Category Archives: Beer

Yes. I liked a Flower Beer.

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I was passing through Madison on my way to a wedding in Western Wisconsin and needed a place for lunch  – so I stopped at a place where I had always had a good experience before with beer to see if the food was up to par.

I took my first look at the beer list and saw the Twisted Hibiscus option. I had been meaning to try Revolution Brewing’s Rosa Hibiscus Ale for awhile – since I’ve never tried a hibscus beer. Even though it wasn’t the beer I’d been eyeing up, this was my chance to try one out.

I’ll admit I was hesitant at first because I’d been convinced before that anything with a floral edge was just going to taste like over acidic coffee that resulted from someone just trying to be too creative. I do not like coffee with “floral notes.” This beer was really pleasant though.

What was really great about it was how well balanced the flavor was. I could tell that this wasn’t a first draft. It flowed like any well made beer should – starting and ending sweet & smooth with a brief bitter kick in the middle. The hibiscus was subtle enough to not scare me away – so I was pleasantly surprised and only really upset that Vintage Brewing Company couldn’t have this all year.

The story here is that I was feeling adventurous, but a little scared, and it worked out. So if you are in front of a beer that seems a little crazy to you… try it.

A Nice IPA on the Road Less Traveled

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One of my new Connecticut favorites has become Two Roads Brewing Honeyspot Road White IPA. They decided that some of the usual spice that gets put into an IPA was sometimes too much – and if they laid off a little bit, the beer could be a little more refreshing.

I liked the way the hops and the wheat were balanced. Whenever I try any beer with the word white in it, I get nervous that it’s going to taste too fruity… or be just too filling. This beer isn’t that.  This makes for a nice white IPA that you can have two or three of if you want – and still feel refreshed. There’s just enough wheat to make the hops taste smooth and to add a nice hint of wheaty flavor – but too much wheat to turn off a hop head.

I’m excited to try more Two Roads beer, and you can look at more to try here.

All Day Octoberfest

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The Staghorn Oktoberfest is our new New Glarus fall beer, and the Old Fashioned’s beer of the month… which means 2.50 pints and 9.00 pitchers. We went for the pitcher.

If I didn’t have a soft spot for the brewery that only sells in Wisconsin and makes one of the greatest staple go to beers in America, this review might be worse. I want to say that if you’re looking for a full bodied,  malty Octoberfest that’s edgy and new – this is not your beer. This beer is light, tastes like you want an Octoberfest to taste, is not too smooth & not too coarse, and most importantly… you could literally drink this all day long.

In a state that has an Oktoberfest Festival probably within a half hour of any given place at some point between September 1st & October 31st (that become flooded with Miller Light drinkers) – this beer works.

The Staghorn Octoberfest could easily be the beer we drink inbetween stronger, thicker beer to hydrate and cleanse the pallet. It’s a million times better than your average “water beer” and provides a goos introduction to Octoberfest for newcomers. So although it’s really not for me, it could be for you, or some of our friends that we bring to Oktoberfest with us this year.

A Cure For Everything

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I’ve spent a ton of time writing about my experience at different breweries,  what the people are like, and how I feel about the whole experience.

I’m going to broaden the topics a bit. That’s because I want to talk about the experience I have when I really, really appreciate a good beer (and really, really don’t appreciate a bad one).

I had a long weekend… and busy start to the week at work. All I really wanted to do was sit down, watch the xfiles, and have a drink. I was overjoyed to see that I still had Sixpoint Resin in my fridge. It’s one of my favorite go tos.

Sixpoint Resin comes in at 9.1 ABV, so don’t expect to have more than one or two if you’re out, but it really hits the spot at the end of the night.

This one is smooth, of medium weight, and serious flavor. The beer gets it’s name because the brewmasters extract hop resin and heat it to dissolve in the beer to make the beer more concentrated and flavorful. They call it “dangerously easy to drink,” and I’m on board with that.

If you’re a beer drinker and you haven’t tried it – you’re missing out. This is certainly a brewery I’m happy to live closer to.

More on the Resin here: Sixpoint Resin

Another New CT Beer

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I’m going to call this one pleasantly hoppy – and just malty enough. Charter Oak is a new Brewery in the Norwalk area I just happened to try tonight.

I have the Pale Ale.

You’ll like it if you like a good light amber or brown ale and are looking for something with a hoppier edge – but not for anything too crazy.

This is yummy so far and I’m looking forward to trying their IPA and their Brown Ale.

Cheers, happy Saturday,  & happy primary GOTV everyone!

What to do on your First Day of Work

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My first day of work in Connecticut was fun. I had been traveling for two days thinking about actually getting to work, and I was happy to finally be in an office. Out of either strong work ethic, or misguided ambition, I was the last person in the office that day. After realizing how much work actually needed to be done to get a new program off the ground – I needed a beer.

One of my co-workers recommended City Steam Brewery to me. It was close to the office, had good beer, and good burgers. I sat down at the bar, and even though it was busy, the bartender took time to talk to me for a little while about places I should visit in Connecticut, what beers from New England to try, and mentioned his mother was the head of the Democratic Party in one of Connecticut’s 169 towns.

This guy was great, but to give a well-rounded picture of the place I should mention that I’ve been there one other time and sat in the dining room – the table service wasn’t up to par with this bar service.

Back to my first time – I ordered a cheese burger & a Blonde on Blonde Pale Ale. I liked the beer – but I had an issue with how it was described versus how it actually tasted (not that it’s bad). It was described as super hoppy and very flavorful. It is – but the hop flavor is a little too straight forward to describe it as super creative.

Another thing that might throw you off about this one is that it looks like it would be relatively light, but it’s certainly heavier than it looks. Overall, this is a good, crisp, straight forward Pale Ale. Bottom line, if someone asked me “what does an IPA taste like?” I would give them a glass of this. If someone asked “Recommend me a new, creative tasting Pale Ale,” this would not be my first choice, but it’s a great go to.

One of the IPAs I didn’t have during this visit, but I like a little more is the Innocence IPA. What I like about this one is the mixture of hops and malt, so it really satisfies everyone. I’ve given this beer to people who say they don’t like IPA, but are fans of rich brown ales, and they seem to be able to tolerate it.

The last beer I want to talk about is a Connecticut classic. You can get it at almost any bar that has a decent selection, including a few spots in the airport. It’s the Naughty Nurse Amber Ale. This is a great standard beer and great for folks just starting to drink craft beer. It has English hops and a light malt flavor that goes down nice and smooth for a creative, but light and accessible taste. This is a must have for anyone coming to Connecticut.

Overall City Steam is a great spot. I’d recommend having a burger if you eat there – and maybe not diving into the rest of the menu. No matter what – you’ll find a beer you like. They also have comedy in their downstairs room on Friday nights. So this is the perfect spot for craft beer & comedy lovers.

More info on City Steam:

Follow on Twitter: @City Steam

More on the Beer:  http://www.citysteam.biz/beer_pages/styles_of_beer.cfm

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