Big Bear Hunting in South Florida

After a bit of hunting on busy University Blvd. in the south Florida town of Coral Springs, I had dinner and a couple of microbrews at Big Bear Brewing. This restaurant/microbrewery is a beautiful establishment and had people waiting outside to dine there on a Saturday night. Fortunately for me and my young nephew, Matt, who was accompanying me, the bar had a few seats available with no wait. Without hestitation I, of course, went for the Hibernation Pale Ale first and foremost- and in a word - well, make it three words: just about perfect. Despite not being dubbed an IPA this "aggressive" American pale ale had a great hoppy aroma and taste with a smooth finish. Since they don't label it an IPA, I have no qualms in calling it the best American Pale Ale I have ever had....and I have had a bunch. I regretted my second choice almost as I ordered it. Their Kodiak Belgian Dubble has won many awards including gold at the 2002 Great American Beer Festival in Denver (kind of the World Series of Beer) and I am sure has it's fans, I just don't happen to be one of them, but in retrospect I don't personally care for the Belgian style of brewing that much anyway. I have given it lots of chances and it just doesn't work with my palette I guess. I don't mind a mild nut brown ale now and then, but this beer had a biting aftertaste to me that the nutty aroma and taste just couldn't hide and I just did not enjoy it that much - finished it, mind you - just didn't enjoy it. My 17-year-old nephew had two pints of the Bruin that was on tap - easy there, folks, it's just a root beer that is also brewed on-site - and obviously thought it was delicious. It had it's own tap handle and everything. Very cool. I am surprised these guys aren't spread out all over South Florida as a chain. They have been doing this since 1996 and yet Coral Springs remains their only location. Can't say I don't love finding local gems like this, it just surprises me.

SIDENOTE: Earlier in the day after getting knocked out of a poker tournament in 14th place (rats! so close! They only paid the top 7) at the Seminole Hard Rock Casino and Dining/Shopping Complex, I ambled up to the outside bar of the Renegade Barbecue Company and tried their Renegade Red Ale. Pretty standard fare and nothing really memorable about it except the cost - $6 for maybe 10 ounces served up in a plastic cup - good grief, Charlie Brown! What a joke! Avoid this place like the plague if you are ever in the area. Maybe they ought to stick to making BBQ.

3 of a Kind in a Full House

Three more quick entries that I tried over the past couple of weeks obtained from local grocery stores.

Black Dog Ale - I bought this six-pack at the local Publix to cushion the blow of a house full of in-laws coming up for the holidays. God I love 'em, but God they are loud. Decent beer with a bit of an aftertaste that would probably prevent me from buying anymore of it. It's produced by Montana's Spanish Peak's Brewing which according to their website has been on a bit of a hiatus until recently. Cool website and I do like their affiliation with The Humane Society.

1554 Enlightened Black Ale - I bought this six-pack at the Kroger in Mt. Juliet on my way to play in a Friday night tournament at the Poker Barn. Great taste and excellent finish (which is more than I can say for my results at poker that night). This is a New Belgium product which is more famous for it's Fat Tire craft beer which I am seeing more advertising about recently around this area. Haven't tried the Fat Tire yet, but I am definitely encouraged to do so based on the 1554 Ale. New Belgium is a thriving Colorado microbrewery.

Trader Jose Dark Lager - My wife, Ashlee, was kind enough to snag this six-pack for me on her visit to the newly-opened Trader Joe's Market in Nashville. She said they had an expansive beer selection, so I am looking forward to checking that out myself in the near future. This dark lager that is actually produced in Mexico was actually very good and reminded me a lot of Negro Modelo. I sure would love to be sitting on a Mexican beach somewhere with some of it on ice right now!

Alaska 2004 Remembered

I was looking through a photo album of a trip to Alaska that I took in 2004 with my good friends, Chris and Craig, when I came across two beer bottle labels that I saved from the trip. Granted, I don't remember a whole lot about the beer (other than it was pretty good or I would not have kept the labels), but it was such a wonderful trip that I felt this blog entry was a great way to honor it.

