Cigar City Beer List

Since landed in Orlando one of the local breweries we have gotten to sample is Cigar City.
My favorite is the Florida Cracker a white ale with unmalted wheat , orange peel and coriander. It is nice a light for a hot day but not too sweet. It has floral and citrus aromas and flavors with just a slight spiciness. We also tried the Invasion Pale Ale. This is a hoppier pale ale with caramel malt and papaya, mango, lime and peach. The fruit and the hopps have a nice balance and it is not overly fruity.

Via Napoli Food and Beer Pairing

Initially we were a little disappointed that the Epcot Food and Wine Festival was not offering more premium dining experiences the week we attended. Instead, we decided to try one of the lunch offering. Preferring a good beer to wine; I immediately was attracted to the Italian beer lunch at Epcot’s Via Napoli. My husband did not know what to expect be the only Italian beer we had tried was not good. Our adventure paid off and we were rewarded with discovering a whole new beer destination.

The beer lunch takes place on select Tuesdays and features a changing four course menu of fine Italian dishes and often rare beers. I had read on other blogs that one of the negatives in the past was a lack of explanation for the beers, unlike similar wine events. To my delight the lunch was presented by someone with a vast knowledge of beer and especially Italian beers, a certified beer sommelier. There are only a few beer sommeliers in the world and one works directly with Via Napoli.

Upon check in were greeted with a refreshing citrus water and seated at our tables in a private area off of the main dining room. One of the managers, Antonio, greeted us and introduced Eric who explained how the beer scene is emerging in Italy. Within the last few years Italy has grown to have over 800 breweries. He explained that there is still a stigma to drinking beer in a wine loving country like Italy so the bottles are often elaborately decorated and made the same size as wine bottles so that others would not know you were drinking beer.      

The first course was Bocconcini di Bufala e Carciofi Tartufati (Buffalo Mozzarella with Truffled Artichokes) paired with La Cinque from Birrificio L’Olmaia. This was a light yellow beer had herbal and floral notes with a slight taste of honey that complimented the richness of the oil. Next was my favorite, Moretti’s La Rosa. This double malt has a rich caramel color and the flavor and fragrance of figs and raisins. It was served with a roman style pizza with Proscuitto (Pizza Romano al Proscuitto) the saltiness of the prosciutto was a pleasant contrast to the sweet beer. Next the Colette di Vitello con Cicoria e Olive (Veal Cutlet with Chickory and Olives) was paired with my husband’s favorite  Contessa from Birra Amiata. This was a smooth IPA with a nice variety of hopps with herbal floral and citrus notes including grapefruit and tangerine. The dessert course was a cream and pistachio Cannolo (Cannolo Bicolore) the rich cream and pistachio was and good contrast to the light, crisp wheat beer Bionda from Amacord This floral and citrus beer is a collaboration with Brooklyn Beer Company. It features Orange Blossom honey and types of hopps. The bottle was designed by the same artist who created the “I love New York” logo.

The restaurant staff went all out to make us feel at home. The often poured more of our favorites and one server even danced the Tarantella in honor of the events 5^th year at the festival. The manager and sommelier made several visits to check on each table and were both friendly and knowledgeable. The chef also came out to great us all and make sure we liked the food. On the way out we all received bags of cantucci (a biscotti type almond cookie) to take home.

Michigan Beer List

I know it has been awhile since my last post but the sabbatical and two month road trip has begun. I started back home in Detroit, Michigan. While we have not yet visited any breweries or tap rooms I have had the opportunity to taste a few craft brews around town. Here is the list so far:

Atwater Dirty Blonde- Atwater is one on Detroit's and Michigan's first craft brewers. I actually interviewed for a job there when they opened in 1997. Dirty Blonde is a smooth blonde ale with a little more of a kick than similar blondes. It has a faint sweetness with orange peel and coriander but it is not overly  fruity.

Bell's Oberon - This beer has a wheat malt and spicy hopps with a slight orange flavor. It's a good summer beer but I would describe it as Michigan's Blue Moon.

Dark Horse Crooked Tree IPA - This is a dry-hopped IPA. It is crisp and bold but surprising smooth. It has a hazy cooper color and floral and pine aromas. It is an IPA that this non-IPA drinker would order because it is not overly bitter.
Founder's Devil Dancer- A summer limited release. This dry-hopped beer has 10 kinds of hopps and a 12% avb content. It sneaks up on you with a punch.

