Beers #116-122: An Afternoon in the Burgh

To celebrate the end of classes for yet another academic year, I dropped the boy off at my parents and headed to Pittsburgh for a few hours of alone time (sort of).  Drove down through Butler to check out the locations for two new upcoming brewpubs in town (Butler Brew Works and Reclamation Brewing Co.) - a block away from each other!  That's going to be interesting in such a small town, but it works in other places, so I can only hope it'll work out for both of these places in the coming years.

Picked up my brother and headed to Piper's Pub for lunch. Tried their chips & curry appetizer (spicy but not overwhelming) and got my favorite dinner - lamb & smoked chestnut shepherds pie.  With that I enjoyed a couple of draughts of specialty beers crafted for PCBW.

116/365: Penn Fakin' The Funk:
Light woody tart nose and not much else. Coppery amber clear with lacing head. Medium body with medium-light carbonation. Watery tart with mild woody notes and medium acidity. Dry nutty finish with dry after.  Sour Red/Brown  56/100

117/365: Full Pint None More Black IPA:
Roasty and hoppy, like a toasted Band-Aid. Sweet and a bit smoky. Light hoppy notes. Dark black opaque with thin tan lacing head. Medium body with medium carbonation. Carbonic tang with roasted coffee and chocolate. Light Band-Aid and big big hop bitterness. Finishes roasted and bitter with big last hop bitterness. Lingering dark chocolate sweetness in the after.  Black IPA  68/100

After dropping my brother off at his place, I ran some errands and did some shopping before heading over to New Kensington to the House of 1000 Beers.  I love this place, and the $3 6-oz pours allows one to try a bunch of stuff without getting overwhelmed.  (Here is their current tap list)

118/365: Draai Laag Goedenacht:
Light sweet tripel aroma, yeast and esters, mild bubblegum and honey. Light golden clear with thin white lacing head. Medium body with light-medium carbonation. Starts and stays sweet with light bubblegum, yeasty notes, and a hint of honey-sugar tang. Notes of cherry wood in the finish, with sweet after. Mild warming. Nice ale, fruity.  Belgian Ale  72/100

119/365: Voodoo Redneck Riviera Red:
Fresh grassy-spicy hop aroma, wonderfully aromatic. Just a hint of caramel sweetness. Deep coppery amber clear with some haze, topped with large foamy off-white head. Medium body with medium-soft carbonation. Starts rich with lots of caramel, big fresh bitter spicy hop character and light grainy notes. Finish is bitter and smooth with lingering bitter chalky after.  American Strong Ale  80/100

120/365: Half Acre Daisy Cutter:
Fresh citrusy hops, bursting with aroma. Light grassy notes, really pops. Orange blossom and ozone. Pale golden clear with pillowy white lacing head. Medium-light body with medium carbonation - smooth. Starts dry with tons of hop flavor. Bright, citrus, pine resin, and ozone. Dry finish with tons of hop flavor but not much bitterness. Nice dry APA.  American Pale Ale  84/100

121/365: Harpoon Leviathan Czernobog:
Smoky with coffee, soy sauce, molasses, and chocolate. Light alcohol sweetness. Mild vanilla. Dark black opaque with thin cocoa head. Medium chewy body with medium carbonation. Starts rich and malty with chocolate and molasses, coffee, and a bit of smoke. Mild alcohol warming. Big chocolate-molasses finish with nutty sweet and bitter after.  Imperial Stout  84/100

122/365: Clown Shoes Blaecorn Unidragon:
Chocolate, roast coffee, and vanilla. Mild hop nose. Dark black opaque with thin lacing head. Thick body with medium carbonation. Sweet, rich, and malty. Smoky with molasses, coffee, and vanilla. Nice warming. Big sweet malty after with a bit of lingering bitterness.  Imperial Stout  84/100

Beers #110-115

Got a few new samples over the past week or so.

110/365: Church Brew D'Pomme Rye Saison:
From growler, courtesy of John C. Mild fruity character, bit of apple juice and light tart quality. Yeasty esters and a bit of banana and bubblegum. Medium golden amber clear with no head. Medium body with medium carbonation. Starts with neutral fruity character. Honey and mild apple cider vinegar tang. Yeasty bubblegum finish with orange tang and lasting juicy character.  Saison  66/100

111/365: Penn Overlook IPA:
From bottle at Nap’s. Skunky hop aroma. Sulfury, vegetal, eggy, and a bit of noble hops. Medium amber clear with foamy white lacing head. Medium-light body with medium carbonation. Starts dry with lots of hop bitterness. Mild malt sweetness with some vegetal notes. Big bitter dry finish with lasting harsh bitter in the after.  India Pale Ale  44/100

