This week’s six pack of the week (SPotW) comes from Warrensville, Illinois and (like most sports fans) feel the need to take some shots at the Chicago sports community – we apologize in advance. Warrensville has Two Brothers Brewing which has produced some fantastic stuff for 15 years and is following the latest craft beer trend and putting their stuff in cans. We’ve had some stuff from Two Brothers before and it didn’t hit it out of the park, but we’ve never met a beer we wouldn’t drink so we’ll try them again…
Tuesday, February 21 – Brooklyn Brewmaster Reserve Night @ Mission Dolores, Brooklyn:
Brooklyn Brewery’s main line of beers sticks mostly to old world, traditional styles. Easily drinkable beer with nothing over-the-top. Something you can always count on being delicious to almost any group of people. Their Brewmasters Reserve collection? Out of control. In the best way. They will be bringing the whole entourage of brewmaster brews as well as some surprises.
2009 Monster Ale
AMA Bionda
2007 Black Chocolate Stout
Radius
Concoction
Mary’s Maple Porter
Sorachi Ace
Winter Ale
Blast
After reading that I am actually a bit afraid to find out what the “special surprises” are going to be. Read the rest of this entry »
Hello Beer Friends! Once again we find ourselves at the lovely Idle Hands for the (hopefully legendary) Bourbon and Beer Night. We have the pleasure of Breckenridge Brewery’s company, one of our favorites from the far away land of Colorado. We are looking forward to the always phenomenal Vanilla Porter and something called the 72 Imperial, which is a new one for us, which is always nice. Stay tuned…….
Phil’s Pre-Game #1 Founders Red Rye – always one of my favorites, and just as good this week on draft as it was last week for the Founders event. A good mix of bitter and sweet, the rye doesn’t disappoint.
Brad’s First Pre-Game Victory Yakima Glory – this Black IPA always surprises me because it doesn’t have the roasted malt taste I find with most Black IPA’s. This is always surprisingly drinkable and delicious.
Today we revisit a favorite brewery on the Colorado Brewery Tour 2010 – Left Hand Brewing. Left Hand is moving across the US with the much anticipated (for this Beer Friend at least) Milk Stout Nitro, so in the meantime we figured we’d feature a special release as the SPotW to tide us over. Fade to Black is a great series in which Left Hand brews a dark beer with a different twist each year. Volume 1 was a Stout that poured of licorice and with a 8.5 ABV was nothing to mess with. Volume 2 was a Smoked Baltic Porter with 7.8 ABV and a decent smoky taste, and finally Volume 3, a Pepper Porter at 7.2 ABV. The ABV is a good thing because if the pepper taste doesn’t slow you down, maybe the higher ABV will. Spicy! Series beers! Metallica!
Hello beer friends nation!!! Phil and Brad here to bring you the play by play for the bourbon and beer night here at Idle Hands bar in NYC. Tonight we have Founder’s Brewing gracing us with some brews with a special appearance by Illegal Mezcal for the Bourbon section.
We are hanging with our special guest tonight, David from Libatious.com so he’ll chime in on the Founders tastings…
We are definitely excited, but we’re a little early so we started with some appetizers:
Phil’s pre-game: Rogue Chipotle Ale – being an Oregonian native Rogue Always has a special place in my heart. This one is not really what you would expect. I was thinking it would be more of a pepper taste, but not so. Mostly what I get is the pale ale taste with hint of the smokiness from the peppers, and maybe just a tingle, but no heat. Very good.
Over the hump… 101. Feels good. Idle Hands in Alphabet City NYC does some great events – one happened a few weeks ago was one to remember. Empire Brewing came in and swept 3/4 Beer Friends away (1/4 of the Beer Friends couldn’t make it – otherwise they would’ve been batting a thousand). Two staples you can find of Empire Brewing are their Cream Ale and the IPA, but we became resourceful and got our hands on a growler of Strong Ale. The beer is delicious, the events are great and we’ll buy you a pint if you spot us there! Beer Events! 101! Drink Local!
“I’d like to thank my friends and family, those that supported me in low times, thank you Gigi, my little girls watching at home and most of all the academy, thank you!” It needs a little work, but we had barely any time to work on it (or about 100 weeks…) We made it. 100 reviews. 100 videos of a “bunch of boring dudes drinking beer on camera.” This week we return to one of our favorite breweries – Sixpoint from Redhook, Brooklyn. The Beer Friends have always been huge fans of Sixpoint and it was like Christmas when we could get their stuff in cans. We quickly ran out and reviewed our favorites, our new favorites, newer beers to Sixpoint, old standby’s, and their first seasonal. Now this Black IPA/Stout mix - Diesel comes along and confuses some people on it’s exact style and admittingly the Beer Friends were confused as well – until we went to the source and sought out the truth. Thanks to all the viewers out there who caught us for the first 100, and keep watching for the second 100!
This has been quite a whacky winter. So whacky it seems like spring already. Now, as I’m currently knocking on wood, I’m also thinking about the release of spring-styled brews that’s already underway. Yes, you can definitely still grab darker, warmer and spicier winter brews to help you fend off the (almost) cold weather, but the change of season is at hand – in beer style and maybe in the weather as well.
This video takes us back to our roots in a different way, when apparently we couldn’t frame a shot… Imagine that Graham is talking when you hear his voice (because you don’t see him often) and check out this review from Sierra Nevada. Sierra Nevada made the news this week by announcing a East Coast Brewery Site so we decided to toss up a review of their new seasonal, Ruthless Rye. Ruthless joins the recent rye brews (Founders, Sixpoint) but with a interesting twist – watch to find out! Be sure to check out our ever growing collection of Sierra Nevada reviews – Torpedo – Southern Harvest – Ken and Fritz 30th
Phil here tonight we are live logging from the awesome basement bar Idle Hands in New York City for Empire Brewing’s tasting night. The brewery is joined by Finger Lakes Distillery for a little compare and contrast. Paul and Graham will do the comparing and I will probably be the contrasting opinion……so sit tight, we’re gonna grab an intro beer and a burger and when the party gets started we’ll let you in on the fun!
Phil’s First: we have started off the evening with the Finger Lakes Distillery White Pike Whiskey. I am definitely the farthest thing from a whiskey fan here at The Beer Friends, but I have to say that this one out of all of the times I have had whiskeys in the past, this is the ONLY time I have not been completely turned off and can finish the one shot taster. I actually could have a full serving of this, which coming from me, says a lot.
Corporate Kerouac
Phil
Brad
Graham
Paul
