Ballast Point Big Eye IPA

Brewed by: Ballast Point Brewing Company

Brewery Location: San Diego, CA

Style: American IPA

ABV: 7.00%

I’ll be completely honest here: I had never even heard a whisper of the Ballast Point Brewing Company when I first noticed this beer on the shelf at my local distributor. And I spent this past summer just outside of San Diego…shame on me. After picking up a six-pack on a relative whim, I must say that I am pretty disappointed…that I didn’t get to try this beer over the summer. Big Eye, you are one hell of a good American IPA.

Upon pouring, a very rich, copper color was revealed. There was a fairly large head, and some seriously sticky lacing that hung around until my glass was empty.

Upon first smelling the Big Eye, I was immediately greeted by piney hops, and a smell of bitterness. While these smells served as the overtones for this beer, there were some serious citrus flavors going on in the background: pineapple, orange, and lemon…? There was also a bit of malt that was able to shine through as well, leaving me pretty excited to taste what I imagined to be a pretty well balanced brew.

The taste followed suit with the smell beautifully, immediately punching through with that to-be-expected hoppy bitterness. After the initial shock of the hops, the citrus makes an appearance as the main contender, complemented by an almost floral sweetness. The sweetness was almost a bit too much for me, but after a few more tastes, I concluded that the hoppy bitterness and sweetness balanced each other out very well.

Let’s be straight here: I need to stop purchasing beer from random brewing companies. I end up with a beer like the Big Eye, which I thoroughly enjoy, and then make it a personal mission to try as many of their different styles as possible. Oh wait, that’s not a bad thing? Well in that case, give the Ballast Point Big Eye a try!

Victory Golden Monkey

Brewed by: Victory Brewing Company

Brewery Location: Downingtown, PA

Style: Belgian Tripel

ABV: 9.50%

As I do with the majority of beers that I try, I happened to stumble across a few bottles of Golden Monkey whilst perusing through my local beer distributor. I had heard of it through several friends, but had never been presented with the opportunity to try it. As it happened, the price was right, and a 6-pack found its way home with me. I wasn’t sure exactly what to expect, but overall, I was very content with my purchase.

Upon pouring, it was immediately understandable why this beer was named Golden Monkey. A clear, amber-golden color presented itself, with very apparent carbonation bubbles. It had a medium sized, frothy head, which hung around for a decent majority of the beer.

The first smell that I picked up on was that oh-so distinctive Belgian tripel smell. There were hints of spices, and definitely some serious citrus overtones. It was a bit difficult to really pick up on the exact fruit, but it almost smelled like a curious case of lemon meets orange. It was also fairly easy to tell that this was going to be one hell of a boozey beer, as the smell of alcohol was very apparent.

As expected, on first taste the spice and alcohol really punch through, leaving the citrus in the background. It is slightly bitter, but almost…neutral tasting? With other tripels I have tried, taste on opposite ends of the spectrum complement each other, creating an enjoyable and interesting beer. There are a lot of clashing and over the top flavors going on here, which didn’t leave me particularly impressed.

I’m not necessarily saying this is a bad beer by any means. I happily finished by 6-pack, very glad that I was finally able to try it. If someone offered me one, I’d gladly enjoy it, but I foresee myself settling on other Belgians.

A Formal Update and Thanks

I started this blog not too long ago with the intentions of providing solid, well written reviews for craft and microbrewed beer. I originally intended on my target audience to be college students who are looking for something besides incredibly cheap session beer, but I have found that my audience has expanded to people from all walks of life. I am incredibly happy with this shift, because through my discussions with people through this blog, through twitter, through shopping in my local beer distributor and whilst sipping on a cold one, I have come to learn something: beer is truly a universal beverage.

I have had traffic from over 20 different countries to this blog, ranging from the USA, to Europe, to the Middle East. That amazes me, and makes me very thankful that I have the technology at hand to discuss something that I, and many others, truly enjoy. The Brew Backer Twitter account reached 1,000 followers today, also from all walks of life. I honestly did not expect to gain that many followers that quickly, and for that again, I am grateful. Here's to the next thousand.

One idea that I am thinking about implementing is having a different guest write a review each week about a beer of their choosing. This will allow for more posts, and would add different voices to the blog. Again, we all come from different places and have varying backgrounds, and it would be nice to share these voices in a unified manner about a subject that, being that you are here reading this, I assume you truly enjoy. If you would be interested in writing a review for a week, or perhaps more, please feel free to email me at brewbacker@gmail.com!

