Gravy Boat

gravyboatbeer Over at Slashfood: NY Brewfest 2010: http://bit.ly/cDdXVO

[Source]

Abita Brewdog

I picked this up on a whim. I knew I would soