6/19/15 Cigar City Brewry

It's taken some time but here is the synopsis of my trip to Florida and cigar City Brewery. First I had an awesome time in Florida. It was great seeing family and I got to drip some amazing beers and had an all around great time doing everything we did there. Cigar city is fantastic. The tour is around $5 and you get a Cigar City glass and about 2 full beers on the tour. About half a glass of four different beers. We went on a Saturday so we had the pleasure of touring with Bob. He only works on weekends so that is definitely the time to go. He is very informative and a pretty funny guy. The first stop is the tasting room where you get to indulge is some Florida Cracker named after Florida's Rodeo scene. All Cigar City brews take their names from Florida and Tampa's rich history. Next it was off to the canning room where we had some Maduro. There we learned some interesting facts and seen a "Big Ass Fan". I believe that is what it is actually called. Next it was off to the micro lab and time for some Invasion. There we learned about all the testing Cigar City does. Lastly we went back to the tasting room and concluded our tour with some Jai Alai fresh off the fermentor.  Jai Alai was my favorite. All in all we tried two flights and the beers on the tour. While there I had Homefront IPA, Strawberry Creamsicle, Bolita Double Brown Ale, Jai Alai White Oak Aged IPA, Key Lime IPA, Cubano-Style Espresso Brown Ale, Caffe Americano Double Stout, Grand Dix, Maduro Brown Ale, and Invasion Pale Ale. Out of all the great beers I had that day Bolita Double Brown Ale was my favorite. All in all this was easily the best brewery trip I have ever had. It was great going to somewhere new having some great beers and sharing that experience with my great family. All of us had a great time and I'm looking forward to going back again. Thanks for reading and as always drink responsibly.

6/18/2015 The Beer Connoisseur Club

I just got back from an awesome vacation down to Florida and I am feeling super recharged. While I was down there I got an email from The Beer Connoisseur  about a Kick starter campaign they wanted me to write about. So I figured I'd check it out and write about that one today and then do one on Cigar City which I visited when I was down in Florida sometime over the weekend. So first I checked out their Kick starter campaign. It looked pretty interesting and like a decent value. You get a membership, access to the site and discounts at different places. The site is pretty well put together and there seems to be some interesting content. I would like to see more reviews and information. I realize the magazine is still young and with time will increase the numbers of these things. Also the discounts they offer are only to a select few companies none of which are really in my area. I think in time this idea will flourish I just think it is going to take some time for this idea to make it to fruition. I recommend you check out their Kick starter campaign and judge for your self an also check out their website to form your own opinion. Thanks for reading and as always drink responsibly.

3/27/2015 How to Store Your Home Brewing Supplies

I received this really interesting info graphic so I thought I would post it to help spread the word. They have a great full article that accompanies it at https://www.nextdoorselfstorage.com/storing-home-brewing-supplies. If your into Home Brewing definitely check it out.

The Grey Stone in Pottsville and the worst fantasy draft ever

I went to the Grey Stone last night and had a blast. The beer was good and had some great conversations. One of our conversation was fantasy football because most of the people I was there with were in leagues. Today I had one of my drafts. Actually I am still drafting now. After an hour we are still barely into the second round and that's with almost nobody drafting. We did an offline draft on Facebook and it moved like a snail and was impossible to keep track of anything. My other draft took around an hour and a half and moved very smoothly. My suggestion for fantasy football is to always draft online and plan things ahead on time. When you wait until the last minute things suck and people complain. Back to the Grey Stone. This is probably Pottsville's most upscale bar and restaurant. They always have a really diverse group of bottled beer that at least a couple of the beers I haven't ever had. The building is almost all stone and they have different pieces of art up for sale in the upstairs bar. This is where I like to hang out. Its a nice comfortable area with about a 10 seat bar. They have two beers on tap. I had five different bottles. First I had Point Nude Beach Wheat which was a nice easy going down beer and a great way to start off the night. Next up was Samuel Smith Organic Chocolate Stout. This one was the first chocolate stout I had that had a super strong chocolate taste. I mean it tasted like Hershey's syrup. Next up was Superfuzz Blood Orange Pale which was really good. Next I had Kutztown Lagerbier which was very good. This and Blood Orange were my favorites. Lastly I had Carlsberg. This was my least favorite. All in all a great night out and 5 more beers off my list. Thanks for reading and as always drink responsibly.

Bethlehem Brew Works

Yesterday I went up to Dorko's for Monday night trivia and had four new Abita beers. The trivia was good even though we didn't fair so well. Today was the first day I had off since the kids went back to school. I debated go golfing today but when that didn't pan out I took it as a sign from God that I need to go to the casino and gamble, and eat and drink at a brewery. I decided on the Sands casino and Bethlehem Brew Works. My first stop was the Sands because Bethlehem Brew Works didn't open until 11 am. The casino wasn't that great but still not horrible. Then I headed off to the Brewery. The parking wasn't that great but it was easy to find. I had Fegley's Hefeweizen and Zomerbier along with a chicken hummus wrap. The wrap was almost perfect. The sauce was a little heavy but the chicken was cooked perfectly and the hummus was excellent. The overall decor of the pub was modern and clean. Beers were served in proper glasses. They had some merchandise, bottles, and growlers. I picked up a mixed six pack. The Hefeweizen was cloudy with a yellow color and lively carbonation and served with a lemon. The head was nice and fizzy with a middle tongue hit and a clove aroma and overall excellent taste. The Zomerbier was a Belgian garnished with an orange that had a nice sweetness and a golden color. It had a small head, long finish and little carbonation. It had a good flavor and I enjoyed both beers thoroughly. Overall this brew pub had goods and not so goods. The service was a little slow but not horrible. The staff was friendly and helpful. The prices were reasonable. I would have to say out of all the places I visited it was about mid level. The staff wasn't as knowledgeable as Iron Hill but they did have bottles for take out. They beat out Troegs because they had a nice selection of beers from other breweries. The food was good which is about the same as all the other brew pubs I have eaten at. Next time I would like to try out the Allentown location. I was also a little disappointed that I wasn't asked about joining the rewards club. Thanks for reading and as always please drink responsibly.

