I stopped in at Surly Brewing Company in Saint Paul, Minnesota for dinner and a beer. The brisket for dinner was fabulous. I paired it with Furious IPA and Hell lager. Both great pairs for the brisket. What a great restaurant and brewery.
I stopped in at Zwei Brewing in Fort Collins, Colorado. It’s a little bit of Germany in Fort Collins. I greatly enjoyed their Helles Lager. Made me feel like I was in Germany. Hopefully. I’ll make it back there some day. Helles is clean, crisp and drinkable. Great beer and well worth the stop.
I stopped in at Modist Brewing Company in Minneapolis, Minnesota. What a cool place. And the beer was equally cool. The bartender recommended First Call cold press coffee lager. I’ve enjoyed a number of coffee beers lately. This was awesome. So smooth and flavorful. I wish I had time to sample some of the other beers but had to move on. They all sound delicious.
I stopped in at Kona Brewing in Kona, Hawaii. Their flagship beers, Longboard Lager, Big Wave Golden Ale, Castaway IPA, and Fire Rock Pale Ale are no strangers and always delicious. I found that the Magic Sands Saison was a delicious mango beer and the Hanalei POG IPA was a very drinkable, flavorful IPA. But, sadly, you’ve got to fly to Kona to enjoy these. I’m glad I did. Also, the pizza was wonderful as well. Kona Brewing is an awesome stop – well worth the trip!!!
I stopped in at Wren House Brewing Company in Phoenix, Arizona and really enjoyed their beers. I was skeptical with Senor Gallo considering there is wild rice in the recipe but it was a really tasty beer. It’s a bit nutty. I’ve enjoyed some gose style beers recently and Lady Banks is clearly one of the best I’ve tried. It is only slightly salty – the salty taste sometimes can be too much for me. The rose petals, hibiscus and chamomile add to a flowery complexity that is delicious. Jomax is a very tasty oatmeal stout. Not as chocolatey as some but full of flavor nonetheless. You need to stop in and try these.
I stopped in at Southerleigh Fine Food and Brewery in San Antonio, Texas to taste their beers. I tried a flight and each was very good. The Dark Sky Dark Lager was rich and malty, the Straight Outta Hopton Imperial IPA was strong and smooth, the 2 Coast IPL – India Pale Lager was hoppy and citrusy just the way I like it, and I think my favorite was the Heyyyy Joe Coffee IPA. I’ve never had a coffee IPA before and this was a treat. Notes of both coffee flavor and hops. Typically coffee is brewed in stouts and porters. This really switched it up for me and was delicious. Hope to stop back for one more before leaving San Antonio. I’d encourage anyone to stop in for this beer alone. The other beers were delicious as well. I did not have a chance to try their food but the menu looked awesome as well.
I couldn’t resist trying the Peanut Butter Stout at Lucky Envelope Brewing in Seattle, Washington. And, you guessed it, it was a nice smooth stout with hints of peanut butter. All I needed was a jelly sandwich to go with it. I also tried the Helles Lager which was crisp and refreshing on this warm summer day. Great beers.
I stopped in at Pigeon Head Brewery in Reno, Nevada and enjoyed a flight of their beers. This brewery brews only lager beers. All of the beers in the flight were delicious and I recommend visiting this place.
I stopped in at Ulele in Tampa Florida and enjoyed Magbee’s Honey Lager. Honestly, I think this was the best lager I’ve ever tasted. Smooth, Slightly sweet. Not too heavy. Delicious. I just wish I had time to stay for a meal or to try other beers. I hope to return someday.
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.
I Stop For Hops 