The first label was from a bottle of Alaskan Oatmeal Stout from the Alaska Brewing Company in Juneau. The second was a Kodiak-Brown Nut Brown Ale which indicates that it was brewed and bottled in Salt Lake City by Uinta Brewing Co. for Midnight Sun Brewing of Anchorage, Alaska then shipped to Alaska where I bought it. Strange. I should also pay tribute to a great pizzeria and brewpub in Anchorage that we visited that I fondly remember (and have a T-shirt from) called The Moose's Tooth which draws it's name from a famous rock outcroppingo on Mt. McKinley. Excellent food and beer including the one draught I remember having - The Pipeline Stout (also on the T-shirt).

A salute to Alaska and it's beer (even if it's brewed in Utah)!!

The Little Microbrewery That Could

Saturday, November 29th, 20,08

Since we were in Chattanooga for the Thanksgiving weekend, I was happy to find out that a relatively new microbrewery was giving tours during a holiday festival in the St. Elmo area. Moccasin Bend Brewing Company started a couple of years ago as a dream of a few local guys who shared a love of beer and developed an interest in home-brewing as well. The results are definitely coming to fruition as their product is being served regularly on tap at a few local restaurants already and in bottles in a local grocery store. The "tour" of their "facility" wound up being about a dozen people huddled into their 400 sq. feet of warehouse space that looked more like a boys-club than a business. Despite their meager set-up and lack of space including this make-shift Igloo cooler-tap (photo above), their products were pretty darn good. We tried samples of six brews they had going including a smooth porter, a pumpkinseed ale, a hoppy pale ale they called Centennial, a very interesting ale made with juniper berries and a pumpkin-flavored seasonal ale. I got three pints with my $6 tour price and chose the juniper berry and two pours of the Centennial. Good luck to these guys and their little microbrewery that could. I hope to see and drink more of their success in the future. Check out their website for more information:
http://bendbrewingbeer.com/index.htm

Detroit BOCK City

My friend, Wayne, and I had a great little trip to Detroit over the Thanksgiving holiday to see the Titans hammer on the woeful Lions at beautiful Ford Field and after the game (and after a bit of searching) we found the Detroit Beer Company, a downtown microbrewery with a good reputation. It's a great little restaurant/bar built around the microbrewery itself. They had several brews on tap and I started with...what else...the IPA. The "Local 1529 IPA" to be exact. Excellent aroma, hoppy taste and finish. I moved on to "The Detroit Dwarf" next which they tout as their house special and it has a medal from The Great American Beer Festival to prove it. It's an interesting combination of lager and ale that I found light and refreshing, but the overall taste didn't blow me away. A good beer nonetheless. Third was the "People Mover Porter" (see photo above courtesy of Wayne's Blackberry) which was as dark as some of the scary alleys Wayne and I stayed away from while walking in downtown Detroit. It was much lighter than I was expecting and had a satisfying finish. I finished with...what else...another IPA which was a good as the first one and ranks high on my list of favorite microbrews I have encountered up until now.

Let's Go Krogering...again

Another snoop down the beer aisle of the Mt. Juliet Kroger revealed a couple more "ales of interest" to me and I made the purchase. The first was Moe's Backroom Amber Ale from Tap Room No. 21. Brewing (what an annoyingly long name). This brewery name seems to be complete BS and is actually brewed by City Brewing in Wisconsin. While their website says they are a quality regional brewery, the "plain brown wrapper" labeling and title with personalization (i.e. who the hell is Moe?) seems to be a clever ruse to trick the buyer into thinking it's a true microbrew...which it most certainly is not. The beer as well was lackluster and not worth a second look. Weak aroma and taste leads me to believe this is definitely a mass-produced bilge-water of a beer that you can get for a buck less a six-pack with a much shorter and more recognizable name called Bud.