112/365: East End Pennsyl-tucky Uncommon:
From growler. Tart nose, roasted barley and smoky, with light chocolate and some spicy character. Dark brown hazy-clear with thin brown head. Medium bodied with medium-high carbonation. Starts tart with cherries and sour mash. Kind of like a brown sour but more acidic, less sweet. Nice tart finish with roasted smooth finish and after.  Traditional Ale  74/100 

113/365: Helltown Rapture:
On tap at Burgatory. Fresh hoppy grassy nose with neutral fruit sweetness. Dark amber clear with thin white lacing head. Medium body with medium-heavy carbonation. Starts fairly dry with huge hop flavor and bitterness. Big bitter finish with alcohol warming and a bit of neutral fruity character. Big bitter after.  India Pale Ale   74/100

114/365: New Holland Black Tulip Trippel Ale:
On tap at the Knick. Light bubblegum and yeast. Bit of fruity ester with mild alcohol vapor. Medium golden pale clear with thin white head. Medium-heavy body with medium carbonation and alcohol warming. Starts sweet with honey, bubblegum esters, light chalky yeast and alcohol notes. Big sweet finish with light smooth after.  Abbey Tripel  72/100

115/365: Lancaster Black Boar IPA:
On tap at the Knick. Rich malty and chocolate nose, with light coffee grounds and light hops. Dark black clear with thin off-white lacing head. Medium body with medium-high carbonation. Dry roast black patent malt, dusty with carbonic tang. Dry bitter finish and after. Tasty black IPA.  Black IPA  76/100

Hoping to get somewhere tomorrow for a few pints in celebration of the end of Spring semester, and next weekend (May 18), I'm excited to be going to the Pints for Pets festival in Altoona!

Beers #89-109: The Sour & The Funky

I was able to get to one event in celebration of Pittsburgh Craft Beer Week 2013 - The Sour & The Funky tasting at House of 1000 Beers in New Kensington (Sat Apr 27).  In light of my poor performance in April, I was eager to enjoy as many sour and funky beers as possible.  I arrived shortly before 1pm to check in. The tasting was run festival-style, with participants given a wrist band and tasting glass for ~2-3 oz. pours from taps and bottles.  It was very laid back, and the majority of my conversations were with Dan, a fellow RateBeer member from Pittsburgh.

Here goes ...

89/365: Bullfrog Jong Bruin:
Nice Flemish sour brown and oaky aroma. No hops. Tart and funky. Dark brown clear with no head. Medium body with medium carbonation. Tart sour brown ale with oak and funky notes, not quite cheesy. Wonderfully acidic and fruity, with smooth tart aftertaste and a bit of lingering sweetness.  Sour Red/Brown  78/100

90/365: Draai Laag La Pienture:
Estery with alcohol and isopropanol notes. Fruity and vapory. Dark brown hazy with foamy-creamy off-white lacing head. Medium body with medium smooth carbonation. Starts a bit sweet with nice oaky notes. Cherries and alcohol, finishing with cherry and oak. Smooth after. Nice tart fruit beer.  Lambic-Fruit  80/100

91/365: Bullfrog Pomme Par Jour:
Mandarin oranges, pears, and a light funk note. Apple must, yeasty. Light golden clear with thin white head. Medium body with medium-high carbonation. Starts sweet with apple notes, light chalky notes, and hop bitterness. A hint of Calvados. Finishes musty and bitter.  Fruit Beer  64/100

92/365: Allagash Interlude:
Light Brett nose but not overpowering. Bit of oak and hint of tartness. Hazy amber golden with thin head. Medium body with medium carbonation. Starts medium sweet with underlying funky-Brett and tart side. Oaky notes with neutral fruit, with light bitter finish. Ends with some carbonic tang and underlying bitter funky quality.  Belgian Strong Ale  76/100

93/365: Bullfrog Aggro Wheat:
Fresh fantastic hop nose with hint of spice to it. Underlying sweetness, grassy. Pale straw with light hazy and very thin head. Medium body with heavy carbonation. Starts with mild wheat and a ton of hops, not funky. Light overall, with a medium bitter finish and chalky after. More of a hoppy ale than sour or wild.  Sour Ale/Wild Ale  80/100

94/365: Petrus Aged Red:
Smells like cherry Sucrets - dark cherry and woody notes. Dark blood-red clear with thin light-pink head. Medium-thick body with medium carbonation with some fizz. Starts sweet with cherries and brown sugar sweetness. Underlying bitterness and tannic quality at the finish. A little too sweet for my tastes.  Sour Red/Brown  68/100

