February 2011 Review

Boston Beer Works - Canal St, Boston MA
Cambridge Brewing Co. - Cambridge, MA
John Harvard Brew Pub - Cambridge, MA
Sebago Brewing Co - Portland, ME
Black Bear Brewery - Orono, ME
Migration Brewing Co. - Portland, OR

Go to Coalition Brewing Company Tonight!

Hey guys! If you haven't been to Coalition Brewing Company, go tonight!!! If you have been there, go again!!!  Since a lot of people have tomorrow off they are having $10 pitchers tonight!

Boston Beer Works

 

Canal Street Location

112 Canal Street

Boston, MA 02114

Near North Station

617.896.BEER

http://www.beerworks.net/ 

This is my second visit to Boston: both visits have been in February, where both times I stayed within walking distance of a Boston Beer Works, and my first nights on both trips including a stout seasonal. Even better, they have been different locations of this stream-lined brewery.  

Jonah and I made it to Boston, even though the 2011 Winter Storm tried to prevent us.  I've always imagined New England snow covered so it's such a treat to see it that way.  After we found our way to the Boston Garden area, Boston Beer Works was our number one destination of the evening.  We walked in the snow to find a valentine themed brewery.  BBW changes their theme every month and February's is, of course CHOCOLATE!  Chocolate beer, chocolate sprinkled food and stouts, all their February beers were stouts.  I had a Curley's Irish Stout (Boston = Irish, made sense to me), which was dry, very very dry.  Jonah won the 'beer choice of the night' award with the Black Rider, a terrific black lager.

I need to go back a take a picture of the brewery covered in snow, the only pictures I could find online were sun-filled with people enjoying the outside the porch.  Not this weekend!  Brrrrrrrrrr!

 BOOM!!! There it is!


On a side note:  Happy BIRTHday to Lucas Kinan Getty-Sasaki!  I can't wait to buy you a beer in 21 years!

January 2011 Review

Arbor Brewing Company - Ann Arbor, MI
Black Star Co-op Brewery - Austin, TX
Coalition Brewing Company - Portland, OR
Jolly Pumpkin - Ann Arbor, MI
Portlandia Brewing Company - Portland, OR
Rochester Mills Beer Company - Rochester, MI
North Coast Brewing Co - Fort Bragg, CA

Rochester Mills Beer Co

400 Water St.

Rochester, MI 48307

(248) 650-5080

http://www.rochestermillsbeerco.com

 "I love when my two worlds come together."  My first reaction when I found out that Rochester Mills Beer Company used to be a knitting mill!!!  Very exciting for me.  Plus, the building is really cool.

Alright, I was told that Rochester Mills Beer Co was sister breweries with Royal Oak Brewery and Detroit Beer Co, but I can't find any evidence on the internet.  A link though is the red ales they all have: Rochester Red, Royal Oak Red, and Detroit Red.  I don't know, maybe someone can enlighten me?

Speaking of Reds, the Rochester Red was going to be my choice until Jonah ordered the sampler. "Hey, if I get a sampler too we can try almost every beer on the menu."  This is always the best choice.  It was specifically this time because the red was sour, very unfortunate.  RMB Co has an excellent Lazy Daze Lager (Grandma agreed!), but my prize goes to the Paint Creek Porter.  Delicious.  Thanks Aunt Karol for suggesting this one!

Arbor Brewing Company

 

 114 East Washington 

Ann Arbor, MI 48104

734-213-1393

http://www.arborbrewing.com/

 Arbor Brewing Company was our second stop in Ann Arbor.  Every beer that I tasted were good enough to get a pint, alas they have so many beers on tap that Jonah would have had to carry me to the car if I did that. 

The Crye Baby Rye was excellent.  I love when breweries have ryes, I will always order it.  It's such a rarity and such a treat, an opinion I share with my cousin Mike Szymula.  There are two pubs for Arbor Brewing Co., we visited the ABC Brewpub (clever name).  The building had a great look to it even though the back room smelled like barf, something you have to live with being in a college town.

All in all, Ann Arbor is a great beer destination if you're in the Detroit area.

Jolly Pumpkin

 311 S. Main St. 

Ann Arbor, Michigan

734-913-2730

http://www.jollypumpkin.com/annarbor/

After Austin Texas, Jonah and I hit the skies again, landing in Detroit MI.  This is my second time in America's high five in search of breweries.  This time Jonah, I, and a handful of the Michigan crew set off to the land of the Wolverines, Ann Arbor.
Here's a picture of all of us, clockwise from the bottom left: Kurt, Lynn. Jonah, me, Kraig, Kristen, Joe, Michael, John, and Karol. (All the K names are siblings of my mom.)

The beer that intrigued me was the Burley-esque, a blood orange Belguim IPA.  This is a good place to go if you want to try some experimental yet still drinkable beers.  Definitely try to stop by for lunch, the food is delicious!!

The use of a pumpkin for the logo threw me off at first, I was worried that it would pigeon-hole the brew-masters to fruity beer and make for some lame merchandise.  Well I was wrong, Jolly Pumpkin does use fruit and spices in many of their beers, but not to an over-whelming or obnoxious level.  Also, the t-shirts rocked!  I am also a fan of the tap handles.