And now for something on the positive side -- I give you Red Brick Peachtree Pale Ale (another long-named brew) from Atlanta Brewing in Charlotte, North Carolina (ha, ha - just making sure you are paying attention). Of course it's brewed in Atlanta, GA, and it's an actual microbrewery and Red Brick is a very good beer. Good body and nice aftertaste. Ashlee and I are headed to Atlanta next weekend for a concert and it would have been great to visit this little brewery, but they only run tours during the week (?). Goes the same with Sweetwater Brewing, another pretty good microbrewery in the Atlanta area that I have had a few swigs of in the past....what up, folks? don't you want tourists checking out your facilities and buying stuff on the weekends? Oh well, maybe they are spending their weekends perfecting their brews. If so, keep up the good work!

Lucky Cat in a Magic Hat

A couple of new decent brews to report on.

Amazingly, the Kroger in Mt. Juliet has a better beer selection than the Publix that I have bragged about on this blog before (that's right, still no decent beer store in Wilson County Proper). My wife and I were in there the other night looking for RC Cola for inspiration for a Halloween costume...we're going as an RC Cola and a Moon Pie...don't ask if you don't know...it's a "Southern thang." I spied the beer aisle on the way out and thought I would take a look and I was quite surprised at the selection. I give my wife credit for finding the Magic Hat Lucky Cat IPA among the many selections available. I love Magic Hat products and have sampled their Circus Boy (hefeweizen) and #9 (their not quite pale ale) in draughts in Virginia last year and at Bonnaroo this year, but this was my first time trying their IPA as well as anything bottled. I may have had my expectations too high because I was little disappointed in the aftertaste and weak hop flavor. Wouldn't mind trying this on tap for sure just to give it a true taste test and final decision. Magic Hat is brewed in Vermont and seems to be slowly creeping it's way south over the last few years. Welcome, carpetbagger, welcome!

Yesterday, the wife and I had Jack's Pumpkin-Spice Ale on draught and enjoyed it pretty well. It's an Anheuser-Busch seasonal product and went well with our bar food and had a nice light pumpkin taste.

ROB-toberfest

Saturday, October 11, 2008 - Germantown neighborhood of Nashville

My wife and I met up with a small portion of the Nashville Wine Enthusiasts Group this weekend at the annual Germantown Street Festival (it's in "German"town and it's held in "October" but they don't call it an "Octoberfest" -- must be copyright thing, or maybe an individuality thing). We bee-lined for the beer tent once we got there (our enthusiasm - especially mine - also leans toward beer if the setting is right!) and I got a mug of Boulevard Lunar Ale which went down great in the above-normal heat and humidity of an otherwise beautiful afternoon near downtown Nashville. Boulevard is brewed in Kansas City, Missouri, and can be bought locally on tap and in bottles.

The Germantown neighborhood consists of about 18 city blocks of historic homes in various stages of restoration. There are also local businesses sprinkled throughout giving it a very small-town feel despite the skyscrapers of downtown Nashville looming to the south. This was our first time at the free festival and we were very impressed. Tons of food, beverages (beer) and entertainment stages filled the streets of this family-friendly festival. Our second beer stop was for some authentic German brew, Paulaner Octoberfest, served up in collectable glass mugs. As we sat in the shade enjoying our beer and the company, my wife Ashlee and another member of the group went off into the crowd to find the source of a reuben sandwich they saw someone eating. It took a while, but they returned triumphantly with delicious reubens served on marble rye bread and German chocolate cake for dessert. The wonderful German-themed afternoon concluded with a visit to the iconic downtown Nashville restaurant, The Gerst House, for...you guessed it - more beer (I had a dark German draught and failed to write the name down - my bad) and more German food (just appetizers for us - those reubens were filling!!).

A Nod to Nodding Head

Sunday, October 6, 2008 - Philadelphia, PA

Since I had to fly back to Nashville from Philly in the early evening, I left Atlantic City this morning and headed downtown to a beer pub I had researched called "The Pour House" - clever name, huh? Their website claimed that they ran Flying Fish beer specials on Sundays and had NFL Sunday Ticket with which I was hoping to watch the Titans go 5-0. The place turned out to be a tiny hole in the wall with just a few small TVs showing other games besides the Eagles. I decided to move on in search of a better venue. After the Titans game I was planning on stopping by the Nodding Head Microbrewery in downtown Philly before heading to the airport. But since The Pour House was so...well...poor, and I didn't have another sports bar option researched nearby I decided to "head" on over to the Nodding and hope that a decent sports bar was in the same general area maybe. I didn't spot anything on my way to Nodding Head but it was right downtown in a busy area of bars and restaurants, so I went ahead and stopped by and thought I would just ask if a sports bar was nearby after having a couple of their draughts.

