Tough decision to make between a standing commitment and a Kane Brewing Tap Takeover just around the corner from work. Well never one to back out of a commitment this Gal found a way to fit them both in!
Kane had my favorite beer at the Garden State Brewers Festival (Morning Bell) back in June and since than I’ve tried their beer when ever given the chance – never being disappointed. It’s high on my list of breweries to visit but just haven’t made it yet…soon.
Left to Right
Civil Twilight Barrel Aged Imperial Stout 3.7% – Everything I wanted it to be and more. Same robust roasted malt flavors but in a lighter body stout.
Nom de Plom Saison 7.8% – More full body than expected, good sour quality, as well as the spices and fruits one associates with a saison. Ranks up their with Saisons the folks from Belgium brew.
Single Fin Belgian Ale 5% – Very good intro beer – easy drinking, underlying Belgium quality no one ingredient overpowers but rather blends and compliments one another. Great for warmer weather and would pair nicely with fish and/or grilled veggies.
Overhead Imperial IPA 8% – The hops over powered the rest of the flavors, pretty much what I was anticipating from an Imperial IPA. For sure hop head heaven.
Ripple Session Ale 4.6%– Taken back at first, dissipates quickly as if melting in in your mouth but leaves strong after taste of hops – a weird strong watery constancy but with a full body flavorful taste. I found this beer strangely fascinating.
Head High IPA 6.5% – Strong hop nose, combo of West Coast Hops with accented by grapefruit make for a very crisp, clean IPA. I have to say I really liked it and, as most know by now, I’m not a big hops fan.
Overall it was one hit after another. Kane Brewing is surely making it’s way up my list of favorite breweries. They are definitely in my top 10 and working towards the top 5. This Gal hopes to visit the brewery soon.
*Kane Brewing just one a medal at the 2014 GABF for A Night to End All Dawns Stout.
Every September this Gal heads down to beautiful Cape May, New Jersey for a fun filled weekend with the family. In recent years this annual trip has come to include a stop at Cape May Brewing and this year was no exception. However, also included was a stop at Tuckahoe Brewing Company.
Tuchahoe is set back a ways in a rural warehouse area – very easy to miss but no worries it can be found. The outside is a non-descriptive warehouse and the inside is tiny. As soon as you walk in you’re front and center in the tasting room. There’s a small bar that seats maybe 6 people to the left, a high top table for 4 and picnic bench area to the right.
On this particular day the beer offerings were slim – only 3 beers on tap. I believe there are usually more offerings but think there may have been some sort of problem with the lines this particular day. Not real sure what was going on but went for the $5 taster round of the 3 beers on tap.
Wit
Marshallville Wit 4.8% – This Gal does enjoy Wits so I was looking forward to this offering. It had the yeasty cloudy appearance I associate with a wit along with the lemon/citrus flavors hints of cloves but there was also a strange soapy taste to it as well.
Holly Beach Pumpkin Ale 7.4%
Right away there was a good hit of spices but not much pumpkin flavor. I consider this beer more a fall ale rather than a pumpkin ale. Unfortunately, there was a strange after taste on this beer as well.
Porter
Steelmartown Porter 6.5%
The woman who handed us the taster of these said, “it’s smells good but that’s all”. This beer does have a good robust roasty nose but follows it up with a pleasant coffee, cocoa & vanilla taste. The flavor matched aroma. It was the most pleasing of the three beers.
The place was hopping and people were filling growlers yet I did hear a fair amount of grumblings too. In all fairness I feel something was off on the production end and will go back to try it again another day.
A special someone surprised me with a afternoon drive and a pit stop at The Claremont Tavern in Bernardsville, NJ. It was pretty drive and the little town the Tavern is located in is down right cute. It’s plopped in the middle of a residential area and has the old tavern coziness to it with smaller rooms and lots of dark wood. To be able to walk across the street for a beer on snowy evening would make for a wonderful winter night.
The Claremont Tavern isn’t a beer destination but if you’re up that way it’s worth stopping in for a bite and a beer. It offers a nice tap list although a bit small with only seven craft beers on tap. I could see it expanding over time and there is talk about them hosting some beer dinners in the future.I decided to go for a 4 pour taster round. I was a little disappointed to find that out of the seven craft beers offered all but one was either an IPA or Pale Ale. A bit more diversity in styles would have been welcomed. (there are 5 other beers on tap as well but not crafts) That being said there were definitely going to be some hops in the taster round along with one of my favorite porters – Great Lakes Edmund Fitzgerald Porter. The waiter tried to discourage me from ordering the porter – stating it was a dessert beer since it had a coffee taste to it. I assured him I was fine with it accompanying my meal.
