Catchng Up, Part 3

So in an unlikely deviation from our usual travels, Meagan & Marlowe went to Napa Valley for 5 days with 6 other people-- and Marlowe learned to enjoy wine (Meagan already knew how to enjoy it).

We did a few touristy things: Winchester Mystery House and saw Steven Wright perform.

We enjoyed some amazing food: Falafel's Drive-In (excellent fast food), Eiko's (great food, lousy service), La Toque (very fancy, very delicious, budget plenty of time for a good meal), and Brassica (good food, and they do wine samplers as 2 oz. pours!).

    

But mostly, we visited vineyards, toured vineyards, and sampled wines.



Sonoma-Cutrer Vineyards: Great tour! Great wine! Did you know that wine can be buttery, and that that's a good thing in some styles?!?

Louis M. Martini: Fun tour! Amazing cellars! Good wine!

  

V. Sattui: Felt like The Lab in Asheville; a ton of pretty people but too crowded and without any really impressive beverages.

Sliver Oak Cellars: Not to be missed! One of our favorite vineyards!



Alexander Valley Vineyards: Cool caves! Good wine!

   

Conn Creek Winery: Enjoyed this one a lot! Good wine and very knowledgeable tour guides!

  

Robert Mondavi Wines: Because of who we were traveling with, we got the red carpet treatment at several wineries, but this one was amazing! Wine was great and the grounds, tour, & facilities are just gorgeous!

  

Pine Ridge Winery: Another can't miss! Great selection of really excellent wines!

Franciscan Estates: Another one where we were completely spoiled because of whom we were traveling with, but some of the best wine we had on this trip. We also played boccie ball :-)

  



So all in all, Marlowe probably drank more unique wines this trip than in his entire life, and he enjoyed almost all of them. It's good to expand your horizons...

Catching Up, Part 2

In the last post I mentioned two visits to The Monk. The big visit, however, was the third one on Sept. 3. We were joined by Steve, Courtney, Claudia, Rowanne, Bianca, & Daniel. This was an impressive ASSAULT ON THE MONK in which 4 of us spent 8+ hours there sampling a wide range of beers and 4 others helped us for part of that time.

In total, we tasted 58 different beers! It's impossible to mention all of the ones that we enjoyed, but the highlights include:

Bell's 10000

Ommegang Aphrodite

New Belgium Kick

Evil Twin Soft Dookie (sounds bad, tastes good)

As well as some that we've had before but had to sample on tap, such as

Dogfish Head Palo Santo Marron

Stone Sublimely Self-Righteous

Weyerbacher 16

Two weeks later we attended Brewgrass (our favorite alcoholiday). I may not have tried 58 unique beers at the festival itself (though I didn't count), so there's a good chance that the ASSAULT ON THE MONK ranks as my top beer event this year. That said, Catching Up, Part 3 will describe my top wine event of the year (a deviation from the blog's theme, I know). Coming soon... Marlowe and Meagan visit Napa Valley and learn to enjoy wine, too!

Catching Up, Part 1

Marlowe & Meagan had three major trips to THE MONK (or the Center of the Universe as we think of it, or the Thirsty Monk as it's officially known). Our work / school schedules have curtailed our usual outings, so visits to THE MONK are a good way to build in a lot of beer tasting into a single event.

2 months ago we went to Monk South for trivia (and won) and sampled 10 new beers. Highlight by far is the Southern Tier Creme Brule. We've since purchased several bottles of the delicious stuff. Other great ones included Brooklyn Concoction, Urthel Saisonniere, and the Sierra Nevada and Dogfish Head co-brew Life & Limb.

We also had some great beers that we've had before, but had to try on draft:

Duck Rabbit Schwartzbier and Petrus Aged Pale being two highlights!

A week later we went to THE MONK with Pam & Frederick and sampled another set of new beers. Highly recommended is Unibroue La Terrible and Xbeeriment Black Force One.

Also had Liefman Oud Bruin, which we've had before but which remains one of our favorites.

Leinie

About two weeks ago on a trip to MN, we had some time to kill so....looking at the WI map and seeing how close we were to Chippewa Falls...we stopped at Leinenkugel's. It is just north of Eau Claire off I-94.
They have a large Leinie's Lodge with about 6 of their brews on tap plus a lot of cool merchandise. You get tickets for four samples. They also have tours but we did not have that much time.

I learned it is pronounced "Linies" (long i), not "Lennies"!

This brewery has never been high on our radar screen but after trying their Summer Shandy, they deserved our visit. This is now one of our favorite summer brews.

Arizona, Day 13 (8/2/11)

On our last day in AZ, there were only four of us left (Marlowe, Meagan, Barbara, and Barry). We had excellent food and beer-- a great way to end a very busy and event-filled vacation.

After visiting the Desert Botanical Garden and losing 3 lbs each in sweat, we went to the Mission for lunch. The Mission had excellent food and a good beer list and mixed drinks. Get the Peruvian clam soup if you go and be sure to order the guacamole made at your table. Our guac maker also knew his beer and chatted with us about options. Barbara and Barry both had very good margaritas. Marlowe and Meagan both had Hoegaarden White Ale, which was an excellent choice after wandering around botanical gardens in 106 degree weather for a couple hours.

Later, we visited another AZ brewery, Four Peaks Brewing Company in Tempe, AZ. The brewery was more about pretty people hanging out than about beer (Asheville residents should compare it to the Lab), but we all sampled all of their beers. Their flights are comprehensive-- covering everything on tap (11 beers, I believe!).

Several beers were quite good, including the Peach Ale, Hefeweizen, and Kilt Lifter (tasted previously). The Hop Knot IPA was the favorite of everyone except for Meagan. That said, the Oatmeal Stout was very disappointing. Meagan only had one sip of it, and she generally can't pass up a stout. For quantity, Four Peeks has a lot of beer. For quality, stick to the ones recommended here.


After our beer sampling, we found an amazing Indian restaurant-- the Dhaba. They had the usual Indian beer options, but the food cannot be missed! Adventurous eaters should try the karela dhamaka (bitter gourd), but everything we had was excellent! I washed mine down with a Kingfisher.

Arizona, Day 12 (8/1/11)

Unfortunately, our visit to the Grand Canyon ended today and we drove back to Phoenix. That said, we did find good beer at both lunch and dinner.