THE BEER - Wow! That's all in can say...wow! These guys are doing it right in downtown Philly. My first, and best, choice was the Chinook Double Pale Ale. This pint absolutely REEKED of hops. Truly a taste sensation and honestly one of the best beers I have had...ever...that is not an exaggeration. It easily moves into the # 1 spot on my list. I lowered myself to try their BPA ( Bill Payer Ale) and it was pleasant, but I should have had it first because it "paled" in comparison to the Chinook.

FUNNY THINGS HAPPEN WHEN YOU DRINK BEER----

It was almost game time and I was just finishing my BPA and getting ready to ask Pete the barkeep if there was a nearby sports bar when two young nice-looking ladies strolled in to the quiet little bar area and plopped down beside me...no this is not a letter to Penthouse...just bear with me. To say these two ladies were "chipper" would be saying that the Chinook had a "hint" of hoppiness to it. The one with the Eagles shirt on immediately wanted to know why the football game wasn't on. The one TV in the place had the Phillies playoff game on. Pete promised that they would turn back and forth between the two, but that was of little satisfaction to "Eagles shirt" who replied, "well, we came here to watch football and I would say this guy would agree with us" pointing to me in my Peyton Manning jersey. I did agree verbally and a bond of kindred spirits began. "Eagles shirt" and her friend - let's call her "funny little brunette" - then started hemming and hawing over the beer selections. "Eagles shirt" named several of the beers on tap that she had consumed here in the past, but didn't know what to recommend to "funny little brunette" because as Pete the barkeep assumed with a smirky beer-snob tone "let me guess...you two don't like microbrews" and suggested a light wheat selection because it was "close to the taste of Michelob Ultra."

"Oh, no!" they said in unison. "We love the taste of beer. We want something that we will remember."

Oh, really.

"Get the Chinook," I said matter-of-factly. Pete muffled a laugh. I added, "You may not like it, but you won't forget it." Two Chinooks pints it was. I ordered my third pint...another Chinook, of course. I don't endorse a product that I don't use myself. "Eagles shirt" and "funny little brunette" were troopers and drank most of their pints...slowly...between gabbing, going to the bathroom, going outside (thank God) to smoke, etc....but I am pretty sure they hated the Chinook. Oh well, at 8% alcohol it's a thin line between love and hate. The 1 PM (EST) games were well into the first quarter and I was ready to find a TV, so I asked "Eagles shirt" if there was not a decent sports bar nearby to watch the games. "Oh, sure! The Fox & the Hound is around the corner and it's great." I was a little hesitant and asked, "Will I get beat up wearing this?" indicating the Manning jersey.
"Nah," she said. "It's a huge place and their are usually all types of jerseys in there."
"Funny little brunette" piped in, "I usually wear my Buffalo jersey in there and never have a problem."
"Uh-huh," I thought, "That's probably got more to do with you being the 'funny little brunette' in the Bills jersey."
They gave me directions. Each one had a "best way" to get there and both went in different directions. I asked for the most simple.
"Just come with us. We are going there now." said "Eagles shirt" not knowing me from Adam. I guess my wedding band, the fact they they engaged me in conversation and not vice-versa and the buzz of an 8% Chinook was a combination that deemed the invitation pretty harmless. Which it was. Sorry, still no Penthouse letter. I love my wife. Always will.
"Eagles shirt" turned out to Lindsey, a born-and-raised Jersey girl who worked as a graphic designer in Philly. Unmarried but in a month-old relationship with a young Irish guy "fresh off the boat" as she put it who was into soccer more than football and was a few blocks away watching "footie" at a pub. "Funny little brunette" turned out to be Kat. A married mother of an 18-month old whose Scottish father (damn foreigners stealing our women...oops, I was born in Germany wasn't I? And stole me a Georgia peach....oh well, never mind. Well done, fellas.) was watching him at home while also watching soccer. The girls knew each other from working together at a restaurant some years back.