To go with the beer I ordered the Veggie and Hummus Club Sandwich which consisted of fresh summer veggies paired with roasted pepper hummus – delish and enjoyable. My companion went with the personal pizza. The menu is diverse, reasonably priced and the portions large enough that we got both had lunch and dinner out of our selections.
L to R: Kona, Great Lakes, Evil, Terrapin
Taster Round:
Castaway IPA – Kona Brewing Company, HW 6%
Pretty hoppy so much so really couldn’t taste anything else going on with the beer except the hops. Not doing it for this Gal.
Edmund Fitzgerald Porter – Great Lakes Brewing, OH 5.8%
A rich black body with a tan head. Wonderful aromas rise up from this porter and the taste doesn’t disappoint. Roasted malt with a very slight burnt/smokiness to it that compliments the roasted coffee and nuttiness that leads to a bittersweet finish. Went back for seconds and ordered a full pint of this gem.
Evil Eye IPA – Evil Genius Beer Company, PA 6%
I found this IPA enjoyable and not overly hoppy with a mix of grapefruit, pine and undertones of malts that finished very smooth. I wouldn’t hesitate to order a pint of this IPA.
Terrapin Hopsecutioner – Terrapin Beer Company, Georgia 7.3%
Fruit, malt and hops contribute to this being a well done medium body, easy drinking beer. Terrapin is working it’s way of my list of favorite breweries – they really just do it right.
Two Nights, 40 Beers sounds like a lot – it was – 40 beers of fun!
A writer for Philly Beer Scene recently posted for help in reviewing beer for an upcoming article. Of course, this gal had to try and be one of the lucky 15-20 folks to garner a spot on the panel and woohoo I was. Two nights, 40 beers!
Not only was it fun getting to try 40 different beers for FREE but being given the opportunity to hang out with some fellow craft beer lovers that I haven’t met before, hear about their beer likes/dislikes and their recommendations for different beer places to visit is always makes for a good time as well.
The tasting took place upstairs at Bottle Bar East – bonus I had never been so got to try out a different beer bar as well.
Night 1
Night 1
First thing – parking. Street parking only folks but I managed to find a spot nearby fairly quickly. (2nd night it took some time but finally snagged a spot). Once I arrived at Bottle Bar East I made my way upstairs to where the tasting would be taking place.
When one first enters Bottle Bar East your eyes are immediately drawn to the cold case displays to the left of the entrance. It’s a beautiful display of individual craft beer bottles for sale. One can take them home or drink them on premise. To right of the entrance is the cashier, straight back are the stairs (that lead to a 2nd floor seating area) followed by a long bar on the right and about 4 to 5 high top tables to the left and the “kitchen” is in back.
I made my way upstairs for the tasting where each table was set up with water and tasting forms. The first night was a blind tasting of 20 beers approximately 15 of them either IPA’s or Pale Ales. For each beer we were told the style and alcohol content but that’s it. Each person had a sheet to jot down a few tasting notes/descriptions plus a score from 1-10 with 10 being the best. For a non hops lover it was a bit of hops overload but I managed. However, towards the end my tasting notes took a nose dive eventually leading to a one word description for one of the beers – No. By this point I was pretty sure hops were sprouting from my tongue. I couldn’t wait for some malty goodness to hit my taste buds. Yards Love Stout to the rescue.
Yards Love Stout
A fellow taster and I made our way downstairs to one of the high top tables. I requested a taster of the Punk’n Harvest Pumpkin Ale – Uinta Brewing Company 4% – light body with good pumpkin flavor but my taste buds required something more full body so I treated them to a little slice of malt heaven – Yards Love Stout – Yards Brewing 5%
Oh my taste buds were so happy to be coated with malts, roasted chicory and chocolate. I enjoyed this malted beauty with the Roasted Vegetable Flatbread that was down right tasty. My taster buddy enjoyed the Buffalo Chicken Sandwich. Side note: sandwiches come with salads since fries are not served at Bottle Bar East. In fact, it would seem there is no deep fryer at all, which I find pretty cool, leading to some different bar menu options.
Roasted Vegetable Flatbread
Night 2
By this point murmurs of speculation as to what the article was about were swirling around with the tasting panel. All we knew for sure was that we really didn’t have a clue. We were told we find out the names of the beers from the blind tasting and what the article is about in a few weeks. Looking forward to both.
