One of Philly’s Best Wine Bars with some Great Craft Beer Events.
Happy Philly Beer Week, Everyone! Here’s an update of some cool happenings at Tria over the next ten days. Check out the Philly Beer Week events lined up at Tria, one Philly’s best wine barts and happy hour destination. It’s Philly Beer Week Bitches! Sit back and enjoy the taps…
Friday, June 1
Meet the Brewer: Jeppe Jarnit-Bjergsø of Evil Twin
After their Ferm School class tonight, Brian Ewing of 12% Imports and Evil Twin brewer Jeppe Jarnit-Bjergsø, visiting from Denmark, will hang out at Tria Rittenhouse starting about 9pm. We’ve got a few of their beers to celebrate, so roam like a gypsy and stop on by.
Sunday, June 3
Meet the Brewer: Kevin Lemp from 4 Hands Brewery
Join us for this special Sunday School in which you’ll get a chance to try two beers on tap from a hot new brewery from St. Louis that’s in Philly only for Philly Beer Week. And if you time it right, you’ll get to meet the brewer.
4 Hands Pyrus (St. Louis, MO ∙ 6.0%)
$8/10oz DRAFT $4½/10oz DRAFT for your first glass
Saison flavored with pear juice, white peppercorn and orange
4 Hand Prunus (St. Louis, MO ∙ 6.0%) $8/10oz DRAFT Saison flavored with sour cherries
Where Tria Rittenhouse and Wash West
When Beers tapped at opening (12 noon)
Meet the Brewer Rittenhouse 3-4:30pm, Wash West 5-6:30pm
Monday, June 4
Meet the Brewer: Tomme Arthur from Port Brewing Company
Tomme Arthur is truly a rock star of the U.S. craft brewing scene, and he’s a rock star at Tria as well; he arranged for us to pour three of his legendary sour beers on tap at the same time AND he’s going to stop by to chat about them. Quantities are limited and demand is high, so don’t hesitate.
The Lost Abbey Red Poppy (San Marcos, CA ∙ 5.5%) Very special, very scarce! Flanders Red Ale brewed with sour cherries, aged in French oak
The Lost Abbey Framboise de Amorosa (San Marcos, CA ∙ 7.0%) Pucker up—this ale spends a year in wood and is spiked with three additions of raspberries. Funky!
The Lost Abbey Cuvee de Tomme (San Marcos, CA ∙ 11.0%) Huge Belgian strong dark ale with wood aging, cherries, Brettanomyces, the whole nine yards
Price $4½/10oz DRAFT – LIMITED QUANTITIES
Where Tria Wash West
When Monday at 3pm
Meet the Brewer 4-5pm
Friday, June 8
Meet the Brewer: Kris Herteleer of De Dolle Brouwers
This legendary Belgian craft brewery was founded in 1980 by brothers Kris and Jo Herteleer. Meet Kris next Friday on his first visit to the United States! Stop by Tria Wash West, now open for Friday lunch, between 1-3pm, to give him a warm Tria welcome. Oh, and there’ll be four De Dolle beers! More info in our Monday weekly email.
Khyber Pass Pub will host Tröegs Brewing Company next Wednesday, October 19th at 6 pm for a very special Tröegs Tap Takeover night! Join us for an evening with the Harrisburg, PA brewers as we feature a Tröegs lineup worthy of even the most discerning beer palates. Our Tröegs Tap Takeover will highlight the highly elusive “Scratch Series,” typically found only at the brewery, alongside the likes of seasonal favorites Mad Elf and more!
Scratch 45 – IPA
Scratch 46 – Naked Elf
Scratch 47 – Belgian Wit
Scratch 48 – Fest Bier
Scratch 49 – Wet Hop IPA
Scratch 50 – Belgian Dubel
Pale Ale
Mad Elf
Javahead Stout
Flying Mouflan Barleywine
Dead Reckoning Porter
Hopback Amber Ale
Sunshine Pils
Dreamweaver Wheat
Troegenator Doublebock
Hopback Amber Cask
Javahead Stout Cask
and a FIRKIN of Dry Hopped Pale Ale!