Although they never said it, I am pretty sure they were using me as a shield to keep the guy-heavy contingent at the Fox & Hound off of them while they drank...gulp...Miller Lite, chatted and watched the games. I don't mind being used when I get what I want as well...i.e. local guidance to a great sports bar (they were right - the place was packed with people in all knds of jerseys and the Titans/Ravens were on one of the bigger screen TVs. 5 and 0, baby!! Wooohooo!!), pleasant company in a strange town (They couldn't have been nicer to me and wouldn't even let me buy them a second bucket of beer. I had to stop at my share of one bucket since I had to drive to the airport in a few hours, plus it was...gulp...Miller Lite) and a chance to show off a little Southern gentleman charm...hey, what can I say...one's married to an Scot...one's dating a Mick and I have a pretty heavy Southern drawl....chicks dig the accents.

"Meet Me Tonight in Atlantic City"

Saturday, October 4, 2008 from Atlantic City, NJ

While my wife, her sister and our friend, Joy, who I work with went on a short cruise to the Bahamas, I decided to use some Southwest Airlines credit and fly up to Atlantic City (via Philadelphia) for the weekend to see what the poker was like. For the record, poker is bustling there and I will definitely give it as much if not more consideration than Vegas or even Tunica from now on since with flight (one hour non-stop) and drive from Philly (one hour via the A/C Expressway), it actually takes less time to get there than driving to Mississippi. For the record-record, I played three tournaments, one at The Taj, one at Caeasar's and one at The Tropicana with a final table at the last one to basically break me even for the trip.

BUT ON TO THE BEER!!!

Of course I went looking for good beer as well while in Atlantic City and man, did I find some...yet another reason to return to the Jersey Shore. There are some nice Irish pubs in The Tropicana and Caesar's and while I did not try anything new (Black & Tans please), I was impressed with them. My first new beer to try was at Atlantic City's only microbrewery that I could find, The Tun Tavern, over by the convention center. From my understanding, this is a new location (and building) based on a historical New Jersey tavern with ties to the U.S. Marine Corp. They have several brews on tap and my first choice was Bullie's Brown Ale. Not too shabby although I wasn't keen on the aftertaste. I asked for their American IPA next and they were out. Shocker. These places always seem to not brew enough IPA per the demand. I tried the Devil Dog Ale instead per the recommendation of the waitress who said it was good..."just not as hoppy." Hello! Hops are why I ordered the IPA, sistah!! The Devil Dog was decent. Nothing I would order again. I didn't have time (or willingness to stumble around drunk) to try the stout, but will give it a go next time with hopefully a shot at the IPA as well.

While I researched The Tun Tavern on the internet (I will give credit where credit is due. The Tun's website is where I snagged the Ben Franklin quote that I have at the top of this blog. Well said, Benny.) the next place I kind of stumbled upon and I am quite happy that I did. It's called Firewater Ales and Martini Bar in the bottom of The Tropicana. They have 51 rotating beers on tap! Impressive. My first and favorite of the day was the Stone IPA.

An absolutely perfect IPA. Stone IPA is brewed in California and is a microbrewing legend. They produce world class beer with memorable names including the always funny, Arrogant Bastard Ale. Their distribution is far and wide. I have seen their wares at home and around (I even have a t-shirt of theirs that I bought online cheap because of the look of it - did I mention they have a cool logo - see above), but this is my first encounter with it on tap and I was completely impressed. Despite wanting another Stone IPA badly, I decided for the sake of research (yeah i know, kind of goofy isn't it) I would try another draught (hell, they had 50 more to choose from!). I wanted to try a pale ale from Hawaii but they were out and the barkeep said they had a bunch of Octoberfest brews just in if I was interested. Sure thing! I settled on the Flying Fish Octoberfest which was light, smooth and crisp and quite enjoyable. Probably, a good choice since I was off to play in a poker tournament next and another Stone IPA might have made it hard to focus on the cards! Flying Fish is brewed here in Jersey and although the brewery is closed tomorrow I do hope to check it out next time I am up this way. I have a couple of stops planned on my way back to the airport as well that may involve some more Flying Fish brews.

