Expose the Smuttynose

February 28th, 2006 by Andy I picked up the ominous sounding Smuttynose Brewing Company’s Shoals Pale Ale thinking that with a name like theirs they had to have good beer. This dark copper colored ale poured with a nice medium head which gave off a pleasant hoppy smell with hints of malts. On first taste, […]

Beer of Champions?

March 1st, 2006 by Andy As a wee lad, I used to greedily devour Wheaties for breakfast, thinking it would impart some of its championship qualities upon me. So it was with a wee bit of nostalgia that I sipped upon Australia’s Coopers Vintage Ale. This beer poured with a medium head which slowly dissipated […]

This pepper ain’t no doctor

March 6th, 2006 by Kevork I love Rogue. Top notch beers in 22oz bottles. Rogue keeps it real; minimal but great ingredients. Rogue brews beers I can wrap my head and my hands around. Chipotle Ale. That’s right. Ergo, the reference in the title to Dr. Pepper. Mmmm-hmmm, it’s because Rogue made a beer with […]

Seduced by Wild Goose

March 7th, 2006 by Andy I was eager to taste the Wild Goose IPA, which is brewed by the Frederick Brewing Company in Frederick Maryland, as I thoroughly enjoyed their SnowGoose seasonal awhile back. Much like the SnowGoose, I was once again, astonished. This light gold beer poured with a slight white head that quickly […]

Don’t let the secret out

March 9th, 2006 by Kevork When I was at my favorite beer friendly pizza shop, I spied Southampton Secret Ale with its large keyhole on the label. It is a yeasty ale that tastes like a pilsner. The label says this is a, “dusseldorf style altbier.” Well, ok. Hinkty hurdy furdy gerdy then. Apparently it […]

The Red Tail Prevails

March 10th, 2006 by Andy The Mendocino Brewing Company is a favorite among beer snobs. They have a knack for consistently producing high quality beers. Without a surprise, they’ve prevailed, once again, with their outstanding Red Tail Ale. This amber ale poured with a beautiful thick white, head that slooowly dissipated to one of those […]

Keeping Quebec in check

March 18th, 2006 by Andy Unfortunately, on the whole, Canada’s beer selection has never really impressed me. Beer from the province of Quebec, with its French influences, however, is a totally different story. Take, for example, the McAuslan Brewing Company, who brews the amazingly smooth St. Ambroise Pale Ale. This fine amber colored ale pours […]

The Summit is beautiful

March 24th, 2006 by Andy During a cold weekend stay in Minneapolis recently, I had the pleasure of imbibing a hometown favorite: The Summit Brewing Company’s Extra Pale Ale. Minneapolis was indeed a cold place (there was roughly ten feet of snow on the ground); however, this beer was definitely the warm spot of the […]

A heavy hitter bitter

April 29th, 2006 by Andy I haven’t had many English style Bitters, however, after drinking this mildly bitter ale, I feel a tinge of regret that I haven’t had the pleasure of enjoying more of these fine beers. The Ridgeway Bitter from the Ridgeway Brewery is an incredibly good beer that bursts with a floral […]

Command the Highland

May 11th, 2006 by Andy On a recent trip to the beautiful Smoky Mountains in North Carolina, I had the pleasure of trying the Highland Brewing Company’s Tasgall Ale. This is no ordinary Ale, however! This dark porterish colored ale poured from the tap with a deep sandy head that lasted the entire drinking experience. […]