This series of posts is dedicated to the many, many six packs, pony kegs and pints that have sauntered into my life at one point or another. As I’ve relocated from Beer City USA to my native state, where cheery consumption of the potable in question is practically written into the bylaws, I’m pleased to discover that one thing remains consistently true: any week designated for a sudsy celebration lasts longer than seven days. I and my partner-in-all-things are on the other end of our very first Madison Craft Beer Week, which was dizzying in every way. Over the course of the … Continue reading Beers I Have Known: Hinterland Brewery Bourbon Barrel Doppelbock

There is a lot of beer on premises when my team gathers for The World’s Largest Trivia Contest. Despite heroic consumption levels, that means there’s also a lot of beer left over at the close of the weekend, and to the clean-up crew go the spoils. Every year, I manage to score some beauties. This time around, I went home with a growler of Ahnapee Brewery’s Fun Guy (a growler offered to me by a teammate who termed it half-full, which the picture above demonstrates may not have been the most accurate assessment). Even though my body is calling out for … Continue reading Beers I Have Known: Ahnapee Brewery Fun Guy

This series of posts is dedicated to the many, many six packs, pony kegs and pints that have sauntered into my life at one point or another. Trivia is pending. My annual excursion into pop culture minutiae and sleep-deprived revelry, primarily grounded in a reunion of my oldest and dearest friends, is a mere ten days away as I type this out. For the first time in fifteen years, I am not making arrangement to cross multiple states in order to get to the camp my team calls its temporary home. The muscle memory of my soul is thusly all … Continue reading Beers I Have Known: Pisgah Valdez

This series of posts is dedicated to the many, many six packs, pony kegs and pints that have sauntered into my life at one point or another. I like beer. That should be clear by now. If there’s a beverage that I prefer, it’s coffee. It stands to reason, then, that beers that incorporate coffee into their flavor profile would make me giddy as a barfly with an unlimited tab that never requires payment. An approach to beer once put forward as a sitcom gimmick is now common enough that an article ranking a couple dozen of the best is far from … Continue reading Beers I Have Known: Schlafly Coffee Stout

As I believe I’ve lamented in this space, I not-so-recently departed the Tar Heel State, more specifically Beer City U.S.A. That meant leaving behind a bounty of frosty favorites, most of which barely travel beyond the borders of their home state, much less journey as far north as I have. I’ve also acknowledged that I have the fresh blessing of constant discovery, finding the abundance of excellent beers that were nonexistent or maybe the merest inklings some fifteen years ago, when I last resided in the state of Wisconsin, and have since become near standards in local watering holes. In … Continue reading Beers I Have Known: Central Waters Brewing Co. Mudpuppy Porter

This series of posts is dedicated to the many, many six packs, pony kegs and pints that have sauntered into my life at one point or another. As I’ve noted previously, I’ve got a whole new world of beers to become acquainted with now that I’ve moved back to my native land of Madison, Wisconsin. The state may have been one of the renowned homes to breweries for ages, but we’re talking about historical offerings on the Blatz and Schlitz tier. In the time I’ve been away, America’s Dairyland has experience the same boom of craft brewing as just about everyplace … Continue reading Beers I Have Known: Ale Asylum Velveteen Habit

This series of posts is dedicated to the many, many six packs, pony kegs and pints that have sauntered into my life at one point or another. Since relocating from the one true Beer City, U.S.A. (stuff it, Grand Rapids) back home to my native state of Wisconsin, I’ve been slowly, not-so-carefully been becoming reacquainted to the brews crafted in America’s Dairyland. But there’s been another element in play. Being back in the Upper Midwest has given me far readier access to the creations of Indiana’s 3 Floyds Brewing Company. What used to be a special treate procured once or … Continue reading Beers I Have Known: 3 Floyds Gumballhead

This series of posts is dedicated to the many, many six packs, pony kegs and pints that have sauntered into my life at one point or another. As I wind down my time in Beer City, USA, I’m thinking a lot about my standby beers over the eight years I’ve called this wondrous mountain town home. I’ve had plenty of beers that I’ve chased, but I’m referring to the beverages that were my defaults, always available and guaranteed to please with equal consistency. The downtown bar Jack of the Wood was one of our haunts, especially in the early days, … Continue reading Beers I Have Known: Green Man ESB

This series of posts is dedicated to the many, many six packs, pony kegs and pints that have sauntered into my life at one point or another. In just a few weeks, I’ll be moving away from Asheville, North Carolina, the wonderful mountain town that began properly earning the title of Beer City, U.S.A. shortly after I arrived, some eight years ago. Leaving behind so many favorite local brews and breweries has stirred up some wistful feelings and inspired me to load down the car with cans and bottles on a road trip that also served as a first pass … Continue reading Beers I Have Known: One Barrel Brewing Company Bilbo Baggins Black IPA

This series of posts is dedicated to the many, many six packs, pony kegs and pints that have sauntered into my life at one point or another. Technically, the name of the beer is Corona Extra, but who ever calls it that? Back in my college days and immediately thereafter, when any beer from outside the borders of the United States automatically registered with me and mine as an exotic indulgence, Corona was one of the prime brews for those of us looking to treat ourselves to a slightly posher experience. Adding to the misplaced sense of fancy was the … Continue reading Beers I Have Known: Corona