To round out a truly Tröegs-centric evening, our chefs at Khyber Pass Pub will be adding Tröegs-inspired items to our menu, including Dead Reckoning Porter Chili, Sunshine Pils Boiled Peanuts, Tröegenator Doublebock Brined/Smoked Pork Chop, Tröegs HopBack Amber BBQ sauce, and Javahead Cask Ale Coffee Ice Cream Beer Float!
Don’t miss out on an exclusive night of Tröegs’ finest selections, brought to you by Khyber Pass Pub!
Khyber Pass Pub is a historic Old City tavern that features a beautiful bar handcrafted in 1876. One of Philadelphia’s oldest bars and a ‘Philadelphia Magazine’ Best of Philly 2011 winner, the menu features an extensive selection of craft beers, authentic New Orleans specialties, hickory-smoked barbecue, and tasty vegan and vegetarian options. Open 11 am to 2 am daily.
My friend Jack and I hit Shamrock Pub last night to check out several beers that were featured during Monday’s Harpoon Tiny Tap Takeover. I’ve been a fan of the Boston based brewery for some time, so it was a great opportunity to try some offerings that aren’t normally seen in the SRQ area.
Harpoon Belgian Pale Ale; Harpoon Brewery; Boston, MA; Belgian Pale Ale; ABV: 5.8. This Belgian pale ale (beer on right in left hand side picture) is brewed and conditioned according to the brewery’s IPA specifications, but is also fermented with Belgian golden ale yeast. Golden amber in color, it has subtle notes of Belgian spices and caramel malt backed by Amarillo hops with a crisp clean finish. The floral character of this ale balances nicely with the Belgian influence from the yeast and spices.
Harpoon Rich & Dan’s Rye IPA; Harpoon Brewery; Boston, MA; India Pale Ale; ABV: 6.9). This beer (beer on left in left hand side picture), is #37 in the brewery’s 100 Barrel Series. A blend of a rye beer and an IPA, Rich & Dan’s Rye IPA pours a light copper color, with notes of rye and citrus fruit such as grapefruit up front, complimented by caramel, peppery spices, and piny hops on the back end. Quite smooth throughout with a dry finish.
Harpoon Munich Dark; Harpoon Brewery; Boston, MA; Munich Dunkel Lager; ABV: 5.6. Brewed with Harpoon’s house ale yeast, this dunkel is inspired by a centuries’ old Bavarian recipe. Dark brown in color, it has ample notes of sweet caramel malt and yeast balanced by chocolate, molasses, and dark fruit with a smoky bitterness at the finish. A fine example of this beer style.
Harpoon Leviathan Imperial Rye; Harpoon Brewery; Boston, MA; Rye Beer; ABV: 8.9. My favorite of the four on tap. From Harpoon’s Leviathan Series, this superb imperial rye beer is black burgundy in color with appreciable notes of spicy rye and breaded malt complimented by caramel, sweet honey, and grassy hops with a noticeable hint of alcohol in the backbone. As silky smooth as it is complex, Leviathan Imperial Rye has an almost barley wine like character to it.
We chatted with owner Derek Anderson for a bit, and he had a nice surprise for us by putting Evil Twin Yin (Evil Twin Brewing; Valby, Denmark; Russian Imperial Stout; ABV: 10.0) on tap. On tap recently at Willards Tap House in Largo, Shamrock is the first pub that I’ve seen to have it here locally. Evil Twin derives its name from Jeppe Jarnit-Bjergsø, who founded the brewery and happens to be the twin brother of Mikkeller founder Mikkel Jarnit-Bjergsø. Yin is jet black in color, with substantial notes of sweet chocolate and roasted malt balanced by dark fruit and a hint of smokiness on the back end. There’s a boozy character to Yin from the considerable alcohol presence, but it blends in nicely with the rich, full-bodied texture of this delicious imperial stout. Looking forward to trying Evil Twin Yang (Evil Twin Brewing; Valby, Denmark, Imperial India Pale Ale; ABV: 10.0) sometime in the future.
In the first year of Whiskey Goldmine, not only did we bring you reviews and history of whiskies, wine, tequilas and craft beer, we also brought you stories of debauchery only possible in America. From Fear and Loathing in Atlantic City, to the “Incident,” casino brawls, robberies and muggings, and just flat out ridiculousness, we are hopeful that these shenanigans entertained. After all, we work very hard to party at a level most think are completely unacceptable. We’re damn proud of it too.