Frugal McDoogal's Variety Six-Pack - Beers # 5 & 6

While in Nashville the other night, the wife and I stopped by Frugal McDoogal's - a large, local beer, wine and liquor emporium where I picked up six specialty beers from their group of mix-and-match selections.

The last two beer soldiers to lay down their lives to my belly were Singletrack Copper Ale from Boulder Brewing, and the Fort Collins Brewing Company's Chocolate Stout. As the brewery names indicate these are both Colorado microbrews. The Copper Ale was decent but not worth any exceptional praise. I was much more impressed with their Hazed & Infused Ale that I blogged about a few days ago that was also in this variety six pack.

The Chocolate Stout was superb with great taste, smoothness and finish. I could be a little skewed in my accolades since I have not had a stout in a while during my recent IPA dabbling. Welcome home, son. This brew is from the same makers of the Rocky Mountain IPA in my last blog. A brewery worth a visit for sure.

Frugal McDoogal's Variety Six-Pack - Beers # 3 and 4

While in Nashville the other night, the wife and I stopped by Frugal McDoogal's - a large, local beer, wine and liquor emporium where I picked up six specialty beers from their group of mix-and-match selections.

I have actually had both of these next two beers before I started this blog, but they are good enough to (a.) drink again and (b.) log into this database. Terese's Pale Ale is brewed by Highland Brewing Company in one of my favorite cities in the world: Asheville, North Carolina. An excellent dry-hopped malty ale with nice body and taste. Their slogan at Highland is "Just a Wee Bit Different" but it sure more than just a "wee bit good."

I first had Rocky Mountain IPA back in April when I received it as a birthday gift from my brother- and sister-in-law who bought it at a great beer store in Chattanooga after asking the guy at the store to pick out their "best IPA" for them. Granted, it is a very good IPA or I wouldn't be drinkin it or writing about it, but I can't say it's my favorite. Of course that's the great thing about specialty brews - even ones with a particular brewing process like IPAs can still be different in taste and texture. Rocky Mountain is obviously brewed in Colorado and more specifically at Fort Collins Brewery.

Frugal McDoogal's Variety Six-Pack - Beer # 2

While in Nashville the other night, the wife and I stopped by Frugal McDoogal's - a large, local beer, wine and liquor emporium where I picked up six specialty beers from their group of mix-and-match selections.

The second one I had tonight was the Purist Pale Ale from the Appalachian Brewing Company in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. Not great, but not bad. Drinkable and smooth but somewhat forgettable. Their website does show a lot of promise with a Scottish ale, an IPA and a wheat ale that definitely peak my interest. And I do like their wallpaper choices to advertise their beers....

11-7-08 additional post: I am pretty sure that is Bald River Falls in Tellico Plains, TN (I wanted to get married there, so I studied the area very closely), and not a PA waterfall, but it is "technically" in the southern Appalachians, so I will give them a pass.

Frugal McDoogal's Variety Six-Pack - Beer # 1

While in Nashville the other night, the wife and I stopped by Frugal McDoogal's - a large, local beer, wine and liquor emporium where I picked up six specialty beers from their collection of mix-and-match selections.



The first one I had tonight was the"Hazed & Infused" Dry-Hopped Ale from The Boulder (Colorado) Beer Company. This is the first of their "Looking Glass Beers" which are taking a different approach to brewing focusing on an unfiltered process and a more natural product. Yummy with a capital Y! Can't wait to try some more of their concoctions.

