Brewery Visits | The Drunk Yinzer

Archive for the ‘Brewery Visits’ Category

June11

Weekend Preview: 6/11

By: Mark Wanczak

First and most importantly, The World Cup begins today. As soccer players and fans, The Drunk Yinzer is incredibly excited for the next month. Be sure to catch the USA vs. England game Saturday at 2:30pm.

Secondly, The Drunk Yinzer will be short-handed this weekend as Tim “The Palette” will be in Michigan for a wedding but will still be fulfilling his duties by visiting Arcadia, Bell’s (Kalamazoo), and Founder’s (Grand Rapids) breweries in Michigan. Quite the trip, look for his brewery reviews in the coming weeks.

FRIDAY

Don’t call yourself a Pittsburgher until you’ve seen Joe Grushecky live. Grab an Iron while you’re at it. Altar Bar. 9pm.

SATURDAY

England vs. USA 2:30pm

Good luck getting a seat at Piper’s Pub or Harp and Fiddle for the game. There will be big screens at Schenley Park showing the game. We also recommend befriending someone with a nice TV and bringing over a six-pack of Stoudt’s American Pale prominently featuring the American Flag on the front.

New Holland Brewery’s Mad Hatter Bar Crawl – South Side – 4pm-6pm

After the game, celebrate with your countrymen on Carson Street and enjoy some excellent offerings from New Holland. For specific bars and beers go here.

Rock the Streets: Summer Jam 2010

Great cause, great music and a great looking, informative website.

Three Rivers Arts Festival: final weekend

We’re particularly excited for local bands The Harlan Twins and Lohio, both performing Saturday night at 7pm on the main stage.

Did we miss any notable beer-related events? Let us know in the comments. Check our Flickr and Twitter throughout the weekend for updates on what we’re drinking.

Posted in: Brewery Visits, Out and About in the Burgh0 comments

June2

Breckenridge Tap House (Denver, CO)

By: Tim McFarland

Last Visit : July 18, 2009

Breckenridge’s brewery is of course in the ski resort town of Breckinridge, CO, but to cater to the beer drinking public they have opened a pub/restaurant in Denver. This location is just down the street from Coors Field and the Sandlot brewery. This looks and feels like a typical brewpub . We had the place to ourselves at 11 AM on a Saturday morning, but struck up some good conversation with the bartender and some local patrons. Breckenridge tends to brew some pretty unconventional beers so I recommend starting with a sampler and trying a few of the brews that you won’t find anywhere else.

Sarah enjoying a stout at Breckenridge

At the urging of a local patron, I tried a pint of the 471 IPA. I was assured that this was one of the best IPAs that he had ever had. It was pretty good but lacked the essential hop character to make one of the truly great IPAs. I have a hard time trying to explain to people the sensation that I get from an IPA. The hop character should hit me in the back lower part of my jaw but still needs to maintain some subtleness. There are really only a select few that can accomplish this effect. I also had a pint of their summer ale and while good fell somewhat short of my expectations. Another good session beer but lacks some of the uniqueness of O’Dell’s St. Lupulin Ale.

An Impressive Collection of Vintage Beer Cans

http://www.breckbrew.com/

***Brewery Visits are a biweekly post about our favorite tours and taprooms all over the U.S.. Check back to see where we are going next!

Posted in: Brewery Visits0 comments

May19

New Glarus Brewing Co. (New Glarus, WI)

By: Tim McFarland

Last Visit : February 15, 2009

New Glarus is a quaint little village in central Wisconsin. Most of the buildings in this little village reflect the original Swiss settlers. A trip around town or a stop into the local bar will reveal a lot of German accents. It’s a little bit of the central European countryside in the farmland of Wisconsin. Nestled in this area about 20 miles from Madison, is the New Glarus Brewing Co. New Glarus may be the best brewery that you’ve never heard of and with good reason. New Glarus does not distribute outside of Wisconsin. Anyone that has ever visited Madison or went to UW-Madison can relate some fond memories of drinking Spotted Cow or Fat Squirrel at State Street Brats.

