John's Personal Beer Page
On this page you will find listings of the various Micro Brews, Imported
brews and local Beers that I have sampled in my travels. Now some of these I
have traveled only to my favorite place to get sample brews (Cherry Hill Wine
and Spirits accross from the Cherry Hill Mall). If I've been to the locale for
the brew there will be a link to a special page explaining that trip. For each
one that I've sampled I will try to give my opinion of the brew. To be honest
I've only tasted a few that I won't put here. Two that come to mind are
Philadelphia Lager and Budweiser Honey Wheat. These two brews were the first
two brews where I couldn't finish the glass.
My attempts for the Perfect Brew
English Style IPA and Dogbolter Strong Ale
Cherry Wheat and a Pale Ale
My Futherest Trip for a Brew
Follow this link to a discussion about my trip to Bermuda and to the
Bermuda Triangle Brewery.
Favorite Brews
Well here is the list. I have them catagorized by the type. If any of
you have ever seen my work area you would know I am not organized but when it
comes to Brews I like to keep them catagorized. Just click on the type below
and it will bring you to that section.
Microbreweries and Brew Pubs
Here is a list of the Brewpubs and Micro Breweries I've visited. If they
are on the Web I've included their link.
- Stoudts Brewery and Brew Pub
While on a short
trip to Lancaster County Pennsylvania we made a special stop in Adamstown PA
for Stoudts Brewery. The Brewery is situated as part of the Black Angus
Resturaunt and Stoudts Brew Pub. We got there in time for the Sunday Tour and
got to spend a lovely 45 minutes with the Owner Eddie. Eddie gave a great talk
on how Stoudts still brews their beer based on the German Style. If you took
only one thing away from the tour it was Ed's chant to have your daily ration
of beer but keep it under 3 liters to stay healthy. After the tour we made a
bee line for the brew pub. When you enter the Pub you are greeted by a Antique
Automobile in the lobby. As we waited for our hostess to seat us we got a good
chance to look around. The Bar will handle abiut thirty thirsty brew chasers
and Stoudts has 10 of their brews on tap at all times. Directly next to the bar
was the Raw Bar where Eddie did double duty and was shucking oysters. We sat in
the back room and had a roomy and comfortable time. They offer a nice sampler
of any four brews in 5 ½ oz. pilsner glasses. The price was right also
with the cost being $5.25 each. We had their Portabella Melt which was
Portabella Mushrooms covered in Cheese and seasoned with Balsamic vinger and
garlic. It was great. The brews were good and I really liked their Pils. If you
are in the area stop in and tell Eddie you saw the write up here.
- Bube's Brewery
Nestled in the
center of Mount Joy Pennsylvania is Bube's. I pronounced it Boobs but our
waitress pronounced it booby so go figure. We went there thinking we would be
sampling some fresh suds only to find a pub and Biergarten with a lot of brews
on tap. I asked our waitress what they had on tap and she shot off a litany of
brews . I felt sorry for her but she knew her suds. I settled for the Blue Moon
. The Pub is a registered historic building and houses three eateries. The
Bottleworks, Alois Vicotrion and The catacombs. The Bottleing works is just
that a section of the old brewery lined with different shapes and colord
bottles. If you want you can dine in the Biergarten. For a more finer meal you
can eat in the Alois which is for fine dining in Victorian style. The catacombs
is for fine dining in the underground catacombs of the Brewery. When we were
there (May 25, 2001) we were a few weeks early for their first Bube's
Brew.
- Steelhead Brewing Company We found this place along
Fishermen's Wharf in San Francisco California. We went down to the wharf in the
morning and walked all over Ghirdelli Square, up and down stairs and worked up
a good thirst and appetite. The building is squeezed between some shops along
the main drag of the Wharf. Whenyou walk in the place looks huge. From the
outside it looked small but once inside it just expanded. This was the first
Brew Pub I ever was at that had big high backed soft cushioned chairs. I sat
down and could have stayed there the rest of the day. The placemat was a a
marker for their sampler. The brews were good but as usual in a brewpub they
weren't as cold as I like my beer. For pictures of this stop by my vacation
site (http://ols.onlinesvc.com/vacation). If you are ever out there it
is a must stop while at the wharf.