We stopped at Leff-T's Steakhouse & Grill in Dewey, AZ. Along with some amazing, home cooked desserts, Leff-T's had a decent beer list, including Stone Ruination IPA, which most of the beer drinkers had since it's a grade thirst quencher.

For dinner, a lot of us went to a hotel stake house that was very disappointing (and shall remain nameless), so Marlowe and Meagan broke ranks and went looking for good beer and food. We discovered that the best vegetarian food in AZ is found at the places that really appreciate beer. We'd discovered this with Raven Cafe and Papago Brewing and it was reinforced when we tried both an Indian and sushi place without success and ended up at the Yard House Tap Room.

We discovered that at non-beer friendly places vegetarians can either get (1) the spinach salad, hold the meet; (2) an avocado based sandwich (names may vary), or (3) Mediterranean pizza. While an occasional meal of these is OK, it gets old very fast. Thankfully, we found the Yard House.

While not a brewery, Yard House has an amazing beer selection and some really excellent food, including numerous vegetarian options. Unfortunately, we were so tired by this point that we each only had one beer. They were both beers we've enjoyed before, but never had on tap.

Marlowe had North Coast Brewing's Pranqster Belgian Style Golden Ale
Meagan had Breckenridge Brewery's Vanilla Porter

All-in-all, a very delicious way to end a loooong day.

Arizona, Day 11 (7/31/11)

Spent the day at the Grand Canyon. No words can do this natural wonder justice, so I'll write about beer instead!



Purchased a couple six packs, one of which was a sampler, and got to try the following:

• More Nimbus Brewery (Tucson, AZ) Oatmeal Stout (one of our favorite AZ beers)
• Nimbus Brewery Dirty Guera blond ale (a little roasty for a blond, adding a nice character to the beer)
• Nimbus Brewery Old Monkey Shine English strong ale (8.2% abv, so somewhere between a barley wine and an ale-- very tasty)
• Mirror Pond Pale Ale from Deschutes Brewery (Never had this Descutes beer before, but an excellent example of a pale-- great for after a hike in the hot AZ weather)
• More Cutthroat Porter from Odell Brewing Co., which I'm enjoying more with each sip

Arizona, Days 9-10 (7/29-30/11)

Not much beer-related activity on the 29th, but on the 30th we drove to the Grand Canyon for two days of camping, and this opened up new vistas, beer-related and otherwise :-)

We stopped in Flagstaff for lunch at Buster's, which had a surprisingly comprehensive beer menu. Meagan and Rainer both had Moose Drool Brown Ale from Big Sky Brewing Co. in Montana, an excellent beer which we've had before and which has one of the best beer names on record!


Marlowe had Fraoch Heather Ale, a delicious beer from Williams Brothers Brewing that we've had before, but that we didn't expect to find in the middle of Arizona.


Upon arrival at the Grand Canyon, we did stock up on four large-size bottles of Lumberyard beers (a brewery in Flagstaff):

• Lumberyard Hefeweizen
• Lumberyard Imperial Red
• Lumberyard Red Ale
• Lumberyard I.P.A.

We were impressed with all four. I wish they had more dark options, but all of these light ones were delicious and refreshing. The Imperial Red was especially hoppy for a red (but that just means that Marlowe enjoyed it more :-)

Arizona, Days 7-8 (7/27-28/11)

Spent one day visiting Sedona and one day hanging by the pool visiting with family. Much fun was had by all, but little in the way of new beer experiences.

We did buy two new six-packs, and sampled both:

Nimbus Brown Ale. Nimbus is an AZ brewery, and we wanted something dark, so this was a good choice. Turned out to be a very tasty option. Lots of IPAs and pales available from local breweries, but this was one of the few dark ones in the store, and very good!

Descutes Black Butte Porter (have had it previously, but wanted a second yummy, dark option).

We also sampled a few more from the mixed six-packs:

Marble Brewery's Wildflower Wheat. This is an American wheat made with wildflower honey, and was very refreshing. I'm more a fan of German wheats, but in this weather, the Wildflower was perfect!

Nimbus Oatmeal Stout. Excellent stout! We really enjoyed this one! I wish the local grocery store had this in six-packs, but no such luck.

And a cousin had left behind one Leinenkugel's Berry Weiss, so we had that as well. Leinies is becoming the "go to" brewery for fruity, refreshing beers. I like the shandy better than this one, but Berry Weiss is still good for the AZ heat. However, Meagan was working on the Achocalypse when she tasted it and said that, in comparison, it tasted like a wine cooler.

Arizona, Day 6 (7/26/11)

Another day spent mostly at the pool and picking up people from the airport. Along with the usual "pool beers" (New Belgium Fat Tire Amber Ale and Pyramid Haywired), we also drank more of our standards (Four Peaks Kiltlifter, Cave Creek Chili Beer and Elsie's Irish Coffee Milk Stout) as well as trying three new ones from the mixed six-packs:

• Wasatch Devastator - a dobbplebock that we found unimpressive, but with an interesting logo on the bottle
• Wasatch Polygamy Porter - At 4% abv, a good session beer, but a bit watery for a porter
• Odell Brewing Co. Cutthroat Porter - Our favorite of these three, but it doesn't compare to some of the porters we get in Asheville, like ABC's Ninja Porter or Green Man Cask Porter.

Finally, at the end of the day, we broke into the Prescott Brewing Company Achocolypse growler, as it's the perfect dessert beer after a big meal of tacos!

Arizona, Day 5 (7/25/11)

A loooonnnnggggg drive through beautiful scenery and winding switchbacks in two vans got almost all of the family to Salado cliff dwellings in the Tonto National Monument, an interesting (and hot!) experience.

Eventually returning home and picking up yet more people at the airport, we had a heavy thirst that required the following beers to quench it:

Four Peaks Hopknot IPA - A tasty IPA, though not quite as good as the Lumberyard one

More Four Peaks Kiltlifter - Our favorite Four Peaks beer so far

More Cave Creek Chili Beer

And we broke into the growler of of Elsie's Irish Coffee Milk Stout

Arizona, Day 4 (7/24/11)

Spent most of the day by the pool and catching up with relatives. While various people had to arrive later or leave earlier, the ultimate attendance at this family (and occasionally beer) related event included over 30 near and distant relatives. Beer-wise, we drunk "pool beer," including New Belgium Fat Tire Amber Ale and Pyramid Haywired.