95/365: Anchorage Whiteout Wit Bier:
Smooth yeasty Brett notes, sweet. Subtle nose by very nice. Cloudy straw-white with thin white head. Medium body with light carbonation. Starts yeasty and Bretty with sweetness and a hint of light funk or tartness. Tasty and smooth.  Belgian White (Witbier)  76/100

96/365: 1809 Berliner Style Weisse:
Watery funky nose with apricot and pear nectar notes, light Brett funk. pale straw clear with foamy white lacing head. Medium-light body with medium carbonation. Medium tart beer with light sour-funk. Notes of pear and apricots. Tart but not as sour as other Berliner Weisses I’ve tried. Light, refreshing, and overall, a little watery.  Berliner Weisse  60/100

97/365: Cisco Island Reserve Pedaler Blueblerry Bleer:
Mild funky notes with predominant notes of blueberries, fresh and musty aromas. Light tang and medicinal funk. Dark blue-reddish hazy with thin pink lacing head. Medium body with medium carbonation. Starts and stays tart with lots of berry flavor. Musty and bitter with blueberry sour finish, light chalky acidic after. A bit of BandAid in the after, but not bad.  Fruit Beer  68/100

98/365: BRUX Domesticated Wild Ale:
Pretty mild nose, light Brett and neutral fruity funk and some honey. Cloudy golden amber with white lacing head. Medium-heavy body with medium carbonation. Starts and stays sweet with mild Brett and light honey, caramel. Not much funk to this one. Perhaps needs to age a bit? Belgian Strong Ale  62/100b

99/365: Jolly Pumpkin Madrugada Obscura:
Sour Coco Wheat! Funky and chocolatey nose with hints of coffee and molasses. Muddy coffee-brown with thin cocoa-colored lacing head. Medium body with silky carbonation. Tart stout with tons of cocoa powder and wonderfully tart finish. Smooth.  Stout  74/100

100/365: Uinta Crooked Line Birthday Suit - 20th Anniversary:
Nose of sour milk and lavender. Tart and smooth. Dark brown clear (like root beer) with thin head. Medium body with medium-high carbonation. Like Hawaiian Punch and apricots, sour and tasty and easy drinking. Almost like a fruit juice with carbonic tang. Smooth tart after.  Sour Ale/Wild Ale  78/100

101/365: Oude Gueuze Tilquin a l'Ancienne:
Sour, Bretty, horse blanket and leather. Funky, sour, and sublime. Hazy golden amber with thin white head. Medium watery body with medium-high carbonation. Starts sour, sour, sour. Brett, acidity, and funky leather. Dry, tasty gueuze that I could drink all day. Funky, sour, tasty, and refreshing. Sublime.  Lambic-Gueuze  86/100

102/365: Green Flash Rayon Vert:
Nose of BandAid and Brett, carbonic tang. Hazy golden amber with foamy white lacing head. Medium body with heavy carbonation. Starts medium sweet and dry with tons of Brett and light BandAid. Pale malt and carbonic acidity. Really carbed up, surprised these aren’t bottle bombs. Smooth tangy finish with light Brett, dry after.  Belgian Ale  74/100

103/365: Russian River Sanctification:
Mild tart nose with good Brett notes, yeasty and aromatic. Pale golden hazy with thin white lacing head. Medium body with medium-high carbonation. Starts and stays sour with tons of Brett and sour-funky notes. Carbonic acidity, with sour and Bretty finish. Nice one.  Sour Ale/Wild Ale  80/100

104/365: Goose Island Madame Rose:
Tart fruit and cherry, vanilla and oak. Nice aroma. Dark brow-amber clear with thin lacing head. Medium body with medium-high carbonation. Nice cherry sour and Bretty funk. Smooth and tart. Oaky with vanilla and light chocolate. Delicious.  Sour Ale/Wild Ale  82/100

105/365: The Bruery Rueuze:
Funky and Bretty and sour. Nice wheaty funk. Very traditional profile. Cloudy golden pale with no head. Medium body with medium carbonation. Tons of Brett and funk, with acid reflux sourness. Delicious and reminiscent of traditional versions. Nice sour gueuze that I would drink a lot of.  Lambic-Gueuze  82/100

106/365: Rodenbach Vintage (2010):
The aroma of Grand Cru, oaky and sour with soy and vinegar. Dark reddish-brown hazy with thin off-white head. Medium body with medium carbonation. Sweet, oaky, tart, and sugary. A bit of cherry, light oxidation. Beany sweet finish with light soy tang.  Sour Red/Brown  72/100

107/365: Goose Island Matilda:
Nice funky nose, sweet with a bit of vapor and light woody notes. Mild Brett. Medium golden clear with light haze, topped with big fluffy head. Medium body with medium carbonation. Starts light sweet with caramel, honey, and a bit of funk. Yeasty with alcohol vapor and honey. Light sweet funky after.  Belgian Ale  72/100