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Our Name, Whiskey Goldmine:
So, most people think that we decided to call our web site Whiskey Goldmine because we would focus more on whiskey, which just happens to be a coincidence. Whiskey Goldmine was always intended to be about every alcoholic beverage that exists, be it beer, wine, whiskey, vodka, sake, soju etc. Originally we had the name for the web site as Liquid Goldmine, however, not only was that domain name already taken, it kind of sounded like the name for a porn web site. Not to mention, it’s rather cheesy. So we went with the next best thing, Whiskey Goldmine. Guess what, we’re stinking with it. People seem to like it so you should stop complaining ya freakin jerk.
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How Johnny Walker Left My Shoes in Atlantic City:
You how we do’s it. It’s 3am early Sunday morning and we’re rocking out at the craps table in the Wild Wild West Casino in Atlantic City. Yup, the Wild Wild West, the place with $3 Corona bottles 24/7. Their buffet breakfast is flat out disgusting, and so is their carpet, but the beer is perfectly priced and the bar is always jumping with a party. Anywho, me and my man BJ are rocking out at the craps table playing the” pass line,” 6 and 8 like any good craps player would. But it just so happens that we’re standing next to two dickheads playing the don’t pass line. Not only are they betting against the entire table of players, their basically betting with the casino. Playing the “don’t pass line” in craps is basically worse than ruining a black jack table with bad hits. If and when you’re going to play the “don’t pass line,” then don’t expect us to refrain from talking shit to you. As a matter of fact, it’s definitely not wise to step around the table and come at two much younger guys who are both much drunker and will not hesitate to starch you in front of a bunch of casino cameras. Yada yada yada, we were really tired the next day. To make a long story short, after a day drinking on the golf course, an evening of pre-gaming at the hotel, and bar hopping until our craps table fiasco, the waitress brought us Johnnie Walker Blacks until my shoes were missing. At that point we were cut off.
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Our Best Buys for a Tasty Intoxicating Beverage:
One of our favorite things here at Whiskey Goldmine is finding the best wines and spirits for the best price. There’s nothing wrong with spending a bunch of money on fancy wines and liquors, but it’s not necessary. Try some of these selections below for the best bang for your buck on the market.
Tanqueray Sterling Vodka: Priced at about $14, Tanqueray Vodka came in 2nd behind the $50 Crystal Head vodka in our double blind taste test. This vodka is a flat out stud especially if you’re drinking straight martinis, never mind a mixer. Highly recommended.
Highland Park 12: The Highland Park 18 year single malt scotch was voted the best spirit in the world 4 years in a row, only to be finally defeated this year by George T. Stagg Kentucky Straight Bourbon. So if the 18 year was the best spirit in the world for 4 years in a row, the Highland Park 12 year is a steal for about $40.
Balvenie Doublewood: In the same spirit as Highland Park, the Balvenie 15 year won our double blind taste test, but the Balvenie Doublewood 12 year is just as good for about $12 less. You won’t be disappointed.
Buffalo Trace Bourbon: For about $20, the Buffalo Trace Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey is simply one of the best buys on the market. Not only is Buffalo Trace better than Jack Daniels and Makers Mark, we think it’s even better than the more expensive Makers Mark 46 which retails for about $35. FYI, Buffalo Trace is probably the best distillery in the world and are the makers of Blanton’s, George T. Stagg, Elmer T. Lee, Eagle Rare, Sazerac, Pappy Van Winkle, 1972 Ridgemont Reserve, and also Rain vodka, Denaka vodka, Corazon Tequila and Caribou Crossing Canadian Whiskey.
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Our Biggest Disappointments:
We don’t really get disappointed much while drinking intoxicating beverages, however, when the overpriced overhyped fail to perform, it can be pretty unsettling. For example, when a $10 of whiskey tastes like shit, how mad can you really be. It’s a mixer, not a sipper. However, when a $45 bottle of vodka doesn’t even taste like vodka, than wtf are we supposed to think? Here is an example of beers and spirits that failed miserably.
