T23:55:00.001-05:00

Barons Black Wattle Superior Wattle Seed Ale

Why it's weird:
It's made with friggin' wattle seeds.

What's up with this beer:
The six-pack (which had a cool design) came with a little note about the superior Australian wattle seed story. Here it is: "Wattle is a native Australian tree found in abundance around Australia. For over 4,000 years, Australian Aborigines across the country milled wattle seeds from over 100 of the 1,000 odd species of Acacia and used the coarse flour in various forms of Bush Tucker. Today, wattle seed is used as an innovative flavouring by Chefs in Australia and around the world. Barons Brewing is the first to use roasted wattle seed in a multi award winning beer. The unique hazelnut, chocolate and coffee flavours are infused with the rich caramel and roasted notes of the malt to deliver a smooth, complex and ultimately rewarding ale."

This wattle seed ale reminded of another ale that I had last year which was made with hemp seeds (Millennium Buzz). The use of the seeds in the brewing process seem to give the ale a nice creamy head (well initially, this quickly vanishes as seen in the photo), a robust body, and a delightful nutty flavor. Overall, I enjoyed drinking Baron's Wattle Seed Ale and it was like a red ale. It was more on the sweet side and a little syrupy, and the flavors described on the six-pack were weaker than expected. It is worth a try if you're in the mood for this style of ale. It was a good beer to have during these colder months.
Here's what others are saying on Beer Advocate.

Details:
Barons Black Wattle Superior Wattle Seed Ale
Barons Brewing Company
Australia
5.80 % ABV

My Rating:
The glass is half full.