In our rooms, we tapped into the six-packs purchased earlier and tried:

• Dogfish Head Worldwide Stout - an amazing beer averaging 18% abv and fully of roasty stouty goodness (
• Wasatch White Ale (Utah) - A tasty white ale, very refreshing in the hot Arizona weather
• Squatters Hop Rising Double IPA (Utah) - a 9% hoppy beast of a beer, also ideal for hot Arizona weather
• Lumberyard Brewing Co. IPA (Flagstaff, AZ) - Another tasty IPA, moderate alcohol and hops. This is the brewery that Chris told us we had to visit if we passed through Flagstaff, so we were glad to find it available (in cans, no less) in Scottsdale.

Arizona, Day 3 (7/24/11)

We drove from Prescott back to Phoenix (actually, to Scottsdale). When we'd driven the other way, it had been dark and we missed all the gorgeous desert scenery. This time, we got to admire the mountains and cacti and beautiful vistas. All that looking worked up a thirst, so after checking in we went to Papago Brewing, which is our favorite Arizona brewery so far.

Papago has a wide selection of beers on tap, as well as a cooler of bottled ones that you can purchase either to drink on premises or to take with you. Of course, our goal was to sample Papago's beers, so Marlowe got a flight of all six (actually, two flights of three since that's how Papago rolls):

• Oude Zuipers - Belgian Strong Ale
• Coconut Joe Coconut Coffee Milk Stout
• Elsie’s - Irish Coffee Milk Stout
• El Robusto - American Black Ale
• Orange Blossom - Vanilla Mandarin Wheat Ale
• Hopago - India Pale Ale

Meagan got a pint of Elsie’s, but tasted all of Marlowe's. We also had an appetizer and lunch, which was quite tasty. We were so impressed with the beer that we each had a second flight of three.

Meagan:

Oude Zuipers - Belgian Strong Ale

Elsie’s - Irish Coffee Milk Stout

Orange Blossom - Vanilla Mandarin Wheat Ale

Marlowe:

Oude Zuipers - Belgian Strong Ale

Coconut Joe Coconut Coffee Milk Stout

Orange Blossom - Vanilla Mandarin Wheat Ale

We also bought a growler of Elsie's and a six-pack of other beers for later in the trip.

Before returning to the hotel and visiting relatives / picking up people at the airport, we stopped at the grocery store for a few supplies and a six-pack of Four Peaks Kilt Lifter Scottish Style Ale.

After much visiting with relatives, we introduced Rainer to the Cave Creek Chili Beer, which he enjoyed, while Marlowe and Meagan also enjoyed Kilt Lifters. We'd been unimpressed by Four Peaks' overly kitschy web site, but their Scottish Style Ale is quite good.

Arizona, Day 2 (7/22/11) - Part Two

After the excellent lunch and good beer at Raven Cafe, we walked over one block to Prescott Brewing Company for dessert and more beer. Dessert was excellent! Chris, Karen and Emmett split a chocolate brownie/ice cream/whip cream tower and Meagan and Marlowe split a peach bread pudding.

Beerwise, only six Prescott beers were available. Marlowe had a sampler of all six (Ponderosa IPA, Liquid Amber, Willow Wheat, Prescott Pale Ale, Bumbleberry [honey and blackberry beer], and Achocolypse [just what it sounds like]). Three were unremarkable, but the pale was very refreshing; the Bumbleberry tasted more of honey than berries, but was an interesting beer and I'd drink it again; and the Achocolypse was very dark and chocolaty and so good that we brought a growler.

Karen and Chris each had pints of their preferred beers, while Meagan had a sampler of Bumbleberry and Achocolypse.

Overall, we all agreed that Achocolypse was the winner, though perhaps not the greatest of session beers since the chocolate may become overwhelming after a couple pints.


We then returned to Karen, Chris & Emmett's to play Fluxx: Monty Python version and drink more Deschutes beer, including the not-to-be-missed Hop Henge Experimental IPA, and a few cans of Guinness. A lovely evening was had by all.

Arizona, Day 2 (7/22/11)

We spent the morning playing with Emmett and talking, but after his nap, we all went into Prescott for an excellent lunch and great beer at the Raven Cafe. All organic with an excellent beer selection. We sat on the upper, outside level which was delightful. All entrees were huge and delicious.

Beerwise, Marlowe and Karen both tried Santan Pineapple Wheat beers, which the server highly recommended. They were very good and refreshing. Meagan had the Oak Creek Nut Brown, also very tasty. She lucked out, in that the tap ran dry so she got 3/4 of a pint and when the keg was tapped again, another whole pint at no charge. You know a restaurant appreciates good beer when they go out of their way to make sure the guests drink sufficient quantities. Both Santan and Oak Creek are AZ breweries, and our intent is always to try as many local beers as possible.

Chris had a non-AZ beer, but then he lives here and gets them all the time. He had Dogfish Head Chicory Stout, which is an excellent beer, and even better on draft.



Raven has upstairs draft beers and and a larger selection downstairs, so for round two some of us went downstairs and acquired:

• New Belgium's newest Lips of Faith offering: Vrienden, a tasty Belgian beer with a refreshing sourness This complimented Meagan's remaining Nut Brown, but since she was designated driver, Marlowe and Chris had to help her finish both beers. Tragic!
• Firestone Walker's Double Jack, a double-IPA with a lot of hop flavor, but well balanced. Marlowe lucked out on this one. Supposedly only available in 10-oz pours, the server accidentally gave him a full pint.
• Stone Ruination IPA, an excellent IPA that Chris enjoyed before pilfering some of Meagan's Nut Brown.
• Anderson Valley Boont Amber Ale, a highly drinkable and refreshing ale that Karen enjoyed.
• Emmett didn't have any beer, but he ate several sweet potato fries.

Raven Cafe also sells bottled beer of a wide variety, so we bought a mixed 6-pack to try later. Haven't had them yet, so reports on the beer will be forthcoming.