Ultimat Vodka: Not only does this vodka retail for $45 dollars, it taste like paper. Yup, stale, stinky, shitty paper. There is nothing here that even says vodka, let alone good vodka.
Pliny the Younger: Yup, often viewed as the best beer in the world and the best IPA in the world, the Pliny the younger is very hard to come by. As a matter of fact, usually one needs to buy a ticket in advance just to taste it or at least stand in line for an hour. When we paid $8 for merely about 5 ounces of of Pliny the Younger Triple IPA by Russian River Brewing, it didn’t even seem hoppy or crisp. It was actually less hoppy than Pliny the Younger double IPA. All and all it was good, but for all the hype it just seemed like a regular beer. Pliny the Younger is nothing to freak out about or waste your time and money scratching and clawing to get a taste.
1800 Tequila: The silver and the reposado from 1800 were both disappointing and seemed just average.
Conjure Cognac: Made by hip hop star Ludacris, apparently he was finally able to make something worse than his music. Conjure Cognac is a mixer at best.
Tony Luke’s Cheesesteaks: How the mighty have fallen…
Grey Goose Vodka: The Goose came in dead last in our double blind vodka martini taste test.
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Winners of our Blind Taste Tests:
Here’s a list of a few drinks that excelled in the face of serious competition and received championship status from our team.
The Balvenie 15 Year Single Malt Scotch: Winner of our Single Malt Double Blind Taste Test, about $50.
Ballast Point Victory at Sea Barrel Aged Espresso Vanilla Imperial Porter: Our 2011 Philly Beer Week Champion
Hoppin Frog Borris the Crusher:Winner of the last Beer Fest at World Café Live, and some even say the Dorris the Destroyer is better. For us, we we love both of these barrel aged brews.
Jose Cuervo Tequila: Yup, Jose Cuervo won our double blind taste test and left Patron Anejo in the dust.
The Flying Fish Exit 4 American Tripel: Winner of our double blind Belgian Tripel Taste Test. Flying Fish is most definitely underrated in the world of craft beer.
Hennessy Black: Winner of our double blind Cognac taste test. The Hennessy Black is less expensive than the Hennessy Privilege VSOP and just as good.
Voodoo Brewing’s Pilzilla Pilsner: Pilzilla single handedly destroyed all of the major pilsners in the world. It wasn’t even close.
Blanche de Bruxelles Belgian White: Winner of our Belgian white taste test.
Home Brewers Association Ranks the Top 50 American Craft Beers!
Compiled By Matt Goldstein
Russian River’s Pliny the Elder sits a top another craft beer list as the Home Brewers association ranks the 50 best beers in America. There’s a few things we like about this list such as a few pilsners getting respect, a style often ignored on craft beer lists which are usually dominated by imperial stouts, double IPA’s and quadruple Belgians. We love seeing Sierra Nevada Celebration, Rogue Dead Guy Ale, Avery Maharaja, Russian River Blind Pig, Great Lakes Edmund Fitzgerald Porter, and Anchor Steam Ale, all of which deserve spots on any beer list. Sam Adams Boston Lager is a solid beer, but that’s a bit suspect to be in the top 30, let alone the top 50 or 100 beers for that matter. Let us know your thoughts on the Home Brewer top 50 beers in America.
1. Russian River Pliny the Elder 2. Bell’s Two Hearted Ale 3 (tie). Dogfish Head 90 Minute IPA 3 (tie). Founders Kentucky Breakfast Stout 5. Bell’s Hopslam 6. Stone Arrogant Bastard 7. Sierra Nevada Celebration
8 (tie). Sierra Nevada Torpedo 8 (tie). Stone Ruination 10. Sierra Nevada Pale Ale 11. Stone Sublimely Self Righteous 12. Sierra Nevada Bigfoot Barleywine 13. Goose Island Bourbon County Stout 14 (tie). Great Lakes Edmund Fitzgerald Porter 14 (tie). Oskar Blues Dale’s Pale Ale .