108/365: Telegraph Reserve Wheat: 
Medium wheaty nose with a bit of sour character. Cloudy pale with thin head. Medium body with medium carbonation. Mild sour Brett notes but overall a bit watery. A decent level of sourness but not assertive. Wheat-lemon after.  Berliner Weisse  58/100

109/365: Voodoo (HTP) Hail to Pitt IPA:
Wonderful fresh hoppy nose, floral and bright. Mild sweetness. Pale dull golden clear with thin lacing head. Medium body with medium carbonation. Huge hoppy profile throughout and mild sweet character. Big hop flavors from start to finish. Big hoppy finish with bitter lasting after.  India Pale Ale  66/100

Whew!  All in all, a really nice tasting. Well run and laid back with a lot of great samples to try.  I'm still behind in my tastings, but a little closer now to being caught up.  I look forward to getting back on track, and in particular, I am excited to get back to this year's Pints For Pets Brewfest in Altoona on May 18.

Beers Offered at the 2013 "The Sour & The Funky"

On Saturday, April 27, House of 1000 Beers in New Kensington held "The Sour & The Funky" beer tasting event from 1-4 pm, in celebration of Pittsburgh Craft Beer Week.

Here was the line-up:
Bottles:

• Anchorage Whiteout
• Petrus Aged Pale
• Petrus Oud Bruin
• Bell's Oarsman
• Bockor's Cuvee des Jacobins Rouge
• The Bruery Saison Rue
• Cisco Pedaler Blueblerry Bleer (no, that's not misspelled)
• Goose Island Matilda
• Green Flash Rayon Vert
• Hanssens Oudbeitje
• Hanssens Oude Kriek
• Jolly Pumpkin Madrugada Obscura
• Jolly Pumpkin Maracaibo Especial
• Liefmans Cuvee Brut
• Lindemans Cassis
• Lindemans Cuvee Rene
• Lindemans Faro
• Oud Beersel Framboise
• Professor Fritz Briem 1809 Berliner Weisse
• Rodenbach Classic
• Sierra Nevada/Russian River Brux Domesticated Wild Ale
• Telegraph Reserve Wheat
• Tilquin Oude Gueuze
• Timmermans Framboise
• Timmermans Kriek
• Timmermans Strawberry
• Timmermans Bourgogne des Flandres
• Uinta Birthday Suit (20th Anniversary)
• St. Louis Gueuze Fond Tradition
• Monk's Cafe 

On Tap:

• Allagash Interlude
• Petrus Aged Red
• Bullfrog Aggro Wheat
• Bullfrog Jong Bruin
• Bullfrog Pomme Par Jour
• Draai Laag Goedenacht
• Draai Laag La Pienture
• St. Louis Framboise

Special bottles (after 3pm)

• The Bruery Rueuze
• The Bruery Sour in the Rye
• Goose Island Madame Rose
• Rodenbach Vintage 2010
• Russian River Consecration
• Russian River Sanctification

Beers #82-88: A Slow Month

"April is the cruellest month", if one is to believe Mr. Eliot, and for my beer drinking it certainly has been. April is the month in academics where everyone tries to cram in every last thing they can before the summer break. As a result, I've been drinking a lot more coffee than anything else, and my 'beer a day' challenge has suffered a serious setback because of this.  Today is the 119th day of the year and I am behind!  Below are a few brews I had between the last week of March and last week.

82/365: 21st Amendment Lower De Boom:
Sweet and sticky toffee and caramel aroma with a lot of neutral fruit and mild hops. There is a metallic note here, too, like copper or iron. Dark coppery amber clear with hardly any head. Heavy body with medium carbonation and alcoholic warming. Starts sweet with alcohol, hotness, caramel, toffee, and brown sugar. Plenty of bitter hop finish with neutral fruity character. Warming nutty bitter-hoppy finish. Lingering sweetness in the after but not cloying. A little rough around the edges.  Barley Wine  66/100

83/365: Coors Batch 19:
Nose is be any with noble hops and skunky notes - no sweetness. Dark orange-amber clear with foamy off-white lacing head. Medium watery body with medium-high carbonation. Starts with light malt sweetness, light carbonic acidity and a dry hoppy bitterness. Fairly mellow throughout with decent hop finish - slightly nutty and sweet, with carbonic fizz-bite. Dry light sweet after with some be any hop flavor.  Premium Lager  48/100