Night 2
For night two we were informed of the beer name and style and bottles were put out on display – no blind tasting this time. The styles varied a bit more on night two but still leaned towards hops. Food was available for purchase each night but the folks I shared a table with all agreed that we didn’t want food skewing our judgment of the beer. As we all know a beer on its own vs. paired with food could alter ones judgment of the beer.
Night 2 leaned towards “local” brews. I don’t want to say much more than that since the article hasn’t been published yet. I will say that I was happy when Weyerbacher Merry Monks made an appearance.
By around beer 14 it was obvious some of us were losing steam and short on words to describe the beers but we managed. At this point I was thankful for the wall behind me. Having a wall to lean on is so underrated. By the end of the panel tasting I found myself daydreaming about some malts; so my taster buddy and I headed downstairs to the bar.
BTW – hooks under the bar for hanging ones belongings – love it!
The experience at Bottle Bar East was a bit different on this night compared to the previous evening. Night 1 the service was excellent and very attentive, unfortunately, I can’t say the same for night 2. As a former bartender, I understand wanting to spend some time chit chatting with friends that stop in for a beer but PLEASE remember you have other customers as well. Wait on customers and then chit chat – that is the order. Grrr, pet peeve.
mac n’ cheese
At Bottle Bar East there’s a good varied selection of beer on tap to choose from plus the wonderful selection in the cold case. However, I wanted something on tap, just tried 20 beers and still had a drive home ahead of me so something not real high in alcohol content was preferred so, once again, the Yards Love Stout won. This time I paired it with the homemade Mac & Cheese with asparagus mixed in. This was a wonderful crock of stick to your ribs comfort food!
The 2 night experience was a blast. I got to taste 40 beers, meet new people and try a place I didn’t even know existed – all in all pretty cool! Plus, after 40 beers in 2 nights I was temporarily beered out. Not something that happens often, if ever.
This gal has been trying for some time to check out Interstate Drafthouse to no avail. I was beginning to think it wasn’t meant to be but indeed it was! I had added Interstate Drafthouse to my Philly Pub Crawl list (posted 12/13) fully trusting my Philly connection with the worthiness of the establishment to the list. Worthiness confirmed.
Located just a hop, skip and jump off Interstate 95 via the Gerard Avenue exit in the Fishtown section of Philadelphia, Interstate Drafthouse is a neighborhood bar that is also a destination spot. It really is smack in the middle of a neighborhood with easy off street parking. I would say from the looks of the building it was somebodies home in a prior life but fortunately for craft beer lovers it’s been converted into a great bar.
Upon entrance to the Drafthouse one is immediately standing in the bar area. The bar is to the right and few high top tables to the left. Walk back a little further and a step up to the dining area that consist of about 12 or so tables. Off the dining area is a cute little patio. Unfortunately, there was a summer rain storm taking place so a seat at the bar is where my companion and I found beer happiness.
Interstate offers a warm, cozy environment with a good bar vibe feeling with an old style tin ceiling, lots of dark wood, holiday twinkle lights and hooks under the bar for umbrellas, purses etc., always a nice touch. Overall the place is a little kitchy but in a fun way. It reminded me of some of the neighborhood bars I’ve visited in New Orleans. It’s also a wee bit dark inside which can make reading the menu a tad difficult at times. (flashlight app to the rescue). The owner is very welcoming and friendly as is the staff. They are also generous with beer tastings which is always a plus.
Not only does Interstate Drafthouse have a nice tap list, with a style for everyone, but they’re also very reasonably priced with great weekly deals! Happy Hour is offered Monday – Friday 4:30-6:30 with $4 Draft Beers. We happened to be there for Taco Tuesday $1 Tacos and $4 Beers ALL NIGHT – Sweet! Wednesday they offer a Beer and Meal for $10!
Veggie “Steak” Sandwich
The food menu is pretty diverse with everything from gator to seitan on it. Another words both meat and vegetarian friendly with a fun Cajun/Creole influence to it. We started with the homemade guacamole which was spot on. My companion enjoyed a tasty brisket sandwich and this gal opted for a nicely done veggie “steak” sandwich. I hear the mac & cheese is lip smacking good.
As tasty as the food was the beer was even better…
As soon as I spotted an offering from Bullfrog Brewing I knew what my first beer of the night would be. Bullfrog Brewing holds a special place in this Gal’s heart. I use to visit it many moons ago on the way to and from vacationing in Western Pennsylvania. If you ever happen to be near Williamsport, PA (home of the Little League World Series) I strongly recommend, heck I insist you stop at Bullfrog Brewery for some beer and food. I’ve never had a bad experience there. Their beer put a smile on my face each and every visit.