I've truly been enjoying running this blog, and will continue to do so with my utmost dedication. Here's to good beer and good friends. Cheers, all.

Dogfish Head My Antonia

Brewed by: Dogfish Head Craft Brewery

Brewery Location: Milton, DE

Style: American Double/Imperial Pilsner

ABV: 7.50%

I am a big fan of a good pilsner, and as most everybody who reads this blog knows, I am a big fan of the Dogfish Head Craft Brewery. I had seen the My Antonia on the shelf before, and finally decided to pick it up a few days ago, over the Sah Tea. (But let’s be honest here, I’ll probably purchase the Sah Tea tomorrow night. How can I resist?) Once again, I was nothing short of ecstatic with my purchase.

I poured into a traditional pint glass, and was greeted with a light, pale yellow, that had a bit of a cloudy appearance. The amount of lacing was pretty ridiculous; it’s safe for me to say that the My Antonia may have the stickiest lace of any beer I have tasted to date. There was a larger than average head that stuck around for the majority of the drink.

Upon first smell, I picked up on some serious hints of grass, lemon, and citrus. It smelled incredibly refreshing, and I was very happy that I was sipping it on a somewhat warm day. I also picked up the smell of piney hops, but they were more of an undertone than the easily recognizable smells, like lemon.

The taste very much complemented the smell. It has a very crisp, refreshing taste to it, accentuating the lemon, grass and hoppy flavors. Like most pilsners, it had a bit of a dry taste to it, but finished up with a little bitterness from the hops.

Not really much else to say on the My Antonia. There is nothing absolutely incredible that stands out about it, but what you are left with is one solid Pilsner. I’m starting to think Sam Calagione made a deal with the Devil…

Dogfish Head 90 Minute IPA

Brewed by: Dogfish Head Craft Brewery

Brewery Location: Milton, DE

Style: American Double/Imperial IPA

ABV: 9.00%

I am a very big fan of the beer that Dogfish Head produces, and the 90 Minute IPA proved to be no different. I have to follow up that statement with another, though: this is one of the weirdest damn IPAs I have ever tasted, and it differs pretty significantly from the 60 Minute, and of course from the 120 Minute. I went it expecting a similar taste, but was actually pleasantly surprised to be tasting something completely different.

Upon first pour from the four pack I purchased, I was greeted by an attractive clear red, with hints of orange as well. It had a fairly small head, which was maintained throughout basically the entirety of the drink. Right off the bat I knew I was in store for something different.

After taking a deep smell of the brew in front of me, I was absolutely blown away by the sweetness and malt that assaulted my nose. There were hints of citrus, and definitely a hoppy smell as well. However, the uniqueness of this smell is that the roles seemed to be completely reversed. I am so used to a citrusy and piney forefront, yet here they were sitting in the background, allowing the sweet malts to dominate the smell. Different, for sure!

After sipping, that balance did not shift in the slightest. I was instantly bombarded by a very large and malty sweetness, which eventually faded a bit and let the citrus and hops make an appearance. It is slightly bitter, and just as it started, it ended with a pleasant sweetness.

This is one hell of a unique IPA, and one that I am very glad I tried. It is so different than the IPAs that I generally drink, but this one has me thinking that I should be expanding my palate a bit more to another spectrum. With the exception of the Raison D’Etra, Dogfish has a fantastic track record in my book.

Victory Hop Devil

Brewed by: Victory Brewing Company

Brewery Location: Downingtown, PA

Style: American IPA

ABV: 6.70%

As I have made painfully clear, I am an IPA drinkin’, bitterness-seeking hophead. When my local distributor started carrying Hop Devil by Victory Brewing Company, I immediately added it to my list of beer to purchase in the very near future. The day finally came; I purchased a six-pack and sat down to a brew that I had been waiting to drink for a few months. If I would have know what was waiting for me, let’s just say I would have reworked that “to purchase” list and moved Victory a bit up the alphabet.

I poured into a tulip glass and was greeted by a clear and dark amber appearance. There were a significant amount of carbonation bubbles, which excited me, because hell, this beer just looked crisp. There was a significantly larger than usual head which hung around for a while, only increasing an already pleasant appearance.

Like several other IPAs I have reviewed, the most dominant smells were citrus and hops. The citrus was predominantly grapefruit, with perhaps a hint of orange. The hoppy smell was almost spicy, which in combination with the appearance, only backed up my theory that this guy was going to be crisp.