Arizona, Day 1 (7/21/11)

After nearly 2 days with no sleep, we (Marlowe & Meagan) arrived in Phoenix, AZ. After stopping for some really good Indian food we drove to Prescott to visit friends Karen, Chris and Emmett. By the time we got in, there was time to share a beer and catch up and then crash hard. But the beers they served are worth noting:

For Marlowe, they had acquired Cave Creek Chili Beer, not for the faint of heart and containing a whole chili in the bottle. Everyone else had less spicy beers from Deschutes. It's good to have friends who appreciate good beer, as they demonstrated the following day.

Post post

We went to the Fine Arts for a matinee yesterday and noticed they had replaced Fat Tire with Gaelic so chose that one. One taste reminded me how lucky we are to live here. I don't think there was one beer out of the 96 we tasted that I liked better than Gaelic!

Final (?) post

Just some comments in closing. I know there are readers of this blog who know a lot more about beer than I do so my descriptions may be lacking. My objective was simply to document the somewhat rare opportunity to see a lot of great sights while enjoying a large number of brews at the same time. Many were from breweries we will likely never hear from again but that was what made the opportunities somewhat special.

By the numbers--

• 3200 miles in the rental car (excludes miles traveled with Pooh)


• 33 MPG in a now-defunct Chevy Cobalt


• 5 States


• 4 National Parks + the Colorado National Monument (comment: a lifetime senior pass to national parks for $10 has to be the greatest bargain in America).


• Went to the top of Pike's Peak


• Saw Mt. Blanca--famous for the place Shirley MacLaine designated as the center of the world (universe?). Thought I would throw that one in...


• The main musicians at the beer fest in the mountains was Trout Fishing in America (www.troutmusic.com). Grammy winners no less.


• Now for the number everyone is curious about--how many beers did we sample on the trip----------------96! Makes you wonder why we did not stretch it to 100 but I am not sure we could pull that off by the end of the journey.

The one thing I have meaning to do was to post some pictures. Meagan has indicated how to do it but I won't have time before we leave again on Saturday for a week--a Harry Potter adventure with our granddaughter. Beer consumption will be limited...
Thanks for your interest! We will see many of you at Brewgrass on 9/17.

Tom & Priscilla Karvonen

Day 15

Saturday, July 2nd
Predictably, I did not really feel like posting after the big event yesterday. After I had trouble connecting to the motel wi-fi, I gave it up quickly. We are waiting for our flight and will likely not finish before boarding.

Having one of these beer events at a 9000+ feet altitude taught me two things.

1. Six hours at Brewgrass = 4 hours here

2. Sunscreen needs more frequent application at this elevation. SPF 50 did not protect my neck and my calves actually got some burn.

There is no way I can comment on all the beers sampled so I am taking the easy way out and simply listing them. In this context, sampling means anywhere from a sip to a half pint (we were given pint glasses which may have foretold Marlowe's doom had he attended such an event). We got off the train at 11:45 a.m. and headed for the first booth.

Eske's Brewery (Taos NM)--Hula Hoop Ale and 10,000 Foot Stout

All the rest are CO breweries--

Amica's (Salida)--Headwaters IPA 7% and Saison Salida 6%--a Belgian style farmhouse ale (good). The small town of Salida will host an event with 52 breweries next weekend!

Rockyard Brewing (Castle Rock)--Redhawk Ale ESB and Hopyard IPA

Crazy Mountain Brewing (Vail Valley)--Lava Lake Wit (good)

Caution Brewing (Denver--relatively new, using Odell's old 5-barrel system)--interesting brews--Lao Wang Lager 5.1%--wild rice blended with Asian spices and Honey Matrimony 5.9%--we liked them both.

Odell's (also had some in Ft. Collins) Cutthroat Porter and St Lupulin Extra Pale Ale--we liked them both

Pagosa Brewing (Pagosa Springs)--Kayaker Cream Ale and Poor Richards Ale (good--included molasses)

AC Golden (Golden)--Colorado Native Ale--OK--this is the one I was going to skip due to the obvious tie to Coors. The gal working the booth took the time to assure me that Coors is leaving them alone to do their thing. Besides, my conservative/libertarian friend Pooh laid a guilt trip on me by reminding me that he tasted Wynkoop (started by the liberal Hickenlooper family).

Rocky Mountain Brewing (Colo. Springs)--IPA

Palisade Brewing (Grand Junction) --Dirty Hippie Dark Wheat (had to take a picture of their poster) and High Desert Red.

At this point, another participant came up to talk to me because he saw my Great Northern Brewing t-shirt from Whitefish MT--turned out to be his home town.

Carver Brewing (Durango) ESB

Horsefly Brewing (Montrose) Paso Fino Porter (good--even to me) and American Pale Ale

Avery (Boulder) White Rascal Belgian White

Left Hand 400 lb. Monkey IPA

Ska (Durango) ESB

San Luis Valley Brewing (Alamosa) Valle Caliente (no--after smelling, I did not try this one)

On the one hand, I was probably not too smart in ending my session with one of the strongest brews available but it was reaaaalllly good--Amica's Nigel's Large Ale--English Style 9%.

We boarded the train for the return trip to Alamosa. We had seats in the dome car--got some snacks but the bonus was that the folks who entertained at the event (4 guitars and another singer) were there and jammed almost the whole way back--mostly what I would call Americana/folk.

After checking into the motel, we headed for San Luis Valley Brewing for supper. Had some good food and all had their Kiwi Ale--which we all agreed was a good light refreshing way to end our imbibing.

25 beers sampled...I know a couple of them are familiar to all of us but it was cool having a chance to sample all the small breweries' wares.

One more post coming to close things out--hopefully tomorrow.

Day 14

As promised, my discipline is working--light beer consumption today.

First was Alamo Golden Ale--"brewed with a fiecely independent spirit" by Real Ale Brewery (Blanco TX). It was just OK but borderline good since it was drunk while walking outside in the afternoon. This was after a project to sighting in the scope on his .223 rifle and shooting at three targets at 75 yards, 150 yards, and 230 yards. We hit 9 of 10 shots at the 230 yd target. Priscilla even shot three times. Although I am NOT a fan of the NRA, I have no problem with target shooting plus Pooh has varmints out here that cause problems, especially for his two dogs. He has a graveyard for porcupines which have no predators. His two dogs have had 45 and 86 quills removed recently. Coyotes are also a potential threat. Anyway, back to beer...