Sept. 13-14, 2008 - Take Three (Home)

In what was probably the lamest excuse to go out and buy beer, I bought two new six packs of beer so I could use the cartons to carry some bottles of Peach Nehi that I bought in a North Carolina convenience store for my sister-in-law, Paige's, birthday. Yes, she loves them and, yes, they are hard to find around here.
Now, back to the beer.

The two new brews I got were Bridgeport IPA and BBC Nut Brown Ale....both get thumbs up. I have had Bridgeport before when this blog did not exist, but it's definitely worth adding to the list and definitely worth buying again. An excellent bottled IPA brewed in Portland, Oregon who claim to be Oregon's oldest craft brewery. BBC stands for Bluegrass Brewing Company and is bottled in nearby Louisville, KY. I have got to get by there for a tour of the brewery next time I am up that way playing poker across the river in Indiana. This English-style nut brown ale started off a little rough to me but after a few sips it really settled in and had a nice finish. Gotta also try this on draught next time I am up towards Louisville.

While in Chattanooga for Paige and her twin's (and my wife) birthday, I also bought a six-pack of White Hawk IPA in a wine store there (because it's 7% alcohol - double bonus!). This great IPA is brewed by Mendocino Brewery in Saratoga Springs, NY.

This is their East Coast location and they also have an original location in California in aptly-named Mendecino County north of San Francisco where they claim to have started Califonrnia's first brewpub.

Batting 1000 with a 3 for 3 weekend. Not bad. Not bad.

Harpoon IPA and Terrapin Rye Pale Ale

I have had Harpoon before but wanted to add it to the blog since it was before these writings began, and I do love it so. I was headed to the Poker Barn for a Saturday tournament and Craig is coming in Monday and said he wanted to try an IPA, so a beer run to Publix (sadly, the best beer selection in this one-horse town that I live in) was in order. I picked up Terrapin because it looked pretty good and I didn't want to kill all the Harpoon before Craig got here to try it. Had two Terrapins at the Poker Barn (busted out after a couple of hours, but at least I hit quad aces for a $50 jackpot). It's a pretty good ale and is brewed in Athens, GA --- seems odd that a brewery in the home of Georgia football would choose a Maryland mascot name. According to their website, the rye ale was their first concoction in 2002 and they mass-produce only two others. Harpoon is brewed in Boston and is fairly popular in that area despite bucking heads with the widely popular (and impressive to me for a common DOUGH-mestic) Samuel Adams.

Sunday, August 31st, 2008 - Brisbane/Gold Coast, Australia

We went whale-watching today off the Gold Coast as our last big activity before leaving Australia and afterwards had lunch at an Irish pub nearby called "Waxey's." Great place with good food and nice draught choices. My selection was Toohey's Black Ale which was very nice with a smooth finish. Come to find out "Waxey's" is actually a chain with some locations in S. Florida. Gotta look them up next time I am down that way.

Before leaving Australia the next morning, Ashlee accompanied me on an early evening hunt for the Brisbane Brewhouse/Microbrewery (photo above). It was the only brewhouse listed in the restaurant directory and was fairly easy to find just a few blocks from our hotel. It was a very cool place that patterned itself after a German beer hall but with more comfort and style. They had good eats and about six beers on tap that they brewed with great names like The "4th Reich" dark lager and what I had, the "Up Your Kilt" Scottish ale.

Great beer names and no T-shirts?? Man, what a marketing mistake! The Scottish ale was a wonderful brew and I only got it because they were out of their "American pale ale." Probably the best beer I had while in Australia. Sometimes you just never know. Good-bye Oz, thanks for the brews and the views.

Friday, August 29, 2008 - Brisbane, Australia

Brisbane is a beautiful city and they do like to get their drink on it seems. After walking around in the city's beautiful riverside park area we came across The Ship Inn, a great little pub near a couple of small universities in the area. My first choice was going to be a Bees Neez draught (just love that name), but they were running a special on a local microbrew bottle of Duke Mid-Strength Lager Beer (how can I pass that up as a Blue Devil hoops fan). It was ice cold and that made it pretty drinkable on a warm afternoon, but not good enough to go for another one so I opted for the Bees Neez draught next. As the name slyly implies this wheat beer is infused with honey. Very smooth and another good choice on a warm afternoon. Later that evening we ate at a Vietnamese restaurant and their beer selection was poor, so I opted to check another common Australian beer off the list. This time it was XXXX Gold (not to be confused with Dos Equis - twice as good? not hardly). Yep, it was another AustraLAGER and it was basically hop-less crap. What a waste of calories and money.