Upon first sip, I could tell that my suspicions were going to be confirmed. I immediately noticed a very hoppy flavor, which had an incredibly piney forefront. What was most interesting about the taste is that while it was very hoppy, it wasn’t overly bitter in the slightest. The grapefruit was still able to shine through, which complemented the pine flavor rather nicely. Also interesting, the Hop Devil has some malt tones in there as well, which made for a very unique experience.

Don’t get me wrong, I am an absolute sucker for an IPA that is bitter from start to finish, but wow this was a very good beer. The fact that the malt, hops and citrus were able to punch through to my palate is sign of fantastic brew craftsmanship. I could drink this on a very regular basis and never look back. Great brew, Victory.

Lagunitas Hairy Eyeball

Brewed by: Lagunitas Brewing Company

Brewery Location: Petaluma, CA

Style: American Ale

ABV: 9.00%

I haven’t had much experience with the Lagunitas Brewing Company, and I have to admit that I bought the Hairy Eyeball on a complete whim. I had only had their IPA before this, and I must say that I was pleasantly surprised with that was effectively a completely random purchase.

Per usual, I poured into a traditional pint glass and was a bit blown away by the color that made an appearance. A deep brown, with a hazy red tint, greeted me. This bad boy is dark, and had about a half-inch head that displaced rather quickly.

Upon first smell, it was apparent that the Hairy Eyeball definitely had an alcoholic bite to it. It smelled a bit boozy, with hints of deeper fruits, like grape and plum. There are also some deep undertones of coffee and malt, but they laid in the background and really let the dark fruits shine through.

The taste followed suit with the smell perfectly, which in this case was a very good thing. The fruits were the forefront players, and left a pleasant aftertaste. There were some malt and coffee traces, but the most apparent tastes were definitely fruit and booze. It almost tasted like a barley wine.

Like I said, for being a completely impulse purchase, I was very happy with this beer. It’s a bit too heavy for me to designate it anything more than a once-in-a-while drink, but if I was ever presented with the opportunity to drink it again I most certainly would. If the Hairy Eyeball and the IPA are any testaments towards the quality of the Lagunitas Brewing Company, I will certainly be trying more of their brew.

Dogfish Head Miles Davis’ Bitches Brew

Brewed by: Dogfish Head Craft Brewery

Brewery Location: Milton, DE

Style: Imperial Stout

ABV: 9.00%

Ah, yes. Who could forget this classic 1970’s album? I was fortunate enough to pick up a bottle of brew inspired by it, which was designed by Sam Calagione, of Dogfish Head Brewery. I didn’t really know what to expect from this beer, but I must say, as I am with most of Dogfish’s brews, I was pleasantly surprised.

I poured into a traditional pint glass, and was greeted with an incredibly dark appearance. This bad boy has one creamy head, which hangs around for the majority of the drink. There is a decent amount of lacing for a stout.

Upon first smell, I picked up on some serious chocolate and caramel notes. There were hints of coffee as well, but it smelled a bit sweet, which I believe is due to the honey undertones that were present. I’m not the biggest fan of stouts in the world, but I was pretty excited to tear into this jazz classic.

The taste followed suit with the smell rather beautifully. It tastes a bit boozy, and gives off some serious chocolate, molasses, and honey flavors. You can certainly taste the 9.00% ABV, that’s for sure. There isn’t anything particularly outstanding about the taste, but it is simply a very solid tasting, dark as night imperial stout.

I am very impressed with this brew, and would definitely purchase it again if given the opportunity. Being a limited release, I definitely wish I bought more than one bottle. It is a great tribute to an absolutely groundbreaking album.

Dogfish Head 60 Minute IPA

Brewed by: Dogfish Head Craft Brewery

Brewery Location: Milton, DE

Style: Imperial Pale Ale

ABV: 6.00%

As I’ve stated before, I am a huge fan of the beer that Dogfish Head brews. And with IPA’s being my favorite style of beer, I knew I was in for a treat with this one. Luckily, and not surprisingly at all, I was not disappointed in the slightest. The 60 Minute IPA is a very well balanced, and delicious brew.

I poured into a tulip glass, and was greeted with a deep gold and amber color. There was not much head at all, perhaps a half-inch or so. It is definitely a fairly clear brew, with only carbonation bubbles clouding it up.