My favorite year-round New Glarus brew is definitely the Stone Soup Abbey Ale which is really everything that an abbey ale should be. New Glarus seems to be heavily Belgian-influenced. In this vane, the best fruit beers of any U.S. brewery that I am familiar come from New Glarus. The Wisconsin Belgian Red, Raspberry Tart, and Apple Ale are all well balanced fruit ales each with a special touch from New Glarus. Raspberry Tart faithfully represents a blend of a lambic and a Flemish sour ale. On top of these fantastic year-round beers, the unplugged series introduces a few experimental beers every year that really explore different styles and new twists.

The new main brewery site is located outside of town but the original brewery right in the middle of the village is available for tours and tastings. This is not a live tour but an audio guide will tell you all that you want to know. This is the most informative tour that I have ever taken. The audio guide gives a good overview of the brewery’s history and a very complete look at the brewing process including the quality and yeast culturing labs. There are about four free samples at the end of the tour plus usually a bonus tasting of one of the unplugged brews. A small brewery and somewhat isolated but overall one of my favorite brewery visits.

http://www.newglarusbrewing.com/

***Brewery Visits are a biweekly post about our favorite tours and taprooms all over the U.S.. Check back to see where we are going next!

Posted in: Brewery Visits0 comments

May5

Capital Brewery (Middleton, WI)

By: Tim McFarland

Brewers of Autumnal Fire and Island Wheat, Capital has a large selection of beer with a distinct German influence. They tend to specialize in malty and dark selections. Capital wins for the most beer on a tour. The tour cost about $5 and comes with a tasting glass. I’m not sure if it was because we were the last tour of the day, but while on the tour, we each got about four full pints. Needless to say, this might be the most fun I’ve ever had on a brewery tour. Additionally, the tap room at the brewery has a fantastic German Rathskeller feel that fits in with the German heritage of Madison. Take the opportunity to try some of their limited releases which is where Capital really shines. Autumnal Fire is probably one of my favorite oktoberfest variations.

http://www.capital-brewery.com/

***Brewery Visits are a biweekly post about our favorite tours and taprooms all over the U.S.. Check back to see where we are going next!

Posted in: Brewery Visits0 comments

April21

Fort Collins Brewery (Fort Collins, CO)

By: Tim McFarland

Last Visit: June 17, 2009

No tours here but there is a small taproom with a knowledgeable staff. You will need to get some samplers at this place because the beers here are so edgy and out there. The Fort Collins Brewers love to experiment. The pomegranate wheat beer was interesting if a little sweet for my taste (Sarah was a big fan!). They make a very good Rauchbier which is a traditional German style smoked beer. The smoked beer gets its flavor from drying the malt over an open flame. It’s definitely a unique flavor profile, and it’s a style that is not in vogue in the United States.

I got a half pint of “The Fix” which the brewers describe as a “dry-hopped double IPA”. I may be a bit old school in my definition of IPAs, in that I don’t like to have much malt character. I also expect a Double IPA to be bursting with hop flavors but there really wasn’t much to it. It had a decent head and some interesting malt characters but wasn’t quite what I would look for in a double IPA. Make the trip to the Fort Collins Brewing Co. to try some styles and infusions that you won’t find at many other breweries.

http://www.fortcollinsbrewery.com/

***Brewery Visits are a biweekly post about our favorite tours and taprooms all over the U.S.. Check back to see where we are going next!

Posted in: Brewery Visits0 comments

April7

O'Dell Brewing Co. (Fort Collins, CO)

By: Tim McFarland

Last Visit: June 17, 2009

No tour here but there is a pretty nice size taproomwith a large deck on the front. Sarah and I spent an enjoyable hour around noon tasting some beer and enjoying the beautiful Colorado summer. O’Dell brews a large variety of beers and many are accurate style examples, but lacked some originality. The samplers are shown in the picture.