Thursday, August 28, 2008 - Barossa Valley, Australia

Wine was the order of the day for the most part today as we toured Australia's version of The Napa Valley, but I did manage to check off another Australian beer at lunch where Ashlee and I had our first-ever serving of kangaroo....pretty good stuff. The beer was Boag's Draught which is brewed in the nearby island of Tasmania. It was another lager, but not too bad especially with the red meat.

Wednesday - August 27th - Adelaide, Australia

Ashlee and I moved on in our vacation today to the state of South Australia and the city of Adelaide. While walking around Adelaide we stopped at the Austral Hotel/Pub and I had my first draught of Cooper's Dark Ale which is brewed here in the area. Excellent taste and body. Drank it with an order of Australian "wedges" which are thick-cut steak fries served with a chili and sour cream dipping sauce. Yummy.

Later that afternoon down at the beach area of Glenelg I had a Cooper's Pale Ale draught at the Jetty Hotel/Bar and it was pretty good. Probably the best Pale Ale I have had in Australia so far. That evening I almost hit for the "Cooper Cycle" ( didn't get the chance to try the Mild Ale) having a bottle of Sparkling Ale. This one was different and I actually really liked it despite being skeptical. Thanks to my wife's long hours of work on the road in Memphis and Little Rock, Arkansas, for getting us enough Hilton points to get access to the Executive Lounge at the Adelaide Hilton where I was able to have a complimentary Sparkling Ale since it was the only choice other than a nasty Hahn Lager...yeeech.

Tuesday, August 27th - Blue Mountains, Australia

Just a quick entry to say that I had a James Squire Amber Ale draught today at a little historic hotel bar in The Blue Mountains outside Sydney. It was recommended by our tour driver and James Squire was an original convict sent to Australia who became a beer brewer and entrepreneur. This was the same beer that I had chosen in a bottle the night before. As predicted, it was even better on tap.

Monday - August 25th, 2008 - Hunter Valley & Sydney, Australia

Bluetongue Microbrewery - Hunter Valley Area - tried a sample "paddle" of their 5 beers. Preferred the Black Ale and got a free half-pint of it for purchasing the paddle. Traded my Premium Light sample to Mel, a gal from New Zealand, for her sample of Black Ale .... good trade, lightweight! Also had samples of their Alcholic Ginger Beer (uhh, no thanks, but my wife, Ashlee, liked it enough after one taste to buy a glass, but she was half in the bag from wine tasting all morning!), their Traditional Pilsner (a traditional snore to me) and their Premium Lager (not bad). Bought a nice T-shirt although it doesn't say that it's made in Australia on it.

Bought a bottle of Toohey's at another winery in the Hunter Valley area. Mel and the other two Kiwi gals seemed to like it so I thought I would try it mark it off my list. It's a common popular brand here and it was an OK lager. Better than Foster's. Nice website and I do like their slogan, "For the Love of Beer."

http://www.tooheysnew.com.au/history.html

Visited my favorite little wine/beer store at Wharf # 3 again when we got back to Sydney and finished the evening with a bottle of Cascade Pale Ale (not bad - needs a few more hops) and a very nice James Squire Amber Ale. Both of these brews are Australian.

Beer # 1....yeah, right...make that Blogged Beer # 1 - Sydney, Australia

Little Creatures Pale Ale -

Pint Bottle bought at a liquor store on Sydney Harbor. Not a bad pale ale but not as good as some of the IPA's I have had recently, but it sure beats the multitude of pilsners and lagers available here in Australia including the one I have had two of so far, one on the plane on the way over here and one at lunch because it was my best choice, Victoria Bitter. Drinkable, but that's about it.