The 60 Minute IPA has a very distinct aroma to it, which left me very excited to take my first sip. It has a very piney smell to it, along with a variety of fruits. Citrus played a huge role in the design of this beer, with lemons and oranges providing very subtle undertones to the more apparent hoppy aroma.

The taste follows suit quite nicely with the aroma. I thought it was going to be a bit hoppier, but was actually pleasantly surprised to be sipping on a smoother IPA. I was a bit amazed at how easy it went down. The same citrusy notes apparent in the smell were made very clear in the taste as well.

I’ll be completely honest; I could drink this everyday and be pretty content. There is nothing absolutely incredible that stands out about it, but it is a very solid, very drinkable IPA. I may not have enjoyed your Raison D’Etra, but good job on this one Dogfish. Next up, 90 Minute… 

Stone Ruination IPA

Brewed by: Stone Brewing Company

Brewery Location: Escondido, CA

Style: Imperial IPA

ABV: 7.70%

I have been waiting for a beer like this for quite a long time. India pale ales are absolutely my favorite style of beer, and it is my opinion that the hoppier and more bitter they are, the better. I dug into this beer with fairly high expectations, and was not disappointed in the slightest.

I poured into a traditional pint glass, and poured the expected amber color. I had a bit of a strong pour on this brew, and was greeted with a very thick head, and a phenomenal amount of lacing throughout the drink. It has a very deep look to it.

Upon first smell, I was barraged with an aroma of different smelling hops. There was certainly an upfront pine smell, followed by a bit of citrus…perhaps lemon, or grapefruit? Either way this bad boy smelled like it was going to pack a punch.

Upon first sip, there was a wave of pine and malt flavors. The citrus that was apparent in the smell makes an appearance in the taste as well, which was very pleasant. The most noticeable thing about the taste, however, is the beautiful bitterness. At 100+ IBUs, it seemed a bit overwhelming at first, but it settled into a very nice finish, with serious drinkability.

This is absolutely one of my favorite IPAs, and I could certainly drink it on a regular basis. However, for those not familiar with the more aggressive IPAs, be warned, because this is one bitter mother, and everything else will taste bland for a while after!

Victory Prima Pils

Brewed by: Victory Brewing Company

Brewery Location: Downingtown, PA

Style: German Pilsner

ABV: 5.30%

I’ve heard a lot of good things about the Victory Brewing Company from friends and fellow brew-junkies, and finally thought to give one of their beers a try. I am a fairly adamant fan of a good pilsner, so I decided to give the Prima Pils a try. Turns it out was a fantastic choice.

I decided to enjoy this beer in a tulip glass. The Prima Pils pours like a traditional German pilsner, with a cloudy and golden pale color, with a decent amount of head. There was a surprising amount of lacing throughout the entire drink.

This beer was a very nice smell to it. It has hints of citrus, malt, and even a bit of grain. It smells like a fairly complex beer, and left me very excited for the first sip.

The smell of this beer predicted the taste rather nicely. It is a slightly bitter beer, and bit hoppier than other pilsners. It has a malty and lemon taste to it, which balances out the hoppiness quite well.

Like I said before, I am a big fan of pilsners. I was genuinely impressed with the Prima Pils, and would certainly purchase it again in the future. I am looking forward to trying more beer from the Victory Brewing Company, that’s for sure. Next beer from Victory: Hop Devil!

Lagunitas Cappuccino Stout

Brewed by: Lagunitas Brewing Company

Brewery Location: Petaluma, CA

Style: American Imperial Stout

ABV: 8.80%

I’ve tasted several cappuccino stouts from several different breweries, and I happened to randomly stumble across the Lagunitas while perusing through my local beer distributor. I am very, very impressed by this brew.

I poured into a pint glass, and the appearance is exactly how it should be. It pours a deep coffee brown, with a little more than a half-inch tan head. As you can tell from my other reviews, I am all about examining the color of a fresh pour under a light, but it’s just not going to happen here. This is an incredibly dark pour.

The smell is what immediately attracted me to this beer. It doesn’t try to be delicate at all, and has an incredibly bold, upfront smell: coffee and roasted malts. There are hints of chocolate as well, which only adds to the flavor of a good cappuccino stout.

Upon first tasting, I couldn’t believe how smooth this beer is. The coffee is absolutely the most prominent taste, followed up with a bit of an alcoholic edge and roasted malt flavor. It tastes a bit less full than other stouts, which actually is very pleasant and allows for a very nice balance of flavor.