St. Arnold Brewing Company's Lawnmower Beer. Very refreshing, lots of carbonation, three thumbs up. As mentioned previously, he is the patron saint of brewers, living from 580-640 A.D. This is an important bottle that will be added to my collection.

That's all for now. Hard to say when I will post the details of the Rails And Ale adventure, but I will try my best!

Day 13

June 30th
Still a day behind in posting...just don't feel like doing it by the end of our days.

After visiting the wolf rescue center, we settled in for some pre-dinner tasting. We decided to approach it this way so we would all get a chance to sample more beers. One of the objectives was to put a dent in the inventory that Pooh had accumulated for our short visit.

1. Firestone Walker Brewing (Paso Robles CA--motto:Passion for the Pale). A 22 oz bottle of their Union Jack IPA..7.5%..rated very good by all three--even Priscilla. Pooh rescued this one from wine country during one of his trips.


2. Firestone's DBA (Double Barrel Ale). 5.1%..crisp..lot of carbonation..another good summer brew.


3. Indian Wells Brewing (Inyokern CA www.mojave-red.com) their Blackout Stout. M&M sit down for this one--even I gave it a thumbs-up!


4. Indian Wells Death Valley Pale Ale--OK but we agreed nothing special.


5. Indian Wells Spicy Pumpkin Ale (yeah I know, wrong time of year but the bottle presented itself to me who was the Chief Selector of what to sample--a difficult job). The pumpkin was more subtle than strong...all of us liked it--definitely better than King Don's!


6. Indian Wells Amnesia IPA at 7.2%. Good to just OK.

We now broke for buffalo and veggie fajitas but continued to sample--

1. Fireman's #4 Blonde Ale from the Real Ale Brewing Company in Blanco TX. Again, a surprise--this is not one of my favorite styles but I agreed with the others that it was a good summer drink.


2. Indian Wells Mojave Gold Lager--probably the least liked sample of the night--boring.


3. Real Ale's Coffee Porter Limited Edition Seasonal--hand picked by me as our dessert beer. Pooh and Priscilla found it yummy (one of Marlowe's favorite terms). I found it OK.


4. And finally, Durango Canyon Brewing (Durango CO) Dark Lager with crystal and chocolate malts. Although it won a bronze at the 1990 GABF, it was just OK in our book.

Now for the favorites--discussed and voted on over morning coffee and fairly clear minds...
Pooh and I voted for the Union Jack IPA, although we admitted we may have been prejudiced by the fact that it was the first one we tried.

Priscilla agonized over the Porter and the Stout before declaring the latter as her choice.
Final comment--for being a true wine guy (more than 1000 bottles in his cellar), Pooh clearly likes a range of beers. Must be a carryover from our college days, although the quality of those brews was sacrificed for price as we recall.

Today will like be a little beer and a little wine as we rest up for the Main Event, the Grand Finale, the Driving Force behind this trip--on Saturday, we leave at 5:45 a.m. for Alamosa where we will board a train for a two hour ride up a mountain, a four hour stay, and a two hour ride back. As you may have guessed, there is a beer component to this experience called Rails and Ales www.riograndescenicrailroad.com/events/rails-a-ales-brewfest.html. Once the date for this event was locked in, we scheduled everything else around it. We have tickets for the dome car. 21 breweries will be present with their wares. I will likely avoid some familiar names like Left Hand and Odells in favor of the ones I have never heard of. All are CO except one from Taos. I am suspicous of one--AC Golden Brewing from Golden--sounds like the initials of a certain large brewer in that city.

Finally--Meagan--Mom is spoiling Pooh's dogs...

Day12

Well--I am a day behind again but there is good reason...

First--an addition to the previous post--I could have edited it but decided to do it this way. New Belgium is now the third largest craft brewery in the U.S. behind Sam Adams and Sierra Nevada. They are looking at the possibility of opening a brewery somewhere in the east. When I told our guide that we were from Asheville, he said that is one of the cities he keeps hearing about! REmember you heard it here first. That would be interesting since it would not be as "local" as our current group of brewers. My take is there may be some resistance but their product is good enough to overcome it. Besides it would be a big operation to supply a number of states.

Another clarification--may be too much minutiae for some of you but I try to be comprehensive here. The Fat Tire label comment in the previous post--the bike gradually disappeared because it was on a trip. People are asked to write a brief story re: the trip. The winner will get a new bike.

Yesterday we dropped off the rental car at the Colo. springs airport. Pooh (Dick) picked us up and took us to lunch at the Blue Star Restaurant. They happened to have several brews on the menu. Priscilla went with the Bristol Beehive Honey Wheat which she really liked. I tried Bristol's Mass Transit Amber Ale which I found kind of bland and boring (should have tried a sample first). Pooh had Bristol's Laughing Lab Scottish Ale which he liked. I sampled it and agreed. Since it was only noon, we were only going to have one with our lunch...but I saw an intriguing one from Boulevard called Tank 7 Saison. When I asked about it, I was told it was "complex" and 8%. Had to try it and was not disappointed--it was very good.

Next we drove to the summit of Pike's Peak. At 14,110 feet, the combination of the Saison and the altitude made me a little woozy at first. It took us an hour to get to the top. They had just completed the annual climb contest--the winner made it in just under 10 minutes--a new record. Meagan--I am sure running your Camaro up there would be a blast.

Next stop was a new brewpub in Woodland Park. They were all German style brews which I assume meant abiding by the German Purity Laws. The Weis beer (wheat) was a good one to sip on the patio. The Dunkel dark lager--not so much. Priscilla couldn't drink it and neither could I. Many of you are old enough to remember the cereal commercial with the tag line, "Give it Mikey--he'll eat anything." Well, we passed the Dunkel to Pooh and he managed to drink it.

On to Pooh's place in the mountains. Saw mule deer and elk. He opened his fridge and showed me what he had accumulated from California and elsewhere. There has to be 15-20 different kinds of beer, only two of which I recognize from my collection. I looked at Priscilla and asked if she thought we could stay for another week...Tonight we eat Mexican so I will have hard choices to make. Last night was a wine meal (first taste of wine on the trip but Pooh is a wino with a cellar full so this was required).

Bill--thanks for your comment--the trip has been a great combination of sightseeing and brews.

Today we will visit a wolf sanctuary...