- Monte Carlo Brewing Co. This one is in the heart of the Monte
Carlo Casino in Las Vegas Nevada. It took us a while to find. We were staying
at the Excalibur and thought it to be a short walk over for Lunch. Wrong!!!!!
You have to fight off the temptation to gamble so you have money for the brews.
Once we found it it was not crowded. I had read reviews which said the place is
usually jammed and the help is more interested in selling the brews and not
talking about them. I guess we hit it at the right time (I don't care for
crowds that much). We got there and had to wait only a few minutes until the
Hostess came back to seat us. The Brew Pub had a metallic feel. It was done up
in a wharehouse type motif. The waitress new her brews and the sampler was a
nice round of six brews in a sort of Pipe holder type arrangement. They were
again warmer than I prefer. They also had one brew that had a lemon wedge in
it. I don't know where these brewers get this. I tried it but it just confirmed
my feelings that the lemon was there to hide the horrible taste of the beer.
All in all it was a good visit. The brews were okay but nothing that made me
say "Wow what a beer". For pictures stop by the vacation site at
http://ols.onlinesvc.com/vacation.
- Hyannisport Brewing Co. A Brewpub and Restaurant. We visited
this pub after a long aftrenoon out on Nantucket Island. I selected their
sampler which was served on a flounder tray. The beers were served in small
glass mugs holding about three to four ounces. As it was late I didn't catalog
the beers. The one thing that I found is that their offerings were not cold. I
like my beer ice cold. They offer a fruit beer that was too sweet for my taste
and all of them were not very carbonated. The one unique thing about the poub
was their pizza. I know this is a beer page but their pizza had some unusual
toppings. It is well worth the visit, so if you are up on Cape Cod
Massachusettes stop in.
- Offshore Ale Co. Martha's Vineyard. We found this place while
strolling the streets of Oak Bluffs on Martha's Vineyard. We had just got off a
bus tour and I thought the tour guide had said that the Island was dry. As
usual for me I half listen and as we strolled the quaint streets of Oak Bluffs
we saw the BrewPub. It was done up in an old style reminiscent of a western
saloon. We came in at the change of shift and the tail end of happy hour. As we
dined on the mussels in red sauce I sampled their offerings. On the wall they
gave the latest brewing offers and the state of the latest brew. The brews were
called. Most places offer a list that shows their beers so you don't have to
write things down but this place did not offer this. I sampled their pilsner,
dark and summer wheat. All were good tatseing and they were the right cold
temperature for my liking. We could have stayed longer but had to scamper so we
wouldn't miss our ferry to tthe mainland. Their souvineers were offered in a
small shop across the street and amazingly they had 2x Shirts. So if you are on
Martha's Vineyard I suggest you stop in for a samople. The food is pricey but
the beer prices are comprable for the area. Martha's Vineyard is not a cheap
place to go.
My dump list:
- Budweiser Honey Wheat --- I like honey but this beer had so much in
it I thought I was having a glass of pure honey.
- Rodenbach Grand Tru --- A Belgian Red Ale. The label said it was
brewed from pure barley malt and whole flour hops. Two years naturally aged in
fine oak barrels. Well I think the hops were sour in this batch. Although the
bottle gave a fizz when opened and there was a nice head this thing tasted sour
as soour can be. It might have been skunked. I must confess this is the first
beer I have ever dumped down the sink after one sip.
Brewzines
Follow the links below to the Brewzines I get. I don't control their
publication bit as I get them I post them. You can subscribe yourself. You will
have to hit the back button to get back here from these pages. Sorry about that
but you will have to wait until I get some programming time.
Beer Links
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