Like I said, I very much enjoyed this beer. I purchased a 22 oz., and was very happy with that decision. It is a nice beer to enjoy with a dessert, but it’s just a bit too full of a flavor to enjoy multiple in one sitting.

Dogfish Head Pangaea

Brewed by: Dogfish Head Craft Brewery

Brewery Location: Milton, DE

Style: Belgian Strong Pale Ale

ABV: 7.00%

I have to say, Dogfish Head brews some pretty off-the-wall beer, but this truly was one of the more interesting ones. An interesting fact right off the bat: the Pangaea is brewed with an ingredient from every continent of the world, including ginger from Australia, moscavado sugar from Africa, and basmati rice from Asia. How’s that for a worldly brew?

The Pangaea pours a clear red, which settles out into a very interesting hazed head. I poured this beer into a tulip glass, and it had a very attractive appearance, especially in direct light.

There is a fairly prominent and intricate smell to this beer. You can smell the spices right off the bat, and there is almost a hint of cinnamon. The smell of hops are faint, but definitely apparent. The most up-front smell from the Pangaea is something that the normal beer drinker wouldn’t expect: ginger. The ginger gives it a sweet and spicy smell, which was a bit unlike anything I’ve had before.

The taste was almost exactly how I predicted it would be: gingery. It has a medium body, and tastes a bit more carbonated than your average beer. As the beer warmed up a bit, the ginger taste took a step off the main stage, and let in some more fruity flavors, like apple and orange. They were certainly faint in comparison to the ginger, but made for a very pleasant undertone.

I would certainly drink this beer again. Based on the sweetness of the ginger, it could not be a daily beer by any means, but it would absolutely make for a nice treat once in a while.

Local Harvest Ale Sebago

Brewed by: Sebago Brewing Company

Brewery Location: Gorham, ME

Style: American Pale Ale

ABV: 6.20%

The Sebago ale pours a deep brown, with hints of amber. A thick head makes a brief appearance, and then soon after settles into some serious lacing. Overall I was extremely happy with the appearance in a pint glass, especially under the light.

There is a very faint smell, which is quite hoppy, and definitely fruity. You can almost smell a bit of tangerine and grapefruit, which makes for a very pleasant smell that is not overpowering in the slightest. The aroma of alcohol is not present in the slightest. I found myself just taking in the aroma of this beer for a bit longer than usual.

The taste is very smooth, with the sweet fruity flavors complementing the hoppy bitter flavors quite well. There is a very impressive balance of flavors. As the drink progresses, the bitterness of the hops make themselves more apparent, but it does not detract from the flavor at all. It is hard to pick up on the fact that this is a 6.20% ABV.

I was fairly impressed by this beer, especially due to the fact that it comes from a fairly underrated brewery. I certainly wish this wasn’t a seasonal beer, as I could see myself drinking it again in the future.

You can purchase this beer at Connecticut Liquors.

Left Hand Brewery Milk Stout

Brewed by: Left Hand Brewing Company

Brewery Location: Longmont, CO

Style: Milk Stout

ABV: 5.20%

Looking through my local distributor, the Left Hand Milk Stout immediately caught my attention. I had been drinking a lot of hop-heavy beers, and was looking for a decent darker beer. I'd never heard of the Left Hand Brewing Company before, and on a whim decided to purchase a six-pack, and couldn't be happier with my decision.

The Milk Stout pours a very dark color, with a hint of redness. I was a bit surprised at the amount of head, which was a consistent 1/2", and left a decent amount of lacing as I progressed through the beer.

This beer just absolutely smells dark. I was also able to pick up on a nutty, almost earthy smell. There was a hint of sweetness in the smell, almost chocolate-like, which set my expectations fairly high for a decent stout, which appeals to both ends of the palate.

The beer tastes very milky, and fairly sweet. I was immediately reminded of a cup of coffee, with hints of caramel and vanilla throughout. It is a very full-bodied beer, and frankly it is a bit hard to believe that the ABV only clocks in at 5.20%.

I am very impressed by the smoothness of this beer, which made it incredibly enjoyable, especially since I purchased it completely on a whim. Give Left Hand Brewery a shot!

Dogfish Head Raison D'etra

Brewed by: Dogfish Head Craft Brewery

Brewery Location: Milton, DE

Style: Belgian Strong Ale

ABV: 8.00%

As a craft-head, I am very much attracted to small breweries that are able to tell a story of success, which is why I am such a supporter and buyer of Dogfish Heads craft beer. I have tried a ton of their beer, generally enjoying the majority of them. The Raison D'Etra was the exception, however.