Motor City Brewing Works GhettoBlaster - This English style ale is Motor City's flag ship beer. It has a light brown color and a biscuit flavor. It is slightly bold but not too strong and a good anytime beer.

Motor City Brewing Works Pumpkin Ale - This seasonal is a satisfying pumpkin offering with Detroit grown pumpkins, Belgian yeast and seasonal spices.

Short's Brewing Cinnabilly - The name and the logo of a goat with cinnamon bun horns peaked my curiosity. This beer has a clear caramel appearance with strong aromas of cinnamon, vanilla and brown sugar. It has a sweet malt with hints of graham crackers and toasted almond but well balanced and not unbearably sweet.

Stay tuned for more my friends. I also got to try some local meads and ciders and has a tap room visit planned this week.

Dirty Duck Beer Tasting

 I went to Saturday April 20th's beer tasting curious but not with high expectations. I simply wanted to see what they came up with. I defiantly did not think of Belgian beer as bad but I had a few in the past I did not care for and in the states we only usually get a few Belgian options. More or less it was something we had not done while attending the Renaissance Faire and figured why not. We were pleasantly surprised.

We got to the Dirty Duck a little early and claimed or table. While you are still sitting outside, you do have umbrella to shade you and your food and drink from the sun. Our $25 got us 6 samples, some snacks and water to cleanse the palette and a Scarborough pint glass to take home.  

The beer tasting takes place each day of Scarborough’s run and is led by Hugh O’Neil who is also a brewer at Deep Ellum Brewery. You can tell Hugh is knowledgeable and passionate about his beer. He was to introduce new beer drinker to the finer points and help the rest of us discover some new things.  Each week features a different region or theme and they are try to give some general information on beer and the brewing process.

As with any typical beer or wine tasting we start with the more mild options and work our way to the bolder flavors. There is also a bucket available to clean your glasses or to empty out the unwanted samples. I had expected all the standard Belgian options: Stella Artois, Stella Cidre, Hoegardden and Chimay. Hugh surprised me with none of those. I had only taste one of the 6 offerings before and I found to new favorite beers.

We started with the Saison Dupont farmhouse ale with citrus and pepper notes. This saison was only slightly acidic and more fruity and spicy. Next was the Westmalle Tripel, a Trappist Abbel Tripel. It had fruit flavors of banana and citrus with a hint of pepper and floral hops. The Rodenbach Grand Cru flanders red ale was the only one I tasted before and did not like. It is a blend of young and barrel aged beer with sour fruity flavors and vanilla. The sour bitterness is reminiscent  of balsamic vinegar. The next three were much more pleasant. I generally like lambics but prefer them blended because they tend to be sweet. My new favorite lambic is Liefman’s Cuvee Brut. The men at the table who don’t normally like lambics enjoy it. The cherry aroma was strong but the flavor also had hints of vanilla and light woody flavors. The Belgian Dark Strong ale was also a favorite with dark fruits like cherries, raisins, fig and prune.  We finished things off with the Rockfort Trappist 10, a Trappist Quadrupel., dark malty sweet beer with a slight chocolate taste.

All in all what started as a “why not” drinking event taught me about a new region of beer and helped me discover a few new favorites.  I highly recommend if interested, get tickets ahead online because tastings sell out fast.  If you’re going to visit Scarborough take a break to taste some beers.

Revolver Brewing

We had been wanting to make the trip to Granbury's Revolver brewing for months. Although it's about a 45 minute drive from the mid-cities area of DFW the trip made for a nice spring afternoon. I was definitely impressed with the country setting and the atmosphere at the brewery. It reminded me of a trip to a Hill country vineyard. The large amount of land allows delver to offer a stage for various performers, game area with corn hole, bean bags and jenga and a large picnic area.  Several visitors opted for a picnic lunch and there are many tables and benches as well as places to spread a blanket.  Music ranges from country and folk to rock, when we were there the Tarleton Jazz Ensemble played. Your admission gets three beers and a tour.