Bullfrog Saison
Saison – Bullfrog Brewing
Blond Ale meets Farmhouse Ale. Classic Saison cloudy appearance with citrus, floral and enough tartness that it makes your mouthwater at the end but makes you want to go back for more
Next up… Arcadia London Porter – Arcadia Brewing Company 7.2%
Well done English porter with a pleasant smokey nose. The flavor is a mix of roasted malts, bittersweet chocolate, coffee and just a touch of hops. A good true-to-style English Porter that ends with a slightly bitter finish. (favorite of the night)
Arcadia London Porter
Finished with the Summer Solstice – Anderson Valley Brewing Company 5.% (cream ale)
Had I known it was a cream ale I probably wouldn’t have ordered it since I’m not a big fan of the style. However, the Summer Solstice has changed my opinion of cream ales. It’s as good blend of spices, malt and caramel that make it an enjoyable summer beer.
Anderson Valley Summer Solstice
Sips of: Dead Rise Old Bay Summer Ale – Flying Dog 5.6%
This ale is brewed with Old Bay Seasoning which intrigued me but sadly the taste did not appeal to me at all. It was just odd. I would be willing to try a small taster of it with some food. That combo may work but on it’s on just not for me.
Pynk – Yards Brewing 5.5%
I was super excited when I saw the tap handle go on for this beer. It’s a delightful berry beer. I wasn’t in the mood for a full pint on this visit but could envision myself enjoying this little tart beauty on my deck one warm evening. I also could see myself mixing it with a chocolate stout since it’s so lambic like. Don’t forget Yards donates $1 from each case sold to the Tyanna Foundation, which provides support for the care and treatment of breast cancer patients.
Galatica IPA – Clown Shoes 8%
This Imperial IPA smells and taste very floral so much so I felt I was sipping on perfume. It was a bit much for me to handle. A true love for hops is necessary to enjoy this beer. That being said my companion enjoyed it.
Sapient Triple -Dark Horse Brewing Company 9.5%
Crazy smooth, easy to drink without the high alcohol feeling. Delightful banana and coriander flavors. Would have loved a glass but no triples on this visit since I still had to get myself home.
This Gal was very happy to finally be able to try Interstate Drafthouse and looks forward to returning for $4 Beers!
The exploration to Boothbay Brewing went so well that two days later the group decided it was time to go beer sampling again. My bro researched and found Oxbow Brewery was just around the other side of the lake we were staying on. A mere 15 minutes away! Five of us piled into the vehicle, we lost one of non-beer drinkers for this exploration, and headed out.
Oxbow specializes in Belgian-style ales that are brewed in a small renovated barn located in a pretty rural area. One would never know its back there and can easily drive past it. The sign out front on the roadside is small and easy to miss but luckily we spotted it. The minute the vehicle turned on the path to get to the brewery I knew I was going to be one happy gal. I think most places small and hard to find turn out to be hidden gems. Oxbow is just that – a true gem! Their slogan perfectly describes them “Loud Beer from a quiet place”. It’s the kind of place I could seeing bringing a book to enjoy while hanging out relaxing with an Oxbow beer or two.
As we pull up the excitement in the group was growing. Right away we noticed picnic tables and corn hole for outside enjoyment. Off to the left of the path is some sort of wood shed that looks like it might have some use during events. Straight ahead is the tasting room – cute rustic shed and behind that is the brewing barn. All surrounded by woods.
Tasting Shed
Upon entering the tasting room I fell in love with the place even more and I hadn’t even tried their beer yet! For a small establishment they have nailed it. From everything to the logo, tasting glasses, swag for sale, great customer service and the overall inviting environment for their guest to enjoy. The tasting area is small with a mini bar to order at and then you can either take your beers out front, out back or step down to the small room off the entrance area with 3 or 4 barrel tables to sit at.
One can purchase a sample round, individual full glass pours or growlers. During our visit several locals stopped in to refill growlers. Always a good sign. Of course, this Gal went for the sample round as did the other beer drinkers in the group. The staff working the tasting shed was very pleasant and helpful which always helps the experience be that much better.
Order L to R
Personally, I love farmhouse style Belgian beers but realize they aren’t for everyone. Each beer drinker in the group did find at least one beer they liked. This Gal enjoyed just about all of them.
Loretta – Oxbow Brewing 4%
Refreshing blonde ale that begs to be enjoyed sitting outside on a lake shore of Maine. No one flavor dominates it’s just a very easy drinking beer.