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16 (tie). Dogfish Head 60 Minute IPA 16 (tie). New Glarus Belgian Red 18. North Coast Old Rasputin 19. Bell’s Expedition Stout 20 (tie). Deschutes The Abyss 20 (tie). Left Hand Milk Stout 20 (tie). Odell IPA 20 (tie). Samuel Adams Noble Pils 20 (tie). Surly Furious 20 (tie). Troegs Nugget Nectar 26 (tie). Rogue Dead Guy Ale 26 (tie). Samuel Adams Boston Lager 28. Anchor Steam 29 (tie). Bear Republic Racer 5 29 (tie). Ommegang Three Philosophers 29 (tie). Oskar Blues Ten Fidy .
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29 (tie). Three Floyds Alpha King 29 (tie). Three Floyds Dark Lord 34 (tie). Avery Maharaja 34 (tie). Dogfish Head Indian Brown 34 (tie). Dogfish Head Palo Santo Marron 34 (tie). Three Floyds Gumballhead 38 (tie). Dogfish Head 120 Minute IPA 38 (tie). Lost Abbey Angel’s Share 38 (tie). New Belgium La Folie 38 (tie). New Belgium Ranger 38 (tie). Oskar Blues Old Chub .
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43 (tie). Ballast Point Sculpin IPA 43 (tie). Great Divide Yeti 43 (tie). New Belgium 1554 43 (tie). Russian River Blind Pig 43 (tie). Ska Modus Hoperandi 48 (tie). Alesmith Speedway Stout 48 (tie). Dark Horse Crooked Tree 48 (tie). Green Flash West Coast IPA 48 (tie). Summit EPA 48 (tie). Victory Prima Pils
By Pat Smith, Matt Goldstein & Sommelier Tom Pittakas
For Philly Beer Week, our staff hit eight events and about 30 different bars overall in celebration of craft beer in one of the best beer cities in the world, Philadelphia. From IPA’s to imperial Stouts, dopplebocks and fruit beers, Philly Beer Week had a profusion of many styles by the best breweries in the world. Below is our top 10 beers of the 2011 Philly Beer Week. Pick up a few these beautiful brews and let us know your thoughts.
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1. Ballast Point Victory at Sea Barrel Aged Espresso Vanilla Imperial Porter:
An American Porter with 10.0% ABV, the Ballast Point Victory at Sea is a deep dark beer with notes of mocha, chocolate, vanilla and complex full bodied smooth porter. This is simply one of the best porters in the world and Ballast Point continues to prove it’s one of the best breweries in the world. This is an absolute must for dark beer lovers. Served at the Khyber Pass Pub.
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2. Hitachino Espresso Imperial Stout
From the Kiuchi Brewery in Japan, the Hitachino Espresso Stout stands at 7.50% ABV with great malts and crisp finish. It’s rare finding a stout this flavorful and crisp at the same time. Dark black in color with dark head, the Hitachino is a classic imperial stout and proves that the Japanese can brew a hell of a beer. Served at the Side Car Bar.
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3. Dogfish Head Festina PecheBerlinerWeisse
The Festina Peche is fermented with peaches that hints of a sour beer. Not made like traditional sour beers, this fruit beer is crafted with very ripe peaches to get it’s sour flavor. Very crisp and refreshing, the Dogfish Head Festina Peche is the perfect summer beer. Not too sour without many hops at all, the Festina Peche is about 4.5% ABV. Purchased at Whole Foods in Plymouth Meeting.
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4. Fegley’s Hopsulutely Triple IPA
The Fegley’s Brewery is getting a lot of buzz in the Philadelphia area and proving to be one of the best brewers in the city area. Considering this is one of the best craft beer cities in the U.S., Fegley’s is of course creating some great crafts. The Hopsolutely Triple IPA is made with Cascade, CTZ, Summit, Amarillo and Chinook hops, then dry hopped with Chinook and Amarillo. At 100 IBU’s, this triple IPA is still balanced enough to challenge the best IPA’s in the country. We challenge you to try it out. Allentown and Bethlehem are making a real name for themselves and deservedly so. 11.0% ABV. Purchased at Whole Foods in Plymouth meeting.
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5. Nebraska Samarican Brown Ale
At 5.3% ABV, this American Brown Ale is slightly sweet, slightly malty, crisp and well balanced. Overall one of the best brown ales you will find. The Nebraska Brewing “cornhusker juice” was in major demand throughout Philly Beer week, especially the oak aged Black Betty Imperial Stout. Colorado isn’t the only Midwest state making excellent craft beer. Served at the Sidecar Bar.