Day 11

June 28, 2011
Beautiful drive from Grand Junction to the Denver area! From Denver we headed north to Fort Collins. Stopped at Coopersmith to get a certain special glass for a needy person...then on to New Belgium. Got there 30 minutes early for our tour--the tasting room was hopping.

As promised by Meagan and Marlowe, the tour was excellent AND we hit a special day--their 2oth anniversary! All their employees were given a new bike as part of the celebration. Tour lasted 1 1/2 hours. They bottle 700 beers an hour with only 8 people. They have 380 employees in total, many of which are in sales. They are in 24 states. Now for the beers--

1. Somersault--5.2%--good summer brew. Our guide Dave has a keg of this stuff at his home--his second one.


2. Super Cru--10%--one of their Lips of Faith series of experimental beers--pretty good for a high octane brew.


3. Blue Paddle--4.8%--a pilsner--I think the only one I had not had before (in addition to the Super Cru maybe--I have one Lips of Faith on my shelf but can't remember what it is). There is a funny story about how it got its name but that will wait for another time.


4. Fat Tire--5.2%--our guide called it their "gateway" beer--at least it was for him, meaning the beer that weaned him off Bud when he moved to the area. The bottles that we drank had just been bottled 20 minutes before our tasting--now that is fresh..


5. And finally--a special treat--La Folie--another Lips of Faith brew--a sour beer aged for three years in large oak barrels obtained from a CA winery. Think Granny Smith apples at 6%--pretty special brew!

St. Arnold is the patron saint of brewers. The New Belgium employees get 10/30 off in recognition of his birthday.

The bike on the Fat Tire Label has been gradually disappearing and is now gone. Part of some contest I don't understand...it will come back.

After the tour, we were in the tasting room for our free beer--Priscilla had Somersault and I had the Blue Paddle. Then the two founders got up on the bar and recognized their 20 years by toasts and thunderous applause from the crowd. As I said--great tour.

Then we decided to hit one more establishment before getting a motel for the night. We picked Odells since we had their stuff for the first time in Denver. We had their Classic Tray flight of six

1. Easy Street 4.6% unfiltered wheat see Day 2 post


2. Levity Amber Ale 5.1%--too light for both of us


3. 5 Barrel Pale Ale 5.2%--one hop added in the fermenator and 4 during the kettle boil. Despite this, it was not too hoppy for Priscilla!


4. 90 Shilling 5.3%--third time on the trip for this good one.


5. IPA 7%--after one sip, Priscilla let me finish it


6. Cutthroat Porter 4.8%--named after the state fish. Of course, Priscilla liked it. I found it OK.

Hard to believe but at supper tonight--we had water to drink! 11 samples were enough for the day...

Tomorrow we turn in the rental car and take off for the mountains with Pooh. I think another microbrew and Pike's Peak is on the agenda so the blog will continue.

Day 10

June 27th--
OK--today was simply a day to get from SLC Utah (pain in the a** construction) to western CO--no specific beer plans. But--Priscilla maintains this trip is "all about the beer". I don't understand--we have seen a LOT of cool scenery...on our way to a stop for the nights..that usually just seemed to make sense that we would look for a brewpub. I told her tonight--"just think of all the time we saved discussing where to eat every night."

As I said, tonight I had no plan. We stopped at the visitor center for the Colorado Nat'l Monument (worth the ~2 hour drive off I-70 which we enjoyed) and asked about a brewpub in Grand Junction. Lo and behold--they have one with another either here or on the way soon! So--after checking in to our motel, we drove right down to the Rockslide Brewery and Pub on Main Street--been in operation since 1992! That's according to Jennifer who is at least 18 since she served us but under 21 because she had not tried the beers. This revelation forced us to go to the sampling routine to cover several of their 8 "regular" beers plus two seasonals.

Let me preface these remarks with the fact that the temp hit 95 in the high desert. Serious thirst needed to be quenched! Priscilla went immediately to the Raspberry wheat which she termed VERY refreshing. I tried a sample of the Cold Shivers Pale Ale--copper colored, very good flavor with a slight hoppy flavor on the back end--a good choice.

Our second choices--Priscilla sampled the regular Big Bear Stout and the seasonal Holiday Porter. She chose the Stout--the usual (to me) smooth roasted flavor--which she termed "another good stout". Due to the blast furnace temps, I passed on the Rabbit Ears Amber Ale and sampled the Windowmaker Wheat (with lemon) and the Hefeweizen (with an orange slice). A real tough call but I chose the Hefe. It was a damn fine beer!

Tomorrow--we drive to Ft. Collins for the 3 p.m. New Belgium tour which we have been advised not to miss.

Day 9

June 26th--
Drove to SLC. Spent several hours in Temple Square. I had to inform one young lady that we are not interested in converting...

On to beer--we drove to Park City because it was very necessary for me to get Polygamy Porter beer, t-shirt, and/or hat from the Wasatch Brewpub (www.wasatchbeers.com).

My first was the Mucker's Amber Ale---a good balance of malt and hops with a hint of some citrus--which after hours in the sun and a uphill walk to reach the brewpub, I pronounced it VERY thirst quenching. I could have had several but...

Priscilla had the Polygamy Porter which they must have forced the ABV at 4% so they can sell it in grocery stores. That's right--the definition of high alcohol in this state is 4%. Everything above that has to be purchased in state stores. Very smooth brown with toffee flavor and Williamette hops. It won gold at the World Beer Cup.

For the second round, I had a bottle of the Polygamy Porter so I could be guaranteed one to take home without shopping for one tomorrow. Priscilla had Jalapeno Cream Ale, "an English style ale brewed to perfection with fresh jalapenos". Of course she loved it. She forced me to try it and my response was that it was one of the worst beers I have ever tasted!

Some of their waitstaff wore t-shirts that read, "we drink our share and serve the rest."

Food comment--my Idaho pan-seared trout was excellent!

On to western CO tomorrow...

Day 8

First of all, before I forget--a brief situation from yesterday. I stopped at a convenience store to see if they had the Huckleberry in bottles. I confirmed they did not but the owner/manager was working on the shelves. He looked at me and said they were all alike, all beer. I looked him in the eye and said, "No they are not." He smiled...I walked out.