Freestyle 25 – Oxbow Brewing 4.5% (Freestyle is the breweries creative outlet featuring beers only brewed once) Czech Red Ale style done well with toasted malts, floral tones and an unique hop flavor.
Farmhouse Pale Ale – Oxbow Brewing 6%
Right away one can pick up the saison yeast followed up by the hops with a pleasant array of spices and citrus flavors going on. It’s their flagship beer and understandably so – nice job.
Grizacca – Oxbow Brewing 5%
Ummm, no. Not for me but my Bro’s fav of the bunch so much so he had a full class after the taster. It has an earthy grass essence to it followed by a wallop of hops.
Oxtoberfest 2013 – Oxbow Brewing 6%
This Gal’s fav of the bunch and the one I chose to have a full glass of after the taster. This beer wasn’t a fav for the rest of the group. In fact, most didn’t care for it but I found it to be very interesting and enjoyable. Good dry body with a smoky tartness. The sourness complimented the malts without being overwhelming.
It’s safe to say this group will be visiting Oxbow again. Heck, even the non-beer drinker liked the brewery so much she bought a t-shirt from it, as did this Gal. I have to say it’s one of the comfiest t-shirts I’ve ever worn. Even their swag is top notch quality!
Update July 2015: We recently revisited Oxbow and once again thoroughly enjoyed ourselves. It was amazing to see how the groups beer taste has grown and changed. Last year the Grizacca wasn’t for me but this year loved it – amazing. Has was everything else. I especially loved the Bowie. Also, the group enjoyed all the beers including the ones they weren’t too fond of last year. Yup, taste grow and change.
Catch this Gal talking about Oxbow on What’s On Tapbeer show.
After a few days of kayaking and boating this Gal felt it was time to explore some more of Maine’s other great offering – BEER! Next tasting stop Boothbay Brewery at The Watershed Tavern. This particular exploration involved six of us including both beer and non-beer drinkers alike.
We piled into two vehicles and were on our way until we had no clue where we were. Not one to give up I called to only find out we were a mere minute down the road from the brewery. I feel safe in saying many folk get lost on their way and the brewery is use to explaining how to find them. They are not far off the main road to Boothbay but at the same time one would never expect a brewery to be where they are. Once we arrived none of us could believe what we found. The brewery and attached restaurant are really plopped down in the middle of a back road surrounded by the beauty that is Maine. Not only is there the brewery and restaurant but several small cute cabins scattered about the property for rent. It’s a little slice of Maine heaven that is beautiful and welcoming.
The brewery itself was closed by the time we arrived so we wondered into the restaurant, The Watershed. When one walks in you feel like you entered a good friend’s rustic cabin that they built by hand using their own trees which is pretty much the case here. It’s warm, cozy and invites one to stay and enjoy.
We decided to plop ourselves down at the bar which meant we took up most of the bar. There are only 8 stool/chairs around the bar. These seats are a piece of carved art with very high backs and extremely sturdy. Around the bar is a small booth and game table ledge with a couple of stools around it. The bar top is a beautiful piece of milled wood. OK, there is beautiful wood everywhere, walls, ceilings, beams, tables, chairs, tasting trays – all of it gorgeous! There is also a handsome brick fireplace in the bar area that I can only imagine ads to the cozy environment in the winter time.
Bar Stool
Geeky Beer Gal’s Bro suggested we share a taster round since it include 6 large tastes and we were still pretty full from lunch. (there is also a 10 beer taster round) Two others in the party shared a flight as well. The two non-beer drinkers entertained themselves with tavern puzzles available at the bar for patrons to enjoy and drive themselves crazy with. The Watershed offers both beer and wine but no hard liquor. They do offer a few selections from other breweries, as well, such as Dogfish Head and Allagash.
Order L to R
My being a malt person and my bro being a hop head made for a very interesting mix for our taster flight which consisted of:
633 Pale Ale – Boothbay Brewing 6.33%
A true pale ale and happens to be their flagship brew as well. This ale has some good quality malt tones that help counter balance the hops. Right away one can tell they are using American west coast hops which helps me to distinguish one pale ale from another. To me American West Coast hops are a breed unto themselves with a very distinct characteristics that sets these beers apart from the rest of the hop pack. The hop factor was a bit much for me so not a favorite but a very well done pale ale.
Ken Brown Tribute Ale – Boothbay Brewing 7%
Sweet malty goodness! This ale has a nice dark roasted coloring but the body is on the lighter side for a brown. Great mix of malts with accents of hops and a good nutty flavor. Enjoyable indeed.
