I’ve been blessed to be able to visit a number of breweries and brew pubs across the United States and have enjoyed many wonderful tours given by passionate brewers and have enjoyed many wonderful pints of great beer. This blog is a simple opportunity for me to share my experiences with others who may be interested. I hope you find something you enjoy.
Kindred Brewing, Gahanna, OH
I stopped in at Kindred Brewing near Columbus, Ohio for a beer. Hawaiian Shirt looked really good. The fruit flavors were very subtle. Provisional sour brown ale is delicious. Sour and a distinct cherry flavor. Wolf’s Ridge Night Method Espresso Milk Stout is rich, coffee flavor, chocolate notes, delicious. This was the perfect way to end the evening.
Pigskin Brewing Company, Gahanna, OH
I stopped in at Pigskin Brewing Company near Columbus, Ohio for dinner and a beer (well, a flight of beers, because I couldn’t decide). Dinner included Tomato Soup and Buffalo Chicken Flatbread. Both were delicious. I enjoyed Undefeated IPA, Cream of the Crop Cream Ale, Highland Games Scottish Ale, and Passion Fruit Gose. I enjoyed these beers. The gose was my least favorite. The cream ale is a light and easy drinking beer. Tasty. The Undefeated IPA is a solid IPA. I very much enjoyed the Scottish Ale. Malty deliciousness.
Two Roads Brewing Company, Stratford, CT
I stopped in at Two Roads Brewing Company, well technically I stopped in their taproom at the Bradley Airport in Hartford, Connecticut. The pastrami sandwich there was delicious. I started with Two Juicy IPA, then Ok2berfest, then ended with Lil’ Heaven Session IPA. I also tasted Roadsmary’s Baby. I enjoyed every beer. All were delicious with lunch.
They were offering growler fills. I’ve never seen that at an airport before. I wish I had been traveling home from there but was on to another location before returning home. Hope I travel through Hartford again soon and can bring a growler home.
Thomas Hooker Brewery, Bloomfield, CT
I stopped in at Thomas Hooker Brewery Colt Taproom. It was dinner time and they offer a nice menu with a few items. The Trio of Tacos was delicious – even the roasted vegetable one! The beers I tasted all went well with the tacos. I especially liked the #nofilter IPA. I’m getting more interested in hazy IPAs these days. The Oktoberfest was smooth and malty with a hop bite. Perfect for the season. And the Milking the Clock milk stout was a tasty, sweet ending to the meal. Great place to stop in. Glad I did.
Five Churches Brewing, New Britain, CT
I stopped in at Five Churches Brewing in New Britain, Connecticut for a beer. Since it is Fall and since this is one of the beers the bartender recommended I tried their Once and for Fall Porter. Delicious. This beer is not pretentious or unusual. It is a fabulous porter. Smooth. Malty. Feels like a mouthful of fall when you drink it. You need to enjoy the season at Five Churches Brewing. I’ve fallen for it!
High Line Brewing, Calgary, Alberta, Canada
I stopped in at High Line Brewing in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. To tell the truth, I showed up past closing time. The tap room bartender was kind enough to exchange a beer for some cash. Awesome. And he even was extra kind to give me some coasters, a sticker and a pin so that my craft brewery swag collection is more complete. Looking at the tap list I noticed the Smokes Scotch Ale. I had tried a scotch ale earlier this week at another brewery and enjoyed it and decided to go that direction again. I don’t do much comparing of beers on this site. That said I’ll give a few remarks on this beer style. The scotch ale I had a few days ago was on the sweeter side. Part of me enjoys that. However, I believe the Smokes Scotch Ale is more true to this style with a slightly more prominent hop bitterness to it. I really enjoyed this beer and would love to bring some home but getting it onto an airplane would be a challenge. The tap room was really cool and I did nose around for a few moments while enjoying my beer. Since it was so late very few people were still hanging around. Looks like a cool spot to hang out also with food trucks in the parking lot. Kudos to you and thanks to the bartender who was so generous to me, a weary traveler, after a long day away from home.
Minhas Micro Brewery, Calgary, Alberta, Canada
I stopped in at Minhas Micro Brewery in Calgary, Alberta, Canada to try their beers. White Wolf witbeer is a flavorful is a smooth, fresh wheat beer. Very easy drinking. Great summer beer. McCall Wee Heavy Scottish Ale is a delicious malty treat with slight hop notes. Very caramelly. I really loved this beer.
Mill Street Brewery, Calgary, Alberta, Canada
I stopped in at Mill Street Brewery brewpub in Calgary, Alberta, Canada for dinner and to try their beer. It was happy hour when I arrived so I was able to get a side salad and burger (no bun) for just a few dollars. I enjoyed trying their Honest Bucker Pale Ale which is a hoppy pale ale with hop flavor but not bitter. Very easy to drink. Goes great with food. I also tried Gin Barrel Aged Grapefruit Pale Ale. I’m not as much of a gin drinker but I’ve learned to appreciate many flavor profiles. I do like grapefruit. The mixture of grapefruit and gin was a great match. Very tasty beer. And since this is a limited release I just had to try it. Mill Street Brewery offers root beer and it just so happened that I was sitting at the bar and the bartender was making root beer floats while I was there. I asked him if he’d ever made a stout float. This led to him experimenting and learning a new drink. Cobblestone Stout and vanilla ice cream – just sayin.
Indeed Brewing Company, Minneapolis, MN
I stopped in at Indeed Brewing Company in Minneapolis, Minnesota for a beer. I could not resist Shenanigans Summer Ale. Clean. Fresh. Easy-Drinking. Delightful. And the taproom is cool – I enjoyed playing tabletop shuffleboard.
Lakes & Legends Brewing Company, Minneapolis, MN
I stopped in at Lakes & Legends Brewing Company in Minneapolis, Minnesota for a beer. I decided to try St.. Gail Raspberry Honey Ale and Mango Lassi Milkshake IPA. I enjoyed both. Each was slightly fruity. The brewery/taproom is a really cool downtown space with plenty of room and various seating to enjoy by various size groups. Great vibe.
