I stopped in at O.H.S.O. EATERY + nanoBREWERY in Phoenix, Arizona to try their beers. Their Brite was a tasty refreshing ale. Hoppy was a solid IPA. 89 is a malty delight. And, The Lost Viking was simply delicious – a smooth robust porter. I’m glad they found him!
I did a two-fer stop. Phoenix Ale Brewery and Sonoran Brewing Company, both co-located in Phoenix, Arizona. The Watermelon Ale offered by Phoenix Ale Brewery was delicious. The Orange Peel IPA had a great orange taste to it and the Camelback IPA was a very solid offering of this style. Great beers. But wait, there’s more. The White Chocolate Ale offered by Sonoroan Brewing Company is awesome. So delicious! I even bought a bottle to bring home and share with my wife (who doesn’t drink beer). This tastes totally like white chocolate and not like beer. I can’t wait for her reaction.
I stopped in at Mother Bunch Brewing in Phoenix, Arizona after a long, direct flight from Washington, DC. The Chicken Tinga Tostadas were a great late dinner. And, all of the food I saw delivered to other patrons also looked delicious. Rather than picking one beer, I tried a few four ounce tasters. The Grapefruit Wit was where I started and it was delicious – a slightly tart and very crisp drink to pair with dinner. I then tried the Campfire IPA – a very solid west coast style IPA. Again, a good pair with dinner. I also tried McBride’s Irish Red. I think I realized Irish Reds are not my favorite. This was very good but just not my go to. The Juniper Berry Gose was delicious and also paired well with my meal. It was tart and salty and balanced well with the food. I sampled the Cherry Popper Porter but at the recommendation of the bartender I tried the Oatmeal Chocolate Milk Stout which served as a liquid dessert. OH WOW. So delicious. Very good beers here. If you’re in Phoenix I recommend stopping in and trying them all.
I stopped at Bluejacket in Washington, DC with my wife and friends to celebrate a good friend’s birthday. We had a great time. The food was delicious. I enjoyed scallops and shared the chocolate almond cake for dessert. Bluejacket has a large variety of beers available. I created a flight of four. The Wary Fiend farmhouse ale was the most tart tasting of this variety I’ve ever had. Lost Weekend was a nicely hopped IPA – not too bitter. The Killing Moon Imperial IPA was smooth – both hoppy and malty. Now, let’s talk about some crazy good beer. Rheinhard De Vos is an amazing sour red ale. Tart and tasty. And, finally, I paired Mexican Radio, a spiced sweet stout, with the chocolate almond cake for dessert. A perfect pairing. Delicious!
I stopped in at Conquest Brewing Company in Columbia, South Carolina.I really enjoyed a couple of beers on tap. The Coffee IPA was a delightful blend of bitter flavors – hops and coffee. I really enjoyed this unique beer. Old Naps Scotch Ale was a delightful version of this style. It was wonderfully malty, delicious to drink and would be easy to pair with food. While I was visiting they were hosting a Soda City Suds Week event – making pottery beer mugs. I wish I had been in town longer and could have participated because it looked fun.
Akasha Brewing Company I stopped in at Akasha Brewing Company in Louisville, Kentucky with some industry friends to taste a flight of beers. Akasha Brewing has an industrial/warehouse feel to it. Although we got there rather late in the evening there were still at least a dozen people still at the brewery in various small groupings. Clearly Akasha has somewhat of a local following. Several of the beers on the list I would have loved to have tried but were out at the time. The Gose was well worth having. Its salty and sour flavor was distinctive – not for everyone – but a great example of this style. The DoubleCrush IPA was solid. Piper Smoked Porter was rich and smooth. The Knaves and Staves Bourdeax Barrel Aged Saison was sweet and smooth – delicious! And, I loved the taster tulip glasses so much that I bought one to take home – perfect size for a bourbon in the evening.
I stopped in at 7 Locks Brewing in Rockville, Maryland. My daughter recently moved in to a condo within a couple of blocks from this great brewery. We stopped in so we could try their beers and so I could buy a couple of growlers for my daughter. We had a great time. The beers were tasty. My wife even liked the Honey Ale and she doesn’t like beer. My daughter and her boyfriend liked the IPA. I really liked the Farmhouse Ale. I also really liked the Coffee Stout. The other brews were tasty as well, but these were our favorites. We bought growlers of IPA and Farmhouse Ale. The growler beers wend well with some Chinese takeout we brought back to her new place for dinner. 7 Locks Brewing has a great vibe – warehouse feel – and my wife, who isn’t as in to breweries really liked it. With our daughter now living close by we are looking forward to stopping in often. A few other details. The bartender that served us was really nice and really patient. The brewery also had a feed truck outside – we didn’t try any of the food but it looked good.
I stopped in at Waredaca Brewing Company in Laytonsville, Maryland for a beer and had a wonderful time! Waredaca is only twenty minutes from home and now I’m wishing I had stopped in sooner – although this could become a dangerous habit. What a great place. The farm setting is really beautiful and I’m sure this spring, summer and fall it will b a delightful place to visit. The tap room is really neat; a bar, a number of tables and chairs, and a casual seating area. It’s not cramped – has plenty of room for folks to hang out. And, yesterday with the gorgeous weather, dozens of folks were hanging out on picnic tables outside. I was not anticipating the roughly 50 cars in the parking lot when I got there. And, I was concerned it may be crowded, but despite the numbers it felt easy to get a great seat at the bar. And the enjoyment didn’t stop there. The guys at the bar were so kind and friendly. I had my brother with me who isn’t a beer drinker and he absolutely loved the homemade Lemongrass Ginger Soda. For me, I had to try the Beecher IPA which was really nice. Not too hoppy but hoppy enough. And not too heavy. Very drinkable. Then I tried the Reveille Coffee Stout – WOW – delicious. Smooth. Coffee. Delicious. It was so good I wanted to bring some home. I know my wife wouldn’t appreciate another growler. So I asked for one of the custom 32 oz cans. So Cool. They filled the can right from the tap then used the machine to cap it. See photo below. Despite visiting hundreds of breweries, this is the first of those machines I’ve ever seen. I’m looking forward to sharing that can with friends at home. Waredaca has a number of other beers you can check out plus a small snack menu that looks worth checking out as well. I hope to stop in again soon. Maybe you should too! Hope to see you there.
I stopped in at Mad Pecker Brewing Company in San Antonio, Texas for dinner and a beer. I enjoyed the pork nachos and their IPA. I found both to be very tasty and well worth the stop.
I stopped in at Busted Sandal Brewing Company in San Antonio, Texas. The thing is, they weren’t open to the public tonight. But, that didn’t stop the owner, Mike, from responding to my e-mail and meeting me at the brewery and giving me an entire tour and explanation of their story along with several tastings. Wow! What an experience. Mike is an awesome guy, and if you’re in the San Antonio area you really do need to try these beers. So here’s some idea of what they have on tap. The 210 Ale is a deliious and very drinkable blonde ale. This would go great in the hot weather. It is smooth and very easy to drink. The Slippery Rock IPA has got to be one of the most drinkable IPA’s I’ve ever enjoyed. It has the flavor of an IPA but is not heavy at all and is very easy to drink. Currently they are experimenting with a Grapefruit 210 Ale which is their flagship blonde ale with grapefruit added. Personally, I love the grapefruit flavor. I could drink this all day. The El Robusto Porter is awesome. It is rich, chocolatey, and delicious. This would be a great dessert beer. So, there you have it. Get yourself over to Busted Sandal and try one!
I Stop For Hops 