84/365: Third Shift Amber Lager:
(This is another MillerCoors beer - pretty much a maltier version of Batch 19). Nose is be any with noble hops and skunky notes - no sweetness. Dark orange-amber clear with foamy off-white lacing head. Medium watery body with medium-high carbonation. Starts with medium malt sweetness, light carbonic acidity and a dry hoppy bitterness. Fairly mellow throughout with decent hop finish - slightly nutty and sweet, with carbonic fizz-bite. Dry light sweet after with some medium hop flavor.  Amber Lager/Vienna  46/100

85/365: Samuel Adams New Albion Ale:
Sweet with beany alcohol-light vegetal nose and a bit of hop-fruity character. Dull muted nose. Dull golden clear with thin white head. Medium body with medium-dull carbonation. Sweet and neutral fruit character. Light to medium chalky bitterness with vegetal-metallic notes. Reminds me of a European strong lager, actually.  American Pale Ale  58/100

86/365: Marzoni's Biere de Marz:
Mild sweet pale malt aroma with light bit of sulfur and a tad yeasty. Honey and lemon peels. Cloudy medium amber with thin frothy head. Medium body with medium-light carbonation. Starts and stays sweet, with coriander, bubblegum, orange peel and yeast. Light chalky bitter finish with mildl grain notes. Nice smooth finish. Very easy drinking beer.  Belgian Ale  74/100

87/365: 21st Amendment Sneak Attack Saison:
Floral and fragrant, spicy with cardamon and allspice notes. Orange and orange peel with a little vanilla. Medium golden clear with thin white lacing head. Medium body with heavy carbonation. Starts sweet and spicy with cardamon and bitter orange peel. Bitter spice and hop finish with carbonic tang. Lasting bitterness with orange zest sweetness.  Saison  66/100

88/365: Heather Ales Fraoch (Bottle):
Mild herbal-floral notes, a bit of lemongrass and some sweetness. Medium golden amber clear with thin white head. Medium body with medium-high carbonation. Sweet with pale malts, herbal notes and a light bitterness. Overall, a mild ale with decent sweet herbal quality.  Traditional Ale  54/100

Next up ... trying to catch up at The Sour & The Funky!

Beers #78-81: San Francisco Day #3

We decided to have breakfast at The Grove again, since it was both enjoyable and convenient. Today we decided that we would take a ferry over to Tiburon, have lunch, and then grab a bus up to Muir Woods to see some Redwoods.

We grabbed a streetcar near the hotel in order to get to Pier 39.  As luck would have it, it took over 30 minutes to get there. We arrived at 11:45 to take the 11:40 ferry (last one until afternoon) ... and found that they had some issues and were still docked!  Waited about 15 minutes and took off for a boat ride over to Sausalido, passing Alcatraz Island.  From there, we rode to Tiburon.  Quaint little town with shops and restaurants, not as touristy as Sausalido.  However, we found out too late that the buses that run up to Muir don't start until May ... no way to get there from here, as it were.

Since we couldn't get a boat back to town for a couple of hours, we had a lazy lunch at Sam's Anchor Cafe, sitting on the dock and enjoying the sunshine (while also keeping an eye out for greedy gulls). They boasted about their New England clam chowder. It was OK but nothing special.

78/365: Firestone Walker Velvet Merlin:
Light chocolate, coffee, licorice, and burnt-roasted malts. Mild hop character and a little tang. Dark brown-black with thin tan head. Medium body with medium carbonation. Starts dry with roasted malt and light burnt character. Carbonic and sugar tang with mealy-meaty soy finish. Nutty mild sweet after.  Stout  64/100

After lunch, we walked around town, then sat by the docks and waited for the ferry.  The ferry ride back first went to Angel Island, then Sausalido, then finally back to the city.  By this time it was pretty cloudy, so I caught a nap inside the boat.

Since the redwoods didn't pan out, we decided to take a GPS-guided tour through the city on a little go-cart ... you look really cheesy driving around with the helmet, etc., but it was really a lot of fun. Found in San Diego, Barcelona, Madrid, and Lisbon, the GoCar allows you to putter along the streets while a GPS-tour guide gives you the low down about the sites you're passing.  We took a two-hour tour and drove up to the Golden Gate Bridge, through the Presidio and various neighborhoods, and down Lombard Street before returning to the shop. It was a little chilly and a few of the hills were almost too much for the little thing, but we had a great time - I'd highly recommend it!

Not wanting to wait for the bus again, we splurged on a cab back to the hotel to get changed.