Despite the scenic setting and the entertainment; it is Revolver's beers that make the drive worthwhile. Blood Honey is undoubtedly a favorite to many craft beer lovers in the area. It is a unfiltered pale ale finished with blood orange zest and honey from Falls Creek Farms. I did not find a beer here I didn't like. High Brass is a pale blonde ale with carmel malts and Saphir hops from Germany. Revolver bock is a traditional bock with carmel and toffee flavors. The summer seasonal Sidewinder is a pale ale with unique  Texas flavors of agave, citrus, spice and maize. Sidewinder is a good summer brewer that's light but still has a little kick. The other current seasonal Mother's Little Fracker is one of my favs. This nutty sweet stout has a 7.75 avb and has a great roasted flavor. . The tour is not a full walk through of operations but rather a talk by members of the brew staff. They explain the brewing process and give some background on the brewery.

Done forget to end you visit with a stop at the gift shop because there is some awesome merchandise. We had to bring back a tim sign and a couple of shirts. The food vendors rotate but options may be limited so you can easily pack a cooler with your own lunch. I highly encourage a spring or fall trip out to Revolver.

Rabbit Hole Brewing

Everything from the name of the brewery to the first types of beers offered to the artwork on the website all suggest that Rabbit Hole Brewing in Justin is not your typical craft brewery. Most new brewers wouldn’t bother attending a beer festival when they were able to bring along beer samples. Yet we met the guys from Rabbit Hole last year at Best Little Brewfest in Texas proudly handed out swag and talking passionately about their product. 

The Justin facility was worth the drive. It’s not big but you feel like you’re drinking on a friends patio. Your ten dollar admission includes a pint glass and three tokens which can bee redeemed for beer, put toward merchandise or donated to charity. Several members of the brew team greeted us, thanked us for coming out and took some time to chat. Rabbit Hole has a unique custom of making a toast at every open house which I thought helped create a friendly, welcoming atmosphere. Each of the brewers, founders take turns leading small tours through the facility and answering questions about the beer. Currently they don’t have live weekly entertainment but several special events are planned including book signings. The brewery has an amazing stained glass window showing a bit of Wonderland and some equally good mercy available including the popular Rabbit Hole hockey jerseys.

Currently Rabbit Hole has three year round offerings: 561, Rapture and 10/6.Mike Modano’s 561 Kolsch style beer is light and crisp with a soft malt and a hint of hoppiness and  is lighter than most kolsch beers made in the area. 561 is there most infamous brew being named after the legendary Dallas Stars player. Rapture, my favorite, is a balance of an English and American style Brown ale with a light toasted flavor and a little bit of citrus. I recommend the house blend Raptadano, a mix of the 561 and the Rapture. The newest offering is 10/6 an English style IPA that is less bitter than most IPAs. It blends three different English hops and is bold without being overwhelming. Rabbit Hole is about to launch its first seasonal, a saison currently in test batches. But again deviating from the norm, they won't have the traditional seasons of Spring, Summer, Fall and Winter but instead each season has a theme. We are particularly looking forward to this fall. Can you guess the theme ? 

Rabbit hole is one of my new favorite craft brewers. It has a casual familiar feel and you can enjoy a sunny Saturday in the country with good friends and good beer. I expect more interesting beer offerings and enjoy their irreverent attitude. So if you’re looking for something different come take a trip down the rabbit hole. 

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Martin House and Toadies Launch Rubberneck Red

I would say today's launch parties at Fort Worth's Martin House Brewing Company was a smashing success. A Sunday afternoon open house welcomed a sold out crowd of  Toadies fans and craft beers lovers.

Matt Hillyer of Elven Hundred spring opened with a killer acoustic set.  But the crowd of enthusiastic fans were definitely there to see their beloved Toadies play a very intimate venue. Although the 500 tickets sold out in minutes I think the weather scared some away.  I think there was a bigger attendance for the Halloween event. The set was just under an hour but the fans were happy with their favorite songs and an up close view.

While the music was undoubtedly awesome; some of us were there for first crack at the new beer. The Toadies loved the hop flavor of Imperial Texan so Martin House used that as a base for the Rubberneck Red. They lessened the bitterness and the AVB, added carmel and Munich malts and a slight tropical flavor. The beer has a light malty flavor, a caramel red color and a 5 % AVB content. While I really love some of the seasonal and one-time brews that brewer Cody Martin has come up with, I think Rubberneck Red is a great permanent addition to the regular line up. It was also my first time trying the new Gateway XPA. This is a blond extra pale ale with corn malt and a light hoppy flavor.

I must also give a thumbs up to the Toadies Martin House can glasses and the Rubberneck Red shirts created for the launch. As the shirts say : Beer and  Rock Music made in Texas by Texans. Not a bad way to spend a Sunday afternoon.