Drove to Idaho Falls today--got in at 3 so we (Priscilla) had time to do laundry. Before she began, she floated the idea of getting two brews from our growing inventory to put on ice. I like the way she thinks!
I chose a Zonker Stout (Snake River--Jackson Hole WY) for her and a Dragon's Breath (Bayern Brewing from Missoula MT) for me. She liked her stout. To me, it tasted like all stouts...my Dragon's Breath was a dark Heff ale. Interesting concept but nothing special.

We walked several blocks to a wine store that I tracked down over the internet. Scored my Idaho bottles! Bought 6 different ones! We then went to the Snake Bite Restaurant where I finally had an IPA--from Idaho Brewing in town. It was fairly hoppy but quite good..not over the edge for me. Priscilla had Mount Borah Brown Ale from Bertram's Brewery in Salmon ID. We both liked this one. No other details since we were in a restaurant, not a brewpub.

Tomorrow we hit Salt Lake City on a Sunday--not optimistic about availability. Our inventory is growing so we will have to consume at Pooh's or leave some for him. Will only try to take a few back with us.

Finally, during supper, Priscilla suggested she may have to "dry out" for several days after this trip...

Day 7

Day 7--6/24
We are about 1600 miles into our trip and head back south tomorrow.

After seeing Hungry Horse Dam and Glacier NP, we chilled for a while and planned the next day--CRISIS---the source of my Idaho bottle has closed and won't re-open until July!! Immediately checking the internet for all Idaho microbrews resulted in finding an alternative in the last one--Grand Teton--that sells in two speciality stores in Idaho Falls--our next stop....so I am cautiously optimistic that I will succeed in my quest.

Tonight we decided to head back to Whitefish and began again at the Great Northern Brewing. Priscilla had the Snow Ghost. Although a "winter warmer" in June may seem strange, we had to keepin mind that they still have 80 FEET of snow in Logan Pass in the park! I had the Wheatfish Wheat--advertised as an American Hefe but brewed like a German wheat beer?? Three separate additions of Cascade hops but no strong hoppy taste. To help us finish our peanuts appetizer, we shared their Good Medicine Imperial Ale--8% which even I thought was good--very balanced between malt and hops.

We left the place with mixed emotions--good beer, limited food, good ambience but they were out of the t-shirt I wanted...the fact that I didn't get around to trying their IPA in two visits tells you about all the choices they had.

Went across the street to MacKenzie River Pizza for supper--a chain (went there in Bozeman as well). They had 9 locations in MT and one in ID but have expanded into Washington and Indiana. I had Driftboat Ale from Big Sky Brewery which had just a little hopiness to it and Priscilla had Cold Smoke Scotch Ale from Kettlehouse Brewery in Missoula. Twice she pronounced it smooooooooth.

On to Idaho...

Day 6

Day 6--6/23
Drove to northern MT close to the entrance to Glacier--we will not get to drive the entire road due to 50 FEET of snow remaining!!
For supper we drove to Whitefish to eat at The Great Northern Brewing Company www.greatnorthernbrewing.com/draughthouse. Very cool place--although they have been brewing at least since 1998, the draughthouse has only been open two years. About 10 beers on tap plus a few in bottles. It advertises itself as the tallest building in Whitefish--two stories plus a third for part of the brewhouse...

After sampling their Black Star Double Hopped Golden Lager and their Wild Huckleberry Wheat (blended with MT huckleberry juice but not overly sweet and very refreshing), Priscilla found herself in the usual position of not being ablr to turn down a stout--in this case, the Bizzle Stout. Of course it was "another good stout".

I had Big Fog ESB which I think is better than ESBs I have had in Asheville! A gold medal winner from the North American Brewers Association. I followed that up with the Black Star mentioned earlier. Although advertised as double dry hopped (80% Mittelfruh 20% Czech Saaz), it did not have the classic IPA hoppiness.

Finally we want to give props to Becky at the brewhouse. She was very helpful and upbeat, considering she was working a double shift.

Day 5

Day 5--6/22
Saw a lot at Grand Teton and Yellowstone today. Worked up a thirst by the time we landed in Bozeman MT. Found Madison Avenue Pizza downtown with a lot of MT microbrews--none were Moose Drool!

I had their local Bozeman American Amber which was good. Priscilla had an Oatmeal Stout from Madison River Brewing in Belgrade MT. Different than Highland's offering but she certainly had no trouble consuming it. We ate at 9 p.m. so decided to stop at one tonight.

I promise to learn how to post photos on here one of these days--with Meagan's help.

Day 4

Day 4--6/21
Mission for the day-- AFTER wishing Priscilla happy anniversary (#42), aside from a pleasant diagonal trip across Wyoming on a two lane road to get to Grand Teton NP--snag a rare Wyoming bottle for my collection.

Again--from the AAA book, I found a place enroute for lunch called the Hitchin' Post in Lander. They had Snake River Pale Ale in bottles--mission accomplished! It has a small hint of hops but mainly has a nice crisp flavor.

After checking in and driving through part of the NP, we dined--where else--the Snake River Restaurant and Brewery. We had very good, unusual pizza to go with 6 sample glasses:

• Hefeweizen--good, refreshing, crisp but about the same as other wheat beers I have had.
• Pako's IPA--"pounded with simcoe and columbus (?) hops"--just about too much hops for me but not quite.
• Black Hops--a black ale with simcoe and chinook hops--smooth and made by a home brewer! It is now two days in a row that I have had a hoppy black ale.
• Zonker Stout--rich, lots of roasted barley--a Great American Beer Festival and World Beer Cup winner. To no one's surprise, Priscilla liked it!
• Their lager--another multiple winner--pretty good for a lager!
• Le Serpent--definitely the most interesting brew we tried @ 8%. A Flanders sour ale aged 1 1/2 years in French oak barrels with Washington cherries. A World Beer Cup winner. Even I found this one worth a couple sips. The cherries really came through.

We bought a mixed six pack of bottles on the way out. The theory is they will last until we get to Pooh's house in about a week...

Day 3

Monday 6/20--
After traveling through Rocky Mountain NP (34 degrees at one point plus alot of snow), we headed north into Wyoming and across toward Laramie. On the way, we stopped at the Trading Post Dinnerhouse and Saloon in Centennial where I read they had microbrews. The PBR and Coors neon signs did not deter us--they had the Odell's 90 Shilling which we had yesterday so we had it again. Watched Jeopardy with the owner and bartender and headed for Laramie where I had noted the Altitude Chophouse and Brewery in the AAA book. It was an excellent choice--the place was hopping for a Monday night. They had 7 regular and 5 seasonals on tap to choose from.