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6. Russian River’s Pliney the Elder
8.0% ABV. American Double IPA. Purchased in a growler from the Hulmeville Inn.
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7. Port Ole Viscosity Whiskey Barrel Aged
12% ABV by Port Brewing. Served at the Resurrection Ale House.
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8. Ayinger Altbairisch Dunkel
5.0% ABV Ayinger Brewing from Germany. Served at Eulogy Belgian Tavern.
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9. Ballast Point Navigator Dopplebock
8.9% ABV barrel aged by Ballast Point. Served at the Khyber Pass Pub.
Tales of the Philly Beer Scene, Craft Beer and Beer Week Shananigans
By Matt Goldstein & Pat Smith
We started Beer Week off at The Iron Abbey with a free beer dinner and Sly Fox Firkin. What’s better than free beer and dinner? From sliders to cheese steak egg rolls, pita and hummus and salad, the Philly Beer Scene Magazine set up a nice spread. Some of us totally missed the first weekend of beer week though because we were off in A.C. covering the fights. But hey, we certainly drank a lot of beer, believe it. Overall, we hit about 8 events.
We then trumped over to the Khyber Pass Pub for the Ballast Point Event which might have had the best beer overall.
Our next event was the Sidecar Bar for the Nebraska Brewing event and then the Resurrection Ale House for all Wood in the Hood. Every beer on tap was whiskey barrel aged and the Port Ole’ Viscosity didn’t disappoint. The truffle burger at the Side Car Bar is one of the best burgers in the city, no question about it.
Then we were over to The Grace Tavern for the Stout tap takeover and the Khyber Pass Pub to clean out their remaining kegs from beer week followed by a stop at the excellent Belgian ale house, Eulogy. The Po-boy sandwich at the Khyber is completely out of control. It’s an absolute must try. We recommend the Fried Shrimp Po-boy.
On Sunday the final day of beer week we stopped at the Whole Foods in Plymouth Meeting for their Beer Week blowout to pick up some great craft beer deals and off to our Sommelier Tom Pittakas’s house for a Sunday afternoon BBQ with slow cooked ribs on the smoker. Craft beer and smoked ribs. Suck on that beer week!
The anointed one, wife and webmaster Carolynn Chapman actually tried a craft beer. We forced her hand and made her put down the Coors Light and try a Stouts Pilsner. Then she voluntarily ordered a 2nd one. WOW! Move over beer geeks.
The Ballast Point Victory by Sea Coffee Vanilla Imperial Porter and the Hitachino Espresso Stout were probably the best beers we sampled. Both are flat out studs.
I left a tip on the bar for the bartender at the Grace and some crack head junky hipster scumbag might have stolen it. He’s lucky I didn’t catch him but I’m almost positive he did it. At the risk of ruining a good party I didn’t say a word.
Again, the truffle burger at the Sidecar Bar and the Po-Boy at the Khyber Pass Pub are absolute musts for any Philadelphia foodie.
General Manager at the Iron Abbey, Rui Lucas was pouring the beers himself at the Philly Beer Scene Magazine beer dinner to kick off beer week. This guy is a great manager and great ambassador for the craft beer world. Where else can you get Brazilian steak samplers from N’brasa, one of the best beer lists in the city and watch a UFC or Boxing PPV for free. Exaclty.
I never actually got to smash a beer geek in the face with a Miller Highlife, but it would have been fun.
The $12 dollars for a 10 ounce of Nebraska Brewings Black Betty Barrel Aged Russian Imperial Stout at the Sidecar was a little much. $12? Really? It was good and had a unique aftertaste but it wasn’t that good.
We wish we would have gotten to try more beers at the Resurrection Ale House All Wood in the Hood event. Whiskey Barrel aged beers is one of our favorite styles.
Beer week is getting over done a bit. It seemed that there was about 500 events which is just crazy, but hey, anything that sells in this economy is a good thing, especially American beer. Speaking of which, sales of IPA’s have increased 40% over the last year. Hopefully the American IPA phenomenon takes off internationally; it would do great things for our country.