I tried a full pint of the St. Lupulin Summer Ale which was quite good. This is a nice lower alcohol alternative to an IPA that is a great brew for summer sessions. The St. Lupulin pours with a good head that sticks around and an aroma that hits you with a lot of Cascade hops and also some piney aroma most likely coming from an Amarillo/Chinook type hop variety. Amarillo/Chinook hops tend to be very bitter but often leave a slightly harsh piney flavor lending a slightly bitter aftertaste to a very clean and crisp beer. Definitely worth a visit if you find yourself in the Fort Collins area.

http://odellbrewing.com/

***Brewery Visits are a biweekly post about our favorite tours and taprooms all over the U.S.. Check back to see where we are going next!

Posted in: Brewery Visits0 comments

March23

Left Hand Brewing Co. (Longmont, CO)

By: Tim McFarland

Last Visit: June 17, 2009

Sarah and I dropped by Left Hand as an afterthought as it is a bit out of the way. No tours at Left Hand but the tap room has a great local bar vibe. Famous for their milk stout, it should come as no surprise that the tap selection is heavily laden with dark and malty selections. Along with the stouts, Left Hand makes a pretty tasty brown ale and porter.

This is the most complete taster I’ve ever seen with something like 16 beers (everything that was on tap). A pita cart outside the brewery serves up some tasty morsels to keep you going through those long days of brewery tours.

http://www.lefthandbrewing.com/

***Brewery Visits are a biweekly post about our favorite tours and taprooms all over the U.S.. Check back to see where we are going next!

Posted in: Brewery Visits0 comments

March10

Bear Republic Brewing Co. (Healdsburg, CA)

By: Tim McFarland

Last Visit: July 1, 2009

Healdsburg is in the heart of Sonoma Valley’s wine country. In this small, ritzy little burg, you will find the Bear Republic Brewery and Tap House, eventually. It’s right along the main drag in Healdsburg but in a kind of strip mall area and not immediately noticeable. The bar was lively around 5:00 on a Friday with good reason. In this region, wine is king and there aren’t too many places with an extensive draft beer selection. Bear Republic is best known nationwide for the Racer 5 IPA and their bar reflects this fact. The walls are covered in racing paraphernalia . I tried the English IPA on tap at Bear Republic and was pleasantly surprised. They really seemed to nail the malt bill and balance with the right amount of hops to make a really great English IPA….in America. Look for the Racer 5, Hop Rod Rye, and Racer XP which are some of my favorites in stores near you.

http://www.bearrepublic.com/

***Brewery Visits are a biweekly post about our favorite tours and taprooms all over the U.S.. Check back to see where we are going next!

Posted in: Brewery Visits0 comments

February23

North Coast Brewing Co. (Ft. Bragg, CA)

By: Tim McFarland

Last Visit: July 1, 2009

North Coast, famous for Old Rasputin Russian Imperial Stout and Brother Thelonious Abbey Ale, is set in the beautiful seaside town of Ft. Bragg, CA. I visited North Coast last July when they were in the midst of some major expansion and remodeling projects. Unfortunately, these projects precluded any brewery tours. They do have an excellent merchandise store where I purchased a bottle of oak aged Rasputin XI. This is truly a signature brew that takes the complex roasted and deep chocolate flavors of the normal Old Rasputin and adds a good deal of body.

North Coast Tap Room

The tap room and grill and is located across the road from the main brewery. I stopped in for lunch and a beer in the bar. The menu has some interesting takes on typical pub fare with a dash of local flavor and each selection has a selected North Coast brew to pair with your meal. I had a delicious bleu cheese and peppercorn burger with an Old Rasputin. Old Rasputin is 9% ABV and pours with an amazing head from the tap. The aroma tantalizes the taste buds with early chocolate notes and a lingering hint of roasted barley. The taste starts sweet and ends malty with the roasted notes and a rich chocolate dominated aftertaste. At 9% ABV, I’m always surprised that the chocolate and roasted flavors are able to hide all that alcohol. I hope to return multiple times and take the brewery tour eventually. North Coast is worth the trip to Ft. Bragg alone. Good Food, Great Beer!

http://www.northcoastbrewing.com/

***Brewery Visits are a biweekly post about our favorite tours and taprooms all over the U.S.. Check back to see where we are going next!

Posted in: Brewery Visits0 comments