For our last dinner in town, we went to the Abbot's Cellar in the Mission. Same folks who run the Monk's Kettle have this place, though the Cellar is a bit more upscale. It was a Monday night, so even though we'd made reservations, we didn't really need them.  Small but quality food menu, including a four-course tasting menu paired with beers. Beer menu was eclectic, not huge, but of very high quality.  It was nice that they allowed bottle pours from 750 mL bottles, but a lot of them were overpriced considering the sample size.  Over dinner, I enjoyed:

79/365: Firestone Walker Pivo Pils:
Really aromatic nose, malt and grains, jasmine, soap, and tea. Fruity-herbal hoppy notes. Golden clear with roomy lacing white head. Medium body with medium-high carbonation. Starts with terrific herbal hops and beany mash. Pilsner malt sweetness, but finishes dry with great grassy hop bitterness. Tasty beer. Very drinkable with lasting bitter after.  Pilsener  84/100

80/365: Heretic Shallow Grave Porter:
Roasted toasted coffee, licorice, chocolate, and lactose. Really nice sweet and salty porter aromas. Dark black-brown opaque with lacing tan head. Medium-heavy body with medium carbonation and some warmness. Starts sweet and rich with chocolate, coffee, lactose, and molasses. Chocolate malted milk, sweet finish with nutty sweet bitter after. Nice porter.  Porter  84/100

81/365: Freigeist Abraxxxas:
Nice smoky nose, a bit of tart with a hint of lactic. Airy, fruity, oranges. Cloudy pale amber with thin white lacing head. Medium watery body with medium carbonation. Starts with a little orange sweetness. Nice smoky flavor throughout - more like a lichtenheiner than traditional Berliner, could be tarter, but nice.  Berliner Weisse  76/100

We grabbed a taxi back to the hotel, packed, and got ready to get up at 3:30 for our 6:00 flight home. All in all, a great trip - not really that relaxing compared to sitting on a beach but enjoyable.

Beers #73-77: San Francisco Day #2

On Sunday, we slept in.  After getting ready, we walked a few blocks over to have a late breakfast at Blue Bottle Coffee.  Apparently a popular place, as there was a 20-minute wait to order.  The coffee was good, don't get me wrong, but I didn't see anything substantially better in it than we can get right here at home at The Commonplace.  From here, we strolled over to Market to get a bus and headed up Haight on our way to Golden Gate Park.  Of course, I can't ride up Haight without stopping at Toronado for a few short pours!

73/365: Moonlight Bombay by Boat IPA:
Nice hoppy aroma. Fresh and grassy, caramel, and toasted malt. Pale golden amber clear with thin rocky-foamy white lacing head. Medium body with cask carbonation. Starts medium dry with some caramel and roasted malty character. Tons of hop flavor and bitterness from start to finish, though not completely overpowering. Nice cask IPA.  India Pale Ale  78/100

74/365: Dupont La Bière de Beloeil:
Aroma is rich and malt with a lot of dark fruit notes, vinous with plum and Concord grape juice. Candy-like. Dark golden amber clear with thin lacing head. Medium body with medium-high carbonation. Starts malty and slightly sweet. Dark fruit sweetness with mild orange notes and grape juice. Finish is light bitter with good sweet notes and nutty bitterness. Tasty.  Bière de Garde  82/100

75/365: The Bruery Sour in the Rye:
Light tart-lactic nose with oak, light spicy character, and a hint of sweetness. Hazy lustrous orange-amber with thin white head. Medium body with heavy carbonation. Tarts and lactic with chardonnay, mild spicy notes and touch of vanilla. Great sour ale with woody funky finish and lasting tart after.  Sour Ale/Wild Ale  84/100

76/365: Moonlight Death and Taxes:
Great chocolate malt, roasted barley, light smoke - sweet and nutty. Dark black opaque with thin creamy lacing tan head. Medium body with high carbonation and a bit of fizz. Starts rich, malty with roasted barley, light smoke, and chocolate. Ground coffee notes with light carbonic tang. Nutty sweet finish with some light smoky after.  American Dark Lager  82/100

We got back on the bus and went up to Golden Gate Park. After a pit stop at Whole Foods, we entered the park and walked for about an hour, then exited on the northern side to catch another bus to the beach.  We walked along the beach for a bit, enjoying the sun and views.  Our plan was to do some hiking along the Coastal Trail, but we decided to have a light lunch before the hike.  Up the hill from the beach was the Cliff House, a nice (a bit pricy) restaurant on a cliff overlooking the Pacific.  In addition to a Deschutes Black Butte Porter, I had

77/365: Pyramid Hefeweizen:
Very mild aroma with the faintest hint of clove and esters. Not a very strong nose. Looks nice, with cloudy golden amber body topped with a thin white head. Medium-light watery body with medium carbonation. Starts a little sweet with mild fruity esters and a bit of clove and wheat. Mainly kinda bland, watery - but not off. Orange is probably the biggest flavor component. Refreshing but not really much towards the style.  Wheat Ale  48/100

After lunch, we walked up the hill and got on the Coastal Trail, which leads up around the bend to provide spectacular views of the Golden Gate Bridge and the coastline.  A bit windy, but a nice hike for a few miles.  We ended up in a residential neighborhood and walked down to China Beach, then grabbed a bus and headed back to our hotel.

