Lager

Blue Star Brewing Company, San Antonio, TX

/ istopforhops / Leave a comment

2015-10-06 18.22.57 2015-10-06 18.21.54 2015-10-06 18.40.24 2015-10-06 18.32.56

I stopped in at the Blue Star Brewing Company in San Antonio, Texas again.  This time I had fish tacos for dinner – which were excellent!  I also enjoyed the Cinco Peso Pale Ale which was crisp and hoppy but not quite an IPA.  And I enjoyed the Flying Pig Extra Pale Ale which was very tasty.  Flying Pig is very drinkable.  This is one of those beers you could drink all evening – not that I did, mind you.  In fact, I walked from downtown San Antonio along the Riverwalk to Blue Star Brewing Company and then back downtown, so I figure I walked off most of my dinner.  Any way, back to the beers.  I highly recommend the Flying Pig Extra Pale Ale.  Stop in and try it.  Try the Cinco Peso Pale Ale too!

2014-05-04 11.26.29     2014-05-04 11.39.35

I stopped at the Blue Star Brewing Company in San Antonio, Texas for lunch.  I enjoyed the Chicken Avocado Salad.  And, you guessed it, I sampled some beers.  The Scottish Ale was a very smooth and easy to drink selection.  The Texican Lager was flavorful.  The Pale Ale was a solid go-to ale; smooth and not too hoppy.  The King William Ale is a barley wine and not for the faint of heart.  This is a strong beer.  And I ended with the Spire Stout which was a good choice as this was rich, creamy and smooth.

2014-05-04 12.47.14     2014-05-04 12.47.52

2014-05-04 11.40.06

Roanoke Railhouse Brewery, Roanoke, VA

/ istopforhops / 1 Comment

2014-03-18 18.35.37

I was fortunate enough to stop at the Roanoke Railhouse Brewery in Roanoke, Virginia.  When I arrived, the owner, Steve, stopped everything he was doing an spent the next hour pouring his beers for me, describing each in detail, and discussing the craft beer scene and the general business climate of Roanoke.  Steve is great to talk with and a great brewer.  The first beer I tried was the Track 1 Amber Lager which I found to be not too sweet but full-bodied.  The second beer I tried was the Broken Knuckle IPA which I found not too bitter and very drinkable.  And the last beer I tried was the Switch Monkey which is a Belgian pale ale, light and very easy to drink.  The brewery is in a converted warehouse space and has plenty of room to hang out and enjoy a few beers.

Anheuser-Busch (Budweiser), St. Louis, MO

/ istopforhops / Leave a comment

2014-03-05 16.16.38     2014-03-05 15.43.26

 

2014-03-05 15.30.24     2014-03-05 16.12.20

 

When in St. Louis what else would you do other than stop in at the Anheuser-Busch (Budweiser) Brewery, St. Louis, Missouri for a tour?  And so I did.  OK, so if you’ve spent any time on this blog you’ll note that I’m no stranger to visiting breweries.  Well, the scale of the Budweiser operation in St. Louis is GINORMOUS.  That’s a technical term.  I’ve never seen anything like this before.  And the tour guide took us through the entire brewing process, walking through many buildings on the Anheuser-Busch campus.  We even saw the clydesdales.  Although my preference is for craft-brewed beer, this was still an excellent tour and a great time.  And, the history of beer in the US was cool to learn about.  At one time there were local and regional breweries across the country.  Anheuser-Busch had a vision of providing beer nationwide and so they did.  What a demonstration of delivering on a business objective.  I’d recommend this tour for all beer enthusiasts.  And, of course, they offered samples at the end.  I actually tried Bud and Bud Lite.  They were crisp and refreshing.  I’ve been brainwashed!

2014-03-05 15.43.40     2014-03-05 15.45.19

 

2014-03-05 16.08.51     2014-03-05 16.06.14

 

Jacob Leinenkugel Brewing Company, Chippewa Falls, WI

/ istopforhops / Leave a comment

2013-09-30 13.56.54     2013-09-30 13.56.27

I stopped in at the Jacob Leinenkugel Brewing Company, also known and Leinenkugel’s or Leinie’s in Chippewa Falls, Wisconsin.  I was fortunate to be able to take the tour of the brewery which proved to be a great experience in that we walked through every aspect of the brewing process.  Also, to some extent, it was like walking through time in that parts of the brewery date back to the 1800’s.  The tour is well worth the visit.  Several beer tastings are also incuded with the tour.  The beers I tasted at Leinenkugel’s were lagers which take longer to ferment than ales and often are considered more mellow than ales.  The Hoppin’ Helles was a tasty hoppy lager.  Leinenkugel’s Original is a standard, easy to drink lager that has stood the test of time.  The Red Lager is also a delicious beer with smooth caramel flavor and reddish color.  The beer serving area is located in Leinie Lodge which is a beautiful wood building that houses a rather large gift shop complete with countless logo clothing and merchandise items for sale.

2013-09-30 14.07.35