Thoughts on Beer

Schlafly Biere de Garde

The last few weeks, I have been traveling around, going out to New Jersey then down to Saint Louis.  Because we drove to each place, it gave me the opportunity to bring back some beer not available in Iowa, such as some from Oskar Blues, Avery, and Schlafly.

One of the beers I brought back from Saint Louis was Schlafly’s Biere de Garde.  I’ve had many different saison farmhouse ales, but this is one of the only biere de gardes I’ve had.  Without trying to sound too simple, saisons tend to be a bit lower in alcohol with a bit more hop flavor.

This beer was a very nice farmhouse ale.  It smelled very fruity with a bit of Belgian funkiness.  The flavor had a nice malty backbone with just a little but of hop flavor.  This was a great find, and I’m glad I had the chance to try one.

Have you had the Schlafly Biere de Garde?  What did you think?

Some of the Backpocket Offerings

As we stated back in February, Old Man River Brewing (or as they are officially known, Backpocket Brewing) will be coming to the Coralville Landing area, just south of interstate 80, exit 242 in Coralville.  The company announced the news yesterday, with a planned opening next summer.

We look forward to welcoming the new brewery!

New Belgium La Folie

Another beer that is new to Iowa this year is New Belgium Brewing La Folie.  I had a chance to have some of this the other day.

All I can say is “Wow”.  It started off with an extreme sour punch, then the finish left a nice sweetness.  My recommendation is to make sure you have more than just one drink, and it definitely becomes less intense.  It is a great beer that is very complex.

Have you tried La Folie?  Can you put the complex taste into words?  Tell me what you think!

The Captain Wants a Beer

A week ago, my wife and I met up with some family in Florida.  Specifically, we went to Fort Myers Beach.

While there, in addition to hanging out at the hotel tiki bar, we checked out the local night life, and sampled some of the local beer.  Several places had house beers, including the Smokin’ Oyster Brewery, the Yucatan Beach Stand, and The Beached Whale.  Each house beer was a different interpretation of a red.  The favorite was the Yucatan red, because it was more smooth,and was similar to a lager.  A close second in our group was the Beached Whale Ale, another red, but with more ale-like qualities.

Cigar City Brewing Guava Grove

Also while we were there, I had a chance to sample Guava Grove, the farmhouse ale from Cigar City Brewing in Tampa, Florida.  Because of the added guava, it was a bit sweeter than most saisons, but it had a very nice hop flavor and aroma.  It was a good saison and worth a sample.

It was a great trip, and we enjoyed a lot of good beer.  Have you had the local beers at Fort Myers Beach?  What was your favorite?

New Glarus's Riverside Brewery

American Craft Beer Week is May 16-22, 2011.  So this week, when you have a beer, enjoy one from one of America’s craft brewers!

It’s been a heck of a year for craft brewing, and thanks for letting me spend some of that time with you.  Be sure to try some of the beer from breweries we’ve visited in the last year:

• Samuel Adams
• Millstream Brewing
• New Glarus Brewing
• Old Man River Brewing
• Peace Tree Brewing
• Court Avenue Brewing

… and to some we were close to, but couldn’t get enough time to stop by …

• Brooklyn Brewing
• Boulevard Brewing
• Madhouse Brewing
• Abita Brewing
• Spoetzel Brewing (Shiner)
• Bell’s Brewing
• Goose Island Brewing

Have a great week!  Cheers!