We got warmed up, took a break, then decided what to do about dinner.  After tossing around options, we decided we were hungry for Chinese again.  We took the bus to Chinatown and ate next door to House of Nanking at a place called Chef Jia's.  Great food and less expensive than House of Nanking - can't figure out why they don't gather the crowds like their neighbor!

After all the walking, we grabbed a bus back to the hotel and called it a night.

Up next ... San Francisco Day 3

Beers #68-72: San Francisco Day #1

On Saturday, March 16, my wife and I caught a 6am flight from Pittsburgh to San Francisco for a three-day vacation.  The flight out is direct, but coming back you have to fly through Chicago (O'Hare) ... no idea why ... guess not enough people want to fly from San Fran to Pittsburgh?

Anyway, we enjoyed three days of sightseeing, walking, and enjoying a lot of great food and beer.  If you've never been, San Francisco is a GREAT beer city.  Tons of local breweries/brewpubs, and of course, access to a lot of West Coast products that never seem to quite make it back to Pennsylvania.

We arrived around 8:30 and caught the BART train to downtown.  After dropping of our luggage, we grabbed breakfast at The Grove.  Had a terrific steak & eggs dish similar to huevos rancheros with copious amounts of coffee.  From there, we walked up Market Street and watched the crowds gather for the St. Patrick's Day parade.  I bought some three-day travel passes while Dana held a place in line to catch the cable car over to Fisherman's Wharf.

We walked around some of the piers (not 39, however) and just sat by the ocean for a bit and enjoyed a sunny, albeit windy, late morning.  Great views of the Golden Gate Bridge, Alcatraz, and downtown.  From there, we walked over to Chinatown and had lunch at House of Nanking, home to award-winning chef Peter Fang.  He waited on us, and suggested a tasting menu.  Kinda pricy for lunch, but a cool experience. And like many of the places we seemed to end up in SF, it was cash only.

We walked through the city, back to our hotel on Market and 4th, checked in and took a break.  Dana decided to have a nap, so I walked on over to City Beer, a superb beer bar and bottle shop on Folsom St.  In addition to a Russian River Salvation, I tried:

68/365: Local Option Dampf Loc - Neue Welt Hefe Gerste:
Mild grain and mash sweet notes, dusty and mealy. Very light hop character in the nose. Dark golden amber clear with medium haze, topped with thin off-white creamy lacing head. Medium watery body with medium carbonation. Starts nutty and sweet, with light mash flavors, alcohol, and some mild astringent woody parts. Easy drinking, fairly well balanced with smooth nutty-sweet finish and after.  Traditional Ale  70/100

69/365: Ölvisholt Lava:
(My first beer from Iceland) Nice rich smoky nose, with coffee, chocolate, juniper smoke and molasses. Alcohol sweetness. Dark black opaque with thin tan creamy head. Medium-heavy body with high carbonation. Light warming. Carbonic tang and fizzy. Starts medium sweet. Rich with licorice, juniper smoke, chocolate and molasses. Carbonic acidity, alcohol sweetness and good bitter finish. Smooth sweet finish with light smoky after.  Smoked  80/100 

After getting back to the hotel and hanging out for a bit, we decided to catch a bus and head out past Chinatown for dinner at La Trappe Cafe, a nice Belgian-themed gastropub with a nice beer selection.  Over curried mussels and frites, I tried:

70/365: Engelszell Gregorius Trappistenbier:
Very mild nose, plum and roasted malt. Sweet with a subtle richness. A hint of fruity red wine. Dark coppery amber clear with thin off-white lacing head. Medium-heavy body with medium carbonation. Light warming. Starts sweet, alcoholic. Plum, rich malt, sugary - leans towards a Chimay Bleu but not overly complex compared to other quads. Sweet after with light alcohol warming and fruity after.  Abt/Quadrupel  76/100

71/365: New Belgium Lips of Faith - Heavenly Feijoa Tripel:
Big fruity nose, kinda funky and tart, cheesy. Not bad. Dark golden clear with thin foamy-rocky white head. Medium body and carbonation. Starts fruity and tart with some apples and sour peach. A little funky and cheesy, with crisp fruity-tart finish and after. Not bad.  Abbey Tripel  72/100 

72/365: Baladin Wayan Sour Edition:
Sour nose with chardonnay and oak. Light acetic acid, fruity, light, and enjoyable. Golden dark clear with no head. Medium-light watery body with light carbonation. Starts mild, kinda sour with oak and chardonnay. A bit of sweetness in the finish and mild acetic character. Overall, a bit watery and not worth the price.  Sour Ale/Wild Ale  66/100

After dinner, we walked back to the hotel and called it a night.