Dexter “Rippa” Red IPA – Boothbay Brewing 6.5%
Hop overload for this Gal but the Bro enjoyed it. A hoppy red ale true to style with some caramel undertones making its way through the field of hops.
Nitro
Black Rocks Stout – Boothbay Brewing 6.7%
Yum! Wonderful roasted coffee, bitter chocolate and caramel flavors mixed with just a hint of those West Coast hops. A full pint of this black beauty would be most enjoyable. (Tried a small taste of this on nitro – AMAZING – the nitro helped to mellow out and blend the flavors together even more so.)
Devil’s Thumbprint Black IPA – Boothbay Brewing 6.6%
More and more I find myself enjoying the Black IPAs. I just find them to be a really nice balance of malt and hops and easy to drink. This certainly was the case with the Devil’s Thumbprint. It was so well balance that both myself and my bro enjoyed it!
Townsend – Boothbay Brewing 5.3%
A good medium body English style ale with a pleasant mix of fruitiness, hops and malts.
Fellow tasters shared the… Flip Flop Kumquat – Boothbay Brewing 4.9%
Very light in body, nice wheat beer with hints of citrus. Good intro beer for someone just starting to get into craft beers.
Vanilla Porter – Boothbay Brewing 3.8%
First tried this after tasting the Black Rocks Stout and felt it was good with just hints of vanilla. I tried it again later on in the tasting and wow the vanilla really punched its way through. Nice porter body but the vanilla was bit overpowering.
While enjoying the beer we all took notice of how delish the food looked and smelled. A nice touch was the chef retrieving some beer from the taps to cook with. The menu is true tavern fare with both meat and vegetarian offerings. On the way out we spotted fish and chips being served to a patron and none of us could believe the size of the dish. We all agreed we’ll have to pay another visit to Boothbay Brewing so we can try out the food and enjoy some more beer!
This Gal recently had the pleasure of spending some much needed down town in the beautiful state of Maine. Maine also happens to be home of this Gal’s favorite beer bar – The Great Lost Bear! (Please see last year’s post for a full review). Why is The Great Lost Bear my fav? Three simple reasons: 1. Great beer, 2. Great Veggie food (meat friendly too), 3. Great Music – the perfect trifecta. I’m talking kick back and relax bar atmosphere, sipping on the best of Maine beer offerings while listening to the Dead or some other great classic rock band. For this Gal it just doesn’t get any better.
Veggie Burger
On this particular visit I opted for the much loved taster round. Five 5 oz pours for $6.25. Wanted to enjoy as many beers as possible but kept in mind still had a good hour and half drive to the final destination. To help balance the intake of alcohol I enjoyed a delish house-made veggie burger that was out of this world in size and goodness!
Order Right to Left
It perfectly complimented the Taster Round which consisted of:
Summer Weizen – Smuttynose Brewing, NH 5.6%
Well done weizen style, very refreshing with a bit of tang. Good wheat presence with hints of floral and pepper. A beer perfect for kicking back and relaxing with.
Black Fly Stout – Gritty McDuff’s 4.1%
Yes, I repeated a beer from last year’s visit to the Bear. Just goes to show how much I enjoy this particular stout. (last year’s review This stout was ridiculously smooth, light in body but packed with big roasty goodness. It runs in the Irish Stout family but enjoyed it more than the typical Irish Stout because of the full malty flavors.)
Atlantic Bar Harbor Brown 5.2%
I love Brown Ales and will tend to order one whenever I see the style represented on a beer menu which in my opinion is not often enough. This particular brown has a good roasty quality of nuts and malts while maintaining a light body. Not the best brown this Gal has had but enjoyable just the same.
Hampshire Special Ale – Geary’s 7%
Maine in a glass! Wonderfully toasted malts, caramel and toffee balanced perfectly by the hops with hints of ginger and coriander make this ale a real pleasure to sip on. The perfect ambassador for Maine beers.
Confluence – Allagash 7.5%
Wasn’t sure what to expect when I ordered this little delight but I was pleasantly surprised by how incredibly smooth this ale is. All sorts of wonderfulness going on that results in a sweet and spicy harmony. One can detect hints of pepper and apricot along with the hops and malt. However, there’s no mistaking that one is drinking a Belgian style strong ale.
That was the end of my wonderful New England Sampling but I couldn’t leave without a quick taste of a little treasure I spotted on tap for the Goose Island Tap Takeover happening later that night….
Bourbon County Stout – Goose Island 14.2% (ON TAP)
Liquid Gold – Strong Liquid Gold. This style isn’t for everyone but for those of us that like the style Goose Island nailed it. Once you get past the bourbon taste you can pick out hints of vanilla, chocolate and smoke.
