Next up is the Idle Rich Pub in Dallas (www.idlerichpub.com). I visited this pub last year while in Dallas for work. However, it was dark and after a couple shots of Patron, so my memory isn’t the best. There were tons of Belgian beers on the menu. I tried a Delirium Tremens for the first time there. The prices are a bit high but that’s pretty much the norm for a pub like this.
Belgians beers include offerings from Affligem, Chimay, Delirium, Duvel, Lindemans, Maredsous and Westmalle.
Beers to try:
- Maredsous 8
- Brugse Zot
- Westmalle Dubbel
- Westmalle Tripel
I doubt we spend much time in here since we’ve tried most of the beers and the ones we haven’t are pricey but it’s worth a visit when in town.
Posted in Dallas.
Tagged with Dallas, Idle Rich Pub.
By admin
September 13, 2009
I’ll be previewing some of the fine establishments we’ll be visiting while in Dallas. The first one and the place I am looking forward to the most is The Ginger Man (http://www.gingermanpub.com/). It’s one of four in operation in the state of Texas. The pictures on the site look great. Very Bavarian style looking place. According to the site, they have around 160 beers with a good selection of bottles and draft.
Some of the brews I am most looking forward to trying are
- Oskar Blues Mama’s Little Yella Pills
- Oskar Blues Old Chub
- Oskar Blues Gordon
- Harpoon Leviathon Imperial IPA
- Real Ale Lost Gold IPA
- Shiner Smokehaus Helles
- Avery 16
- Live Oak Big Bark
That should get a pretty good buzz going.
Posted in Dallas.
Tagged with Dallas, Ginger Man.
By admin
September 9, 2009
Sorry for the lack of blog posts. It is now 12 days until the Dallas trip. Lots of drinking is planned for the weekend before heading to UFC 103.
If anyone has any recommendations for Dallas bars, let me know.
Posted in Dallas.
Tagged with Dallas, MMA.
By admin
September 7, 2009
Not a bad night. I’ve got 3 Samuel Adams Imperial Series beers and Strikeforce fights while sitting in my new gazebo in the backyard.
Started off with the Imperial White. Damn was this strong. It poured a deep, thick orange color. Looked like a White Ale only a lot thicker. The top half of the beer was like drinking a while ale…only stronger. I almost put an orange slice on the side…almost I said. Once I got towards the end, it became all alcohol. Very strong…almost like a Scotch Ale. I didn’t think the beer had great drinkability but I enjoyed it while it tasted like a powerful white. Not so much towards the end.
Next up was the Double Bock. Didn’t taste near as boozey as the White, but still a powerful beer. Pretty smooth bock. Don’t know that it belongs in an Imperial Series but a tastey beer.
Finally finished the trifect on Monday night with the Imperial Stout. This was the most disappointing and least favorite of the series. The alcohol was very strong but it lacked the roasted, chocolaty goodness of the best Imperial Stouts.
Overall, the Imperial Series is a nice set of beers from Samuel Adams. Big beers that are available nationwide is always a plus.
Posted in Uncategorized.
Tagged with Imperial Stout, MMA, Samuel Adams.
My wife and I made the trek to the Great Divide Brewing Company on Monday afternoon. We got there in time for the 4:00 tour. As you walk in to the brewery, you are immediately in the tap room. The room was very small. We had to stand up while waiting on the tour to start. As expected, they had most of their beers on tap. The tour was pretty standard. They walked you through the brewing process from beginning to end. Once complete we went back to the tap room. $3 or $4 for a pint of any of their beers and the samplers were free. I only had time for 3, but I could spend a couple hours in there.
Claymore Scotch Ale - Very malty scotch ale. Nice and smooth. Enjoyed this while walking on the tour. 8/10
Hercules Double IPA - Lots of hops here. Not quite as good as the Pliny the Elder I had the day before but a damn fine beer. 9/10
Espresso Oak Aged Yeti - Very interesting beer. This is basically the Yeti Imperial Stout aged with oak chips with espresso added in towards the end of the brewing process. The espresso was very prevalent…a lot more than the oak. One of the best, if not the best, “coffee” beers I’ve had. 9/10
That wraps up the brewery tour. I went to all places I planned on going. I would have like to have spent more time at Falling Rock and Great Divide but I shall save those for another time - hopefully while attending the Great American Beer Fest.
Posted in Denver.
Tagged with Denver, Great Divide Brewing Company, IPA, Stout.
Feeling scared that I may not have time to make it back to Falling Rock, I ventured there directly after Wynkoop. Still buzzing from the Koop, I managed to find Falling Rock after a few misturns. The place was quite a bit smaller than I imagined, but great beer o’plenty.