Next ... San Francisco Day 2

Beers #60-67: Nice Beer Weekend

One of the March bottle offerings at The Coney is a Vienna from Hop City Brewing in Canada ..

60/365: Hop City Barking Squirrel Lager:
Very mild caramel aroma with a bit of toasted malt and light hop essence. A hint of coffee. Deep amber clear with thin head. Medium body with medium-mild carbonation. Starts medium sweet with caramel and biscuit. Carbonic bite and quite a bit of bitterness in the finish. Nutty sweet and astringent bitter after.  Vienna  48/100

On Saturday, March 9, we had lunch at The Knick in Altoona. As usual, they had several new ones for me to try:

61/365: Flying Dog Chipotle Dark Ale:
Mild chocolate nose, roasted and slightly burnt malt. A hint of earthy-fruity-smoky chipotle with no discernible hop presence. Dark rusty red-brown opaque with creamy light tan lacing head. Medium watery body with vigorous carbonation. Nice dry porter to start, with light carbonic bite, a hint of heat. Earthy and fruity pepper character. Chocolate and roasted malt, light hop bitterness with smooth peppery bitter after.   Stout  70/100

62/365: Goose Island Sofie:
Herbal, peppery, citrus rind, sweet with honey and orange blossom. Oak and chardonnay. Tart fruity character. Golden clear with light, light haze and very thin white head. Medium body with medium-high carbonation. Starts medium sweet with grapefruit, coriander, light chardonnay, and herbal notes. A bit of yeasty funky note but not outrageous. Nice tart finish with fruity chardonnay after; mild chalky bitterness component.  Saison  76/100 

63/365: Innis & Gunn Winter Treacle Porter Oak Aged Ale:
Nose is a mix of Twizzlers, oak, Flemish brown ale, caramel and treacle, marshmallow, and vanilla. Terrific aromas. Dark coppery caramel-brown clear, with creamy off-white lacing head. Medium-heavy body with medium-high carbonation. Starts sweet with lots of treacle, oak, caramel. Smooth and well rounded with very little bitterness at the finish. Has a nice oak-sweet after. Not as dark as I’m used to for a porter, but really nice.  Baltic Porter  80/100

64/365: Widmer Brothers Reserve Raspberry Russian Imperial Stout:
Chocolate covered raspberry truffles with light carbonic tang, light melon, coffee, and toffee. Dark black opaque with creamy light tan lacing head. Medium chewy body with medium carbonation and light alcohol warming. Starts sweet with tons of roasted malt, light coffee, a hint of smoke, some raspberries, and a nice finish of nutty bitterness at the end.  Imperial Stout  82/100

That evening, we met a high school/college friend of Dana's and her husband for dinner at Amici's in Ebensburg. Really nice place to eat - great food and a very nice, though small, tap selection.  Over a great dinner, I enjoyed:

65/365: Southern Tier Eurotrash Pilz:
Clean, if not crisp, light noble hop aroma on top of sweet corn-grain malt notes. Like a mild German pils or Bohemian pils. Medium amber clear with foamy-frothy white lacing head. Medium watery body with medium to heavy carbonation. Starts medium dry with nice pilsener malt sweetness, good noble hop character, and a touch of sulfur. Overall, clean and refreshing, with light to medium bitter finish and smooth after.  Pilsener  68/100

66/365: Great Lakes Alchemy Hour Double IPA:
Sweet nose with lots of brown sugar and caramel. Big hoppy nose, funky and herbal with grapefruit and pine. Dark amber clear with foamy off-white lacing head. Medium to heavy watery mouthfeel, with medium carbonation. Starts pretty sweet, but not cloying, before you get smacked with a good dose of bitterness. The two don’t quite meld together as well as they could, but it’s still a nice IIPA.  Imperial/Double IPA  84/100

67/365: Southern Tier Choklat:
On tap at Amici’s (in one of the largest snifter portions I’ve ever had). Dark chocolate, light caramel, some licorice, coffee and sour smoke. Sweet with light carbonic tang, oak and vanilla. Not too boozy. Dark back opaque with cocoa-tan, slightly lacing head. Medium to heavy water body, not quite chewy, with medium carbonation and nice alcohol worming. Starts and stays pretty sweet, with chocolate, coffee, licorice and molasses. Mild oak, light hop bitterness, nutty character, and just a bit of carbonic tang. Finish is smooth, sweet, and lasting.  Imperial Stout  90/100

Up next ... Spring Break in San Francisco!