It’s the economy stupid! With a dismal jobs report in the last couple weeks that has Obama’s poll numbers in the toilet, alcohol sales have jumped by almost 10% over the last 12 months. Sweet! Are people just drinking their problems away? I know I am. People are also just drinking better quality craft beers. Sales of IPA’s, a.k.a. India Pale Ales, have increased by 40% over the last year. 40%! Holy Crap, that is insane. The American style craft beer has taken the United States and the craft beer world by storm. The bitter hoppy grapefruit flowery style beer has taken over the beer world and seems to be crushing the legendary Belgian style. Beerfests, beer weeks and brewfests are popping up all over the place and the IPA is dominating. Even Pizza Ria Uno is serving an array of craft beers with a handful of IPA’s to boot.
Wine and spirits have also seen a solid increase in sales but the American macro brew seems to be the loser with a solid chunk being taken out of Budweiser, Coors and Miller. Of course, this will lead to the inevitable, the Macro brews buying out all of the profitable micro & craft breweries all over the country. In fact, it has already started. I know, I know, horrible right? Whatever you say beer geek. There’s nothing wrong with a little Miller High Life now and then. After all, it’s the champagne of beers.
Alcohol is saving the economy and we love it. This is the best news the Whiskey Goldmine heard since the last 330 articles we posted. After all, all of our articles are amazing.
The name CascaZilla is a play on both the name of a gorge in Ithaca called Cascadilla and the monster amounts of Cascade Hops we use to make the beer. The predominant flavor and aroma of this beer comes from fresh American hops. Made with 2-Row, Crystal, and Black malts, Cascade, Chinook and Crystal hops, then dry hopped with Cascade, Amarillo hops, the Ithaca Caskazilla has 50 IBU’s and 7.0% ABV.
Ithaca Caskazilla Tasting Notes: WOW! Deep thick Brown in color, thick and cloudy with sediment, a scent of fruit, scent of yeast, and sour taste. The Caskazilla flavor is heavy in hops, sour, dry and slightly bitter. With notes of fruit with a sweet taste, the dry crisp yeast and hops with slight malt give it a great balance. This is a great ale!
The Ithaca Ground Break American Style Saison
An Americanized hoppy Saison, the Ground Break is brewed with generous amounts of Amarillo, Crystal and Glacier hops and flaked rye. It’s fermented with a blend of Belgian and American yeasts.
Ithaca Ground Break Tasting Notes: The color is a brownish gold, slightly cloudy, with flavor full of the classic Belgian style yeast. Sweet with a thick mouth feel and slightly crisp, and a nice sour taste for a saison, the scent of fruit and Yeasty light malt finish is just a touch dry. An excellent and unique styled saison.
Green Flash Brewing Companies extravagantly hopped West Coast IPA has a pungent bitter taste at first sip but is complemented my many other flavors. With its sunset copper color, crisp taste, and floral hops it defines the qualifications of the West Coast IPA. The gangs of hops that impugn upon your pallet are Simcoe, Columbus, Centennial, and Cascade. These four different yet complementing varieties give the West Coast its pine, floral, citric and fruity flavors. This flagship IPA from San Diego County is the recipient of many awards and accolades for its American IPA Style. 7.3% ABV and 95 IBU’s.
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Green Flash Summer Saison
To the untrained eye the Summer Saison has a fizzy yellow beer look to it, though if you had the slightest taste for craft beer you probably have a good idea of what’s going on in this beer. It is a light bodied beer with citrus, lemon, as well as hints of banana flavors which all can be tasted and smelt. I would compare it to many of good wheat beers. Hope I didn’t offend any Germans or Belgians by comparing styles. This Farmhouse ale by San Diego County’s Green Flash Brewery is a great choice on a nice hot summer day working the farm fields of Belgium or something of this nature . At 4.3% ABV Summer Saison is what I like to call a good duration beer, meaning that it can be consumed for long periods of time with less likely hood of falling over. Wheat or No Wheat its a great light and refreshing beer!
One of Philly’s Best Wine Bars with some Great Craft Beer Events.
4 Hands Pyrus (St. Louis, MO ∙ 6.0%)
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