While we waited for a table, Priscilla had the 7200' Stout 7%--a take-off on the local altitude--rich chocolate and coffee and Marlowe--this is for you--they used compressed nitrogen for a "smooth pour". She pronounced it Good. I had the Altitude Amber Ale-4.8%-good but still not Gaelic quality. With dinner, I had Bearpaw Brown Ale--5.5%. It was the first brown ale I have had with a high hop level--very different--I liked it.

Ok--Marlowe--now for Priscilla's choice--Mexican Chile Ale--a North America Beer Awards medal winner in 2009 and 2010. She REALLY liked it. It is a light ale brewed with anaheim, serrano, and jalapeno peppers. "Boasts MILD heat and assertive pepper flavors." I tried it, made a face, and concluded "MILD" was in the eye of the taster!

Day 2

OK--I am still a day behind so bear with me...
We partook in the Denver Microbrew tour. Tour guide was Steve who took a shot at educating all of us on the different types of beer, 4 steps in tasting, etc. plus a little history of Denver. Passed around samples of barley, roasted barley, and hops. He did a fine job. There were 18 of us in all, including 2 from Durham and 2 from Rock Hill SC.

First stop--Breckenridge near Coor Field. Although they don't brew there, they do brew at another location in Denver. First was Agave Wheat which we thought was a very good wheat beer. Second was Vanilla Porter. As predicted, Priscilla liked it a little more than I did but it was drinkable to me. The final tasting was their Lucky You IPA which we had not had before. It was a good IPA--hoppy but not over the top. I may add we had a hophead on the tour so he was looking for a bigger IPA.

Second stop--Falling Rock Tap House--not a brewery but more than 100 beers! First was Avery White Rascal. Those of you who know me would predict I would not drink this one but I found it quite drinkable! Second was Odell's 90 Shilling--a very good middle of the road ale. Finally was the hophead's dream--Odell's Mercenary Double IPA. The gals from Rock Hill were not ready for it...

Third stop--Wynkoop. First was their B3K Schwarzbier which drew good reviews from everyone. Second was their St. Charles ESB which was OK but not as good as the Schwarzbier.

Last stop was Rock Bottom which has several different locations across the country but each location as their own brewmaster who has latitude in what they produce. It was also close to our hotel, which was a good thing after sampling 10 brews. First was their Tigers Blood IPA--another good one from my standpoint. Second was their Red Ale which was just OK. Several of us hung around afterwards and ended up having their Schwarzbier--Ok but not great.

OK--so by this time we decided we needed something to eat. We stopped at a small pizza place close to the hotel. People were there but we were told they were closed for a private party. Then decided to co-opt me because they were celebrating Father's Day. They forced me to down a shot of Crown Royale to be sociable...then I got out of there. We ended up at the hotel ordering pizza and of course had to try another one--Odell's wheat beer--a good one to end the day/night on.

So--to recap--we tried 12 different brews plus of course my shot of Crown Royale. The next day will be spent drying out...until late afternoon. Maybe tomorrow I can catch up when we get to Jackson WY!

Western trip-day 1

OK--to start with, this is my first attempt at a blog so please bear with me!

Since the readers of these posts likely only care about beer, I will try not to bore you about non-beer matters...but... we started our trip with about 3 hours of sleep. Got into Colo Springs on time. Met Dick aka Pooh at the airport. He escorted us to Phantom Canyon Brewery where we began our brew odyssey.

First round: I had 2 Moons Ale which was really good. Priscilla had Zebulon Peated Porter which was (well, she never met a porter she did not like). My second beer was their flagship brew, Railyard Ale--a good middle of the road ale--not a Gaelic, but good nonetheless. Priscilla had a Continuim Ale, which despite being a Belgian (you guys know that is not my favorite style), was a good thing because it supported the local arts.
Phantom Canyon had a lot of ambience including 10 pool tables on the second floor. Before saying goodbye to Pooh, we had to give his two dogs Trio and Ginger some TLC.

We drove to Denver--4 accidents in less than an hour. What was that all about? the 75 MPH speed limit? Checked in to the hotel, took a one hour nap and walked the downtown before stopping at Wynkoop--I think the first microbrew in CO. Priscilla had Cowtown Milk
Stout--a semi-sweet sessionable dark beer that she pronounced as good. She was not alone as we sat in front of the tap and saw many pours.
Now for my choice--listen up Pooh--the Obamanator--a maibock style lager. It may be the most interesting beer I will taste on the trip. The Germans make this style every spring and name it with something that ends in -ator. Of course, I thought it was a very progressive brew...

Final comments on Wynkoop--owned by the same company that owns Phantom Canyon. Twice a month, a horse-drawn wagon loaded with their brews delivers to local establishments--just like a brewery in England we visited with Meagan and Marlowe in 2009.
Also--it was begun by John Hickelooper, former mayor and now governor. Also, according to Pooh, a LIBERAL. that makes sense since he helped turn a bad part of town around by taking a risk in opening the business. Liberals do that, you know...

Time to close for the day. Today was the microbrew tour--way too much info for me to relay tonight. Sorry, Marlowe--you have to wait for the Juicy details.

Eastern North Carolina - October 2011

The October 2011 trip was for our anniversary, and Marlowe was put in charge of planning the trip. Surprise! We headed east with the goal of hitting four breweries during a long weekend.

The eastern NC beer trip started at Mother Earth Brewing, in Kinston. The tasting room is only open on a limited basis, so plan ahead if you want to go! Definitely try the Dark Cloud.

At the Outer Banks, we stopped in at Weeping Radish first. (Yes, the street address is in Grandy, but it is just north of the outer banks.) This one was a real test of the marriage. The vegetarian made it through the "brewery, butchery, and pub"! Black Radish and Corolla Gold were both excellent.

Outer Banks Brewing Station in Kill Devil Hills had a nice restaurant, an eco-friendly vibe (wind powered brewery), and good beer to boot.

We finished the beer tour with a stop at Foothills Brewing in Winston-Salem. Although this one is technically in western NC, it is far enough beyond Asheville that we never seem to get there. The artwork for their beers is fabulous and all the beers are good.