I stopped in at Roadhouse Brewing Company in Jackson, Wyoming and enjoyed a Family Vacation Light American Ale. This beer was very drinkable and enjoyable. I would have stayed longer but needed to get back on the road.
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Fossil Cove Brewing Company, Fayetteville, AR
I stopped in at Fossil Cove Brewing Company in Fayetteville, Arkansas and enjoyed the Blizzle Black IPA. I also tasted the Paleo Ale, La Brea Brown and IPA #3. These are all enjoyable beers. And, the brewery had a nice crowd of craft beer enthusiasts which made the atmosphere really cool. This is a great place to visit. This brewery was one of my stops on the Fayetteville Ale Trail which I highly recommend for those who love craft beer and are in the Fayetteville area.
Rivertowne Brewing, Monroeville, PA
I stopped in at Rivertowne Brewing Pour House in Monroeville, Pennsylvania for lunch and tasted one of their beers. The buffalo chicken salad was spicy and tasty. And, like all Pittsburgh salads included fries :). I was surprised by the Hala Kahiki pineapple ale. Unlike the bitter IPA’s i typically enjoy, this was a very sweet pineapple flavored beer. I really enjoyed it. This would make an outstanding summer beer.
Boston Beer Company, Boston, MA
I stopped in at the Boston Beer Company in Boston, Massachusetts for the brewery tour. I completely recommend this tour. Our tour guide, Amanda, was really funny and very informative. She went through the entire brewing process and showed us the research brewery. The facility in Boston is now only for research and development. The production brewing is now done elsewhere. And, of course, at the end of the tour we sampled Sam Adams Boston Lager and Summer Ale. We all know the trademark taste of Sam Adams Boston Lager. For many folks this was the Renaissance of beer back in the day.
Tow Yard Brewing Company, Indianapolis, IN
It’s very rare that I stop in anywhere twice. There are just so many places to experience that I’m almost always off to see some place new. Well, I broke my habit and stopped at Tow Yard Brewing Company in Indianapolis, Indiana twice.
I stopped late last night and enjoyed a Randy SMaSH (Singe Malt and Single Hop) which was a really tasty beer. Not too hoppy and not too malty. It was juuust riiight!
And I liked Tow Yard Brewing Company so much that I walked a mile today to have lunch there at The Larder where I enjoyed a Big Fat Greek Salad. This was truly a delicious salad. I also tried the Red Cream soda and the Ginger Beer soda – just samples – and they were both delicious.
Tow Yard Brewing Company is an excellent craft brewery and also has an excellent restaurant. The atmosphere is wonderful and would be delightful for the happy hour crowd and a family having a meal with kids. Plus, the kiddos will love the natural sugar sodas. The areas are separated and provide the perfect location for a variety of people. They also have outdoor seating.
After lunch today, before I headed out, one of the owners, Jim, approached me and asked me how I heard about the place. We had a nice conversation and he is a great guy. It’s clear that he and his team are really putting their heart and soul into Tow Yard Brewing Company.
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If you’re in Indianapolis you need to check out Tow Yard Brewing Company.
Update – I went back for lunch again and enjoyed the Gatsby sandwich and a Hook-Up Shandler. The sandwich was delicious. And the Hook-Up Shandler is a mix of Goldie Hops beer and Citrus soda – very light and refreshing!
Milkhouse Brewery at Stillpoint Farm, Mt. Airy, MD
I stopped in at the Milkhouse Brewery at Stillpoint Farm in Mt. Airy, Maryland with my wife and two couples who are good friends. We had been planning this visit for several weeks and we had a great time. Each couple enjoyed a flight of beers. First I tried the Dollyhyde Petit Farmhouse Ale which was tasty and unusually spicy. Next I tried Goldie’s Best Bitter which was a smooth English ale. This beer was served on cask which added to the smoothness and creamy texture. The third beer I tried was the Coppermine Creek Cry Stout which had a very enjoyable coffee taste to it. And the final beer I tried was the 5th Step IPA. I felt like I was saving the best for last. Honestly, all four beers were very good quality. The Milkhouse Brewery is in the Mt. Airy countryside, a beautiful location in the midst of many farms. The Stillpoint Farm grows the hops used in making the beer at the brewery. They also sell some hops to other local brewers. The tap room is a cozy place with an outdoor patio and covered pavilion. We spent some time inside and some time out in the pavilion. We also enjoyed a explanation from one of the brewers of their brewing process – a mini-tour of sorts. It was a great way to share an afternoon with friends.
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Anchor Brewing, San Francisco, CA
I had the opportunity to tour Anchor Brewing in San Francisco, California twice. The first time was in December of 2012 and the second time was today. This time I was joined by a good friend and business colleague. He graciously joined me when another good friend and business colleague was unable to tour with me due to changing job responsibilities. Taking a brewery tour with a friend is much more fun that on my own. This tour starts with a great history lesson. Anchor Steam Beer gets its name from the way in the past the brewer used the cool night air in San Francisco to cool the beer in vats on the roof and steam would rise from the beer. That’s just one tidbit. I’d recommend this tour to anyone interested in craft beer and beer history. And, of course, I enjoyed tastes of several of their beers which were generously poured by the tour guide. Rather than detail each one I’ll comment on Liberty Ale which was the first IPA brewed in the US (according to the tour guide) which is a solid, if understated, IPA but is smooth enough to drink several glasses. The more recent addition of Anchor IPA is a hoppier IPA and also very enjoyable. Both satisfied my desire for hops. I will also point out that the fine folks from Anchor Brewing also participated in the conference social event we were in town for and shared their beers with the participants. Oh, and if you haven’t tried Anchor Christmas Ale I recommend that as well. It’s a darker beer with holiday spices. The recipe changes slightly each year. It comes in a large bottle which is perfect to bring to a Christmas party.
Marin Brewing Company, Larkspur, CA
I stopped in the Marin Brewing Company in Larkspur, California. I just had to try the Raspberry Trail Ale and although it’s not particularly my style I did enjoy it. It was light and bready with a distinct flavor of raspberry. Then I tried the Altar Boy Belgian style pale ale which tasted like a fruity Belgian ale. I also sampled the Mt Tam Pale Ale which is their flagship and turned out to be a smooth, solid pale ale. And, finally, I tried Earl which is an Imperial IPA. This was rich and heavy, malty and hoppy.
Triple Voodoo Brewery and Taproom, San Francisco, CA
At the Triple Voodoo Brewery and Taproom I enjoyed small samples of four beers. The first one I tried was Breaka’ Dawn, a Belgian inspired pale ale which was smooth and malty. The next beer was Anarchy IPA which both smelled and tasted of hops with a solid bite. Third, I tried the Inception Belgian golden ale which is their flagship beer. Belgian style beers are growing on me and this one was very good. And finally I saved the King Leopold Belgian stout for last. This stout is brewed with both malt and oats and is smooth and rich. The taproom has an artsy industrial feel to it and was pleasant to relax and enjoy the beers.
Urban Chestnut Brewing Company, St. Louis, MO
When stopping at Urban Chestnut Brewing Company in St. Louis, MO what else would you try but the Winged Nut Chestnut Ale? And try it I did. And, it was tasty. It’s a copper colored mild ale with a hing of the chestnut sweetness. Yes, chestnuts are used in the alemaking process.
I Stop For Hops 