So with 3 mostly full kegs, I haven't been brewing lately, of course that doesn't mean I stop sampling, or research as I like to call it. A few weeks ago, we took a family trip to Des Moines, and stayed at a waterpark hotel. It had several water slides, and a pirate ship for the kids to play in.
I had a "Floppin Crappie" from Northwood Brewing Company to play with. It was a traditional American style Lager. It had more malt flavour and hops than one of the big 3 American Lagers, in fact, in reminded me of a Schlitz. Not something I'd drink all the time, but a good beer to have by the water, poolside or dockside. This beer turned out to be better than I expected.
My wife and I recently took a day trip to McGregor, IA. We had lunch at Old Man River brew pub.
http://www.oldmanriverbrewery.com/ Fist the bad, the service was terrible, there was no beer list, so I couldn't learn about any other their beers, and their food was a bit over priced for what they gave. The good, the beer was pretty good. I got an IPA, and it was very solid, not mind blowing, but a beer I'd have no problems drinking again. The food was even better than the beer. I would like to give this place another chance, just to see if was an off day for the staff, and of course to try more of their beer.
Have you had any beers from New Glarus Brewing yet? If you haven't, you need to.
http://www.newglarusbrewing.com/ They make good solid year round beers (their IPA is one of my favorites, right up there with Dogfiish Head's 60 minute IPA,) but they specialize in Belgian style beers. Anything cherry related is fantastic, and they do their "Thumbprint" series year round as well. These are specialty beers their brewmaster wants to make, and lucky for us, decides to sell to the public. This beer is from their Thumbprint series, and is their Double IPA (9.7 ABV.) This beer hits you with a ton of citrusy hop aroma, and tastes just as good. It's not thick and syrupy like many high alcohol brews, in fact it drinks more like an IPA near 6% ABV. This is a great beer.
If you've had a great beer lately that you think I should try, let me know, and I'll feature on this blog.