With the aforementioned buzz still going, I sat down at the bar and became overwhelmed. There are no weak or mediocre beers even available. It’s all strong, kick your ass type stuff. I asked if they did samplers but the smallest thing going was a half pint. There was no way I could drink a full pint of anything strong at that point. I went with the current BRO beer of the month - Russian River Pliny the Elder. An amazing beer that left me even more inebriated than when I walked in. Needing to be able to find my hotel, I had to stop after only one beer. There were several more that I would have loved to try but at least I can find those beers elsewhere around me. I can’t say the same for Wynkoop and Rock Bottom.
One more stop planned at the Great Divide Brewing Company tomorrow.
Posted in Denver.
Tagged with Denver, IPA.
Made it to Wynkoop on Sunday afternoon. It’s part bar, part restaurant. A neat atmosphere, but the bar area wasn’t real big. They had $1 sampler glasses for each beer. So far I’ve been to two places and their beer prices are very good. Food prices around here are a little high, but beer > food so it’s ok.
Light Rail Ale - Blonde ale. Standard. Pretty light tasting but no bitterness. 4/10
Wixa Weiss - Hefe. 2008 & 1996 Gold Medal GABF German Style Wheat category. Very strong banana smell and taste in this one. Overall, it was similar to the Boulevard Wheat, but more bananier. 7/10
Two Guns Pilsener - Czech pilsener. Little to no aroma. This is a very smooth pilsner. Some pils taste a little skunky, but this was just right. 6/10
Railyard Ale - Amber Ale. This is Wynkoop’s signature beer. An incredibly smooth Amber Ale. Nice balance of hops and malt. The description mentions that it’s similar to an Oktoberfest beer . To me it was a combination of an Amber and an Oktoberfest. Very nicely done. 7/10
Monkey’s Fist IPA - Not an overpowering hop smell but, damn, it hits you as soon as you take the first sip. This is what I expect when I order an IPA. 8/10
Silverback Smoked Porter - 25% of proceeds go to the Mountain Gorilla Conservation Fund. My 6 year old would be so proud of me. Although his dad did start a beer review website, so I can’t imagine him not being proud. Wow. Out of all the smoked beers, this one is the most intense smoke taste I’ve ever had. It really overpowers the porter taste in the beer. 8/10
There were a few more beers I would have liked to try but I had drank about all I could for one sitting. On to the next stop…
Posted in Denver.
Tagged with Denver, Hefe, IPA, Pilsener, Porter, Wynkoop Brewing Company.
I’ve been here for two hours and I’m in love. Liberals, arts, beer, sports - what a place.
1st Stop - Rock Bottom Brewery in downtown Denver. I went with the sampler. $4.95 for 6 different brews. Not too shabby.
Bottoms Up Kolsch - Pretty standard Kolsch. Not one of my favorite styles. Really just tastes like a Bud, MGD or most other macro brewed lagers. A 3 or 4.
Buffalo Gold - Premium Golden lager. This one is pretty tasty. Mild amount of hops but quite a bit of flavor. A solid 6.
16th St. Wheat - Standard wheat as well. Very cloudy, orange appearance.
Red Rocks Red - Irish Red Ale. The description keeps talking about hops, but I’m not tasting a whole lot here. Pretty typical red but not a bad beer. In the brewery, it says 3rd best Irish Red in the world. Hmmm. Maybe I’m just not fond of Irish Reds, but this doesn’t taste much different than any others I’ve had. 5/10.
Molly’s Titanic Brown Ale -My favorite of the sampler so far. Extremely malty brown. Malt really overpowers the hops. This beer won a Gold medal at the 2006 GABF. 7/10
Falcon Pale Ale - Description says IPA but I’m going to says it’s a Pale Ale. It’s a good offering. I enjoyed it as much as the brown, but I love Pales. The brown is a better quality of brown than this is a pale though. If this were available in sixers, I’d definitely buy a few here and there. 7/10
Dank Barrel Aged IPA - Aged in a Wild Turkey Whiskey barrel. Very peculiar smell and taste with this one. Had a rum smell. I expected a hop explosion, but it really wasn’t that powerful. No more than a regular IPA for me. It had 11.2% ABV. 7/10
Posted in Denver.
Tagged with American Pale Ale, Brown Ale, Denver, IPA, Rock Bottom Brewing Company.
A craptacular start to the trip with our flight being delayed 30 minutes. This better not be a sign of things to come. The good news is that it’s in Little Rock so there’s free Wi-Fi.
Also, I will be missing the NFL draft today for the first time in years. Science damn.
Posted in Denver.