Sadly it was time to wrap up what is happily becoming my yearly pilgrimage to my personal Mecca, The Great Lost Bear.
Now as much as this Gal wanted to linger at the Bear there was another quick stop that just had to be made and was only a mere 8 minutes down the road from The Great Lost Bear.
One of this Gal’s favorite Brewery’s, so much so I once had an amazing pet I named after the brewery – Allagash.
I had the pleasure of visiting this brewery many moons ago when Allagash was in its infancy stage. It was just a small brewery with no real tasting area and I don’t think they even offered tours then. They seemed pretty surprised when my companion and I showed up to buy some beer that day.
Boy, how things have changed. My jaw hit the floor when I saw the brewery, it’s huge; as is the tasting room. It’s also, very welcoming. There is a lovely outside patio area to hang out and enjoy your beers with a rustic Maine feel to it. Inside has a much more contemporary industrial look and feel with a long tasting bar and several tables for relaxing at. There is Allagash swag for sale all around the tasting room without it having an obnoxious in your face buy me feel to it. It was just there if you wanted to check it out. There was also a cold case with beer for sale. Even the bathrooms are cool! The tasting room is really set up for relaxing and hanging out.
The staff is very friendly and knowledgeable and greeted us upon entering and couldn’t believe I had been there so long ago. The other surprise besides the growth of the brewery was that the tasting round was completely FREE!
L to R White, Saison, Dubbel, Fluxus
On this particular day the tasting round consisted of the:
White – Allagash 5%
The white has been a go to beer for me for some time. It’s just so refreshing and such a pleasure to drink. It’s a beautiful representation of a Belgian wheat beer with a good unity of wheat, coriander and orange.
Saison – Allagash 6.1%
This Gal loves a Saison! Great balance of rye, pepper and citrus with a lovely yeasty cloudy presence to it. (Four packs of the Saison and Black where purchased for later enjoyment.)
Dubbel – Allagash 7%
A classic – Hints of chocolate and nuts mixed with malty goodness that add up to a slice of Belgian heaven.
Fluxus – Allagash 8.8%
I don’t remember trying the Fluxus before and it continually changes. This year’s Fluxus is an interesting combination of malts with hints of honey and finishes with a slight earthy pine taste without any one flavor being overpowering but rather complimenting each other.
Now it really was time to continue on thy way – great start to a great vacation. This Gal highly recommends a stop at Allagash Brewing Company next time you find yourself in Portland, Maine followed by some lunch at The Great Lost Bear.
A couple of weeks ago this Gal had the pleasure of meeting a dear friend at Vault Brewing for an evening of drinking, eating and catching up. Don’t you just love friends that you can pick up right where you left off even if it’s been months?
This was my fourth visit to Vault Brewing and I find it just keeps getting better with each visit. When the Vault first opened the beer was young, the food was fine but nothing to write home about and the seating, well, not the most comfortable. I’m happy to say all that has changed. Gone are the uncomfortable tractor seat things and in their place comfortable chairs, the bar now has stools were there was no seating before, the food is delish and the beer has matured and is down right tasty!
Vault Brewing is located in an old bank in Yardley, PA that Geeky Beer Gal’s parents used to bank at so I remember being in the building as a kid/teen. It’s nice to see it recycled in to such a cool place. The atmosphere is warm and cozy and the wood-fired kitchen is in view as soon as you enter the establishment as is the brewery. There are rooms off to each side of the bar area and a wonderful patio for outside drinking/dining. There’s parking out back but it’s limited and parking in other lots could result in towing. You’ve been warned – read the signs.
There was a nice crowd for a Friday night without being overwhelming. I’ve heard most Fridays here are packed but we lucked out. No wait for a table unless one preferred patio seating. My friend and I opted to sit at a table in the bar area. One of the things I love about the Vault is it’s designed for socializing. Meaning that there are no TVs (woohoo) and the music is cool. On this night there was a fantastic trio, Mike Billingsley, playing near the entrance. Great trumpet, this Gal loves a trio that includes trumpet.
After looking over the beer list I decided to stick with the usual format of enjoying a taster round. Once the beer was ordered it was time to peruse the food offerings. The menu isn’t huge but has something for everyone with interesting offerings.
Wild Mushroom Flatbread
We started with the Buffalo Cauliflower, think Buffalo wings done with Cauliflower, so yummy! My friend had the Crab Cake Sliders and I was told there were very good. I decided to go for my sister-in-laws favorite dish at Vault Brewing the Wild Mushroom Flatbread – incredibly wonderful and just as good the next day reheated.