Information from Bethlehem Brew Works web page

Bethlehem Brew Works

Established on April 15, 1998 by the Fegley Family

Bethlehem is now a vibrant downtown, the Christmas City, a place to go for a thriving culture. But it used to be marked by the workers of Bethlehem Steel. This city would not be what it is without the labor and toil put in by the workers of the Steel. If you live in the area, you can probably go back a generation or two and find someone who put in hard days at the Steel. When we opened the Bethlehem Brew Works, we wanted to pay homage and show our respect for those who came before us while paving the way for Bethlehem’s future. And we’re glad to see that we managed to capture the essence of Bethlehem’s steel industry in our 250-seat brewpub.

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Signature beers include

• Steelworkers’ Oatmeal Stout
• Valley Golden
• Steelgaarden Wit
• And the award winning Fegley’s ESB

In addition, seasonal taps have been frequented with beers ranging from Pale Ales and Wheats to Pumpkin Ale and Belgian Lambics.

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Single Malts and Specialty Martinis

Accompanying the handcrafted beers brewed right in the restaurant is a full bar specializing in single malt scotches, small batch bourbons, and specialty martinis.

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Belgian Beers

Downstairs from the Brew Works is our Steelgaarden Lounge featuring over 100 bottled Belgian Beers!

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Open seven days a week

BBW offers lunch and dinner featuring many items which incorporate the handcrafted beer into their recipes.

• Golden Ale Hummus
• Beer and Cheese Soup
• “BREW”schetta
• Steak, poultry, pork, seafood, and pasta
• Pennsylvania Dutch specialties

This is just a hint of what the menu has to offer.

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The Bethlehem Brew Works has something for everyone… for every occasion… any time of the day, the evening and on into the night…

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Location

569 Main Street
Bethlehem, PA 18010
Phone: 610-882-1300
Hours & Directions

Weis in Lewisburg and Heady Topper The Alchemist

I took a little break because I have been so busy the last week. I was up at Dorko's the past two Monday nights and won the 50/50 both times and the first week we won trivia but then came up a little short the next week. Both times I had a great time as usual. Today I was up in Lewisburg and stopped by Weis and got a real nice haul of local breweries. I really wish that the Weis by me carried the variety that this one does. I also got a Carolina Reaper pepper while I was in Sunbury and had it on pizza and I will tell you it is very hot. I had stopped down in Philly to a long time friends house and had a bunch of really good beers. The best of which was Heady Topper from the Alchemist. This beer rates number one on Beer Advocate and is extremely sought after. My friend was kind enough to have one with me and have two from the case he had. This beer is supper smooth and super fresh. The citrus aroma instantly permeates through and anyone can pick up the beautiful aroma. Everyone who he gave beers to that are fans of craft beers loved it. I posted pictures of it and everyone who is in my beer of the month club were extremely jealous. I got a lot of information from one beer of the month club member telling me to keep it in the fridge for 10 weeks and it will change color. So taking his advice I am saving one for ten weeks and the trying again then. The other I shared with my cousin who really appreciated it. By far out of all the beers I have drank I have never seen the reaction I have gotten with this one from so many people. If you like IPAs I can't imagine why you wouldn't love this one. I am so thankful that my friend took the extra time to go to Vermont and pick this one up. I wish I could describe more about this beer but you just have to have it to understand how good it really is. Thanks for reading and as always drink responsibly.

Information from Alchemist website

ABOUTWHO WE ARE
GLORIOUS HOPS
BREWING

The Alchemist is a small, family run brewery specializing in fresh, unfiltered IPA. We are currently focused 
on brewing one beer perfectly – Heady Topper, an American Double IPA.

We love hops – that’s why our flagship Double IPA, Heady Topper, is packed full of them. Heady Topper
 was designed to showcase the complex flavors and aromas these flowers produce. The Alchemist has 
been brewing Heady Topper since 2003. This Double IPA is not intended to be the strongest or most bitter 
DIPA. It is brewed to give you wave after wave of hop flavor without any astringent bitterness. We brew Heady
 Topper with a proprietary blend of six hops – each imparting its own unique flavor and aroma. Take a big sip
 of Heady and see what hop flavors you can pick out. Orange? Tropical Fruit? Pink Grapefruit? Pine? Spice?
 There is just enough malt to give this beer some backbone, but not enough to take the hops away from the 
center stage.

For eight years, Heady Topper was served on tap exclusively at our seven barrel brewpub in downtown
Waterbury. In early 2011 we built the Alchemist Cannery, a 15 barrel brewery and canning line, for the 
production of our flagship IPA. The first cans of Heady Topper rolled off the line just two days after Tropical 
Storm Irene demolished The Alchemist Pub and Brewery. Today we brew 180 barrels per week in twelve
 15 barrel batches. We never hold back inventory, and we move all of our beer weekly in a concerted effort to
 provide the freshest, hoppiest packaged IPA on the market.

The Brewery is currently closed to the public. Please visit our Where to Buy page to find a retailer close to you.