The Raison D'Etra pours a deep mahogany, with minimal head and very little lacing.  The beer has a very deep, bold smell consisting of fruit and alcohol, along with a bit of oatmeal and smokiness. I found the smell to be rather overpowering, and a bit boozy.

Upon first sip, all of my suspicions resulting from the smell were confirmed. It has a very sweet taste, with the taste of alcohol and raisons at the forefront. It has a fairly medium body.

What pains me the most about the Raison D'Etra is that it is just so close to being a fantastic beer. If Dogfish Head would have just toned down the overpowering sweet and fruity flavor, and let them complement the less prominent dark, nutty flavors, it would be a bit more drinkable and would have appealed to me more.

I'm glad I tried it, because it is a very unique beer.  Based on their other beer however, I know Dogfish Head can do better.

Dogfish Head Squall IPA

Brewed by: Dogfish Head Craft Brewery

Brewery Location: Milton, DE

Style: Imperial IPA

ABV: 9.00%

The Squall IPA is the unfiltered and bottle-conditioned version of Dogfish Heads ever-popular 90 Minute IPA. It shares many features with the 90 Minute, including a beautiful dark orange pour, with a very thick head.

Upon first tasting, the first thing that comes to mind is: hops. This is an incredibly hoppy beer, and that flavor does not go away as the beer warms up, although it is partially taken over by a malty, almost caramel flavor. Thoroughly impressed by the dominant hop flavor, I researched and learned that this beer is dry-hopped with six different types of hops: Palisade, Amarillo, Simcoe, Cascade, CTZ and Willamette.

The Squall IPA is a very well balanced beer.  There is an almost perfect ratio of hoppy flavor to other dominating flavors, which include citrus and other tropical fruits, which results in an IPA that is very drinkable. For those turned off by the bitterness of some IPAs, the Squall IPA could very well be a nice change of pace.

Brooklyn Local 1

Brewed by: Brooklyn Brewery

Brewery Location: Brooklyn, NY

Style: Belgian Pale Ale

ABV: 9.00%

The Brooklyn Local 1 pours a very attractive straw color, and is incredibly cloudy. The traditional Belgian head is apparent, which has a very sweet and citrus smell to it

Upon first sip, the Belgian yeast is very apparent, along with a bit of a spicy flavor.  As the beer warms up a bit, you can begin to taste a more malty flavor. What is unique about the Brooklyn Local 1 is that it is brewed with German hops, rather than the traditional Belgian hops.

The pour is beautiful, the body of the beer is very flavorful, and the beer finishes up with a sweet, grassy and almost citrusy aftertaste. As the beer warmed up, these flavors became much more apparent, resulting in a beer that is truly enjoyable.

If you enjoy other Belgian beers, then this one is right up your alley. It features all of the crisp and clean aspects of a Belgian beer, and hides its 9.00 ABV very well. It could very easily sneak up on you, just something to bear in mind.

Brew Backer

Like most college students, on weekends I would scour the campus looking for the loudest and most rambunctious parties. The cheaper I had to pay to enter a party, the better. All you can drink Pabst Blue Ribbon for five bucks? I'm there in a second. This is how the first two years of my college experience unfolded. Pabst Blue Ribbon, Natural Ice, Miller Life and Budweiser tightened their grip on my weekends. As I sit here typing this, sipping on my Samuel Smith Oatmeal Stout, I realize that I probably wouldn't have gotten along with two-year ago me. Beer was simply a material to get drunk on, and I had absolutely little to no appreciation for it.

A friend of mine brought home a six-pack about a year ago of a beer that I had never heard of. He offered me one and I gratefully accepted. I began to drink it like I would a cheaper beer, and had to stop. The flavor was absolutely delicious. I slowed down, and began to savor the drink. The rest, as they say, is history.

This blog is aimed at twenty-somethings who do not realize that there is a whole other world of beer out there. There are brewers who are truly passionate about their craft, and pull long hours seven days a week in order to provide their customers with the best tasting beer that they can. There are homebrewers who tamper like mad scientists in order to create a unique beer for their family and friends. And there are groups of younger people who are starting to realize that cheap American lagers are an embarassment to the true world of brewing.

I will be providing beer reviews, brewery reviews/trip recaps, homebrewing tips and whatever else crosses my mind on this adventure. More and more people are beginning to discover this new world, and I will be doing my best to encourage many others.

Cheers.