Now for the beer! There’s usually 5 or so beers on tap and the offerings rotate so there is a beer no matter your taste and always something new to try.
L to R: Sorachi, Bitter, IPA, Coffee Stout
The taster round consisted of:
Sorachi Ace Blonde 4.9%
This beer has nice bit of heat from the spices but was well balanced by the citrus and coconut. Don’t panic about the coconut, this is not a sweet beer but rather light and refreshing. Really a pleasure to drink.
St. Celeia Bitter 4.4%
Something about the carbonation of this beer reminded me of pop rocks with cola. Basically, it was fizzy but enjoyable. Nice combination of fruit, hops and caramel. I’m always up for trying a bitter even though I’m now a huge fan of the style. This is a particularly well done Bitter.
English IPA 8.7% Cask
The cask caught my eye so had to add it to the round. For a non-hop head this was a really enjoyable IPA. This beer is a perfect balance of both malts and hops. With the hops being present but not overwhelming. They don’t over power the malt and fruit tones but rather compliment them.
Kenyan Coffee Stout 5% Nitro
Good morning, and yes I believe one could drink this in place of their morning cup of joe. The coffee is very up front and wonderful. A wonderful stout down to the last drop! Great roasted malt, coffee and chocolate flavors going on. Super delish! My favorite of the round.
My friend and I decided to enjoy one last beverage for the evening. A Sangria for her and the American Stout for myself. Somehow I missed the American Stout the first time I studied the menu otherwise I would have added it to the taster round. Beings it’s a stout I felt secure that I would enjoy it and ordered a full pint.
This brings me to the one down point of the evening – service. When one has trouble finding room on a table to set a beer down instead of trying to rearrange the dirty glasses and plates just remove them. Finally, my friend and I took it upon ourselves to remove the dirty dishes and place them on the table next to us that hadn’t been cleared yet. I find table service here to be hit or miss, which is a shame, because everything else at Vault Brewing really is a hit!
Now that we made room for our drinks we were able to sit back and enjoy them.
American Stout
American Stout 5.8%
This is a well done stout but I wish I had tried this stout before the Kenyan Coffee Stout. The American Stout has a slight roasted coffee and chocolate offerings but was overpowered by the flavors I experienced with the Coffee Stout. I would like to try it again on its own without my taste buds first experiencing the Coffee Stout.
It was a wonderful evening at Vault Brewing catching up with a great person while enjoying wonderful beer. Vault Brewing is a fantastic addition to my childhood town of Yardley!
Numerous craft beer breweries are taking upon themselves to give back to their local communities by helping out local charities. Great beer + giving back is a winning combination in this Gal’s book. Want to know how you can contribute by just purchasing some fantastic craft beer? Following are a few suggestions:
New Belgium Brewing donates 1% of all sales to environmental stewardship and $1 for every barrel of beer sold to non-profit organizations in the communities where they sell their beers.
Alaskan Brewing Company donates 1% of all proceeds from its Alaskan IPA to Coastal CODE (Clean Oceans Depend on Everybody)Weyerbacher donates a portion of the proceeds from the sale of every drop of Last Chance IPA to small, regional animal rescue operations. These shelters offer dogs, cats and other pets their last chance to find a new home.
Weyerbacher Althea – $1 per bottle is donated to The Breast Cancer Patient Assistance Fund of Lehigh Valley Health Network.
Yards PYNK For each case of PYNK sold, Yards will donate $1 to the Tyanna Foundation, which provides support for the care and treatment of breast cancer patients.
Flying FishFU Sandy – sales from this beer benefit grassroots NJ-based charitable organization dedicated to Superstorm Sandy relief
Hangar 24 Craft Brewery donates to various local organizations in their community and even as a form on their website for local charities to apply to become a recipient.
Iron Hill Brewery & Restaurant participates locally in civic and community service including brewing a signature beer with the Eagles’ Jon Runyan, with the proceeds going to Cystic Fibrosis.
Stone Brewing Co. has contributed over $2 million to charitable and community non-profit organizations.
Summit Brewing Company believes in giving back to the community in many ways such as donations, use of their community room for free to local charities, food collections, supporting local artists and adopt-a-highway.
This is just a small sample of how the craft beer industry is paying it forward.
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Tough decision to make between a standing commitment and a Kane Brewing Tap Takeover just around the corner from work. Well never one to back out of a commitment this Gal found a way to fit them both in!
Sadly it was time to wrap up what is happily becoming my yearly pilgrimage to my personal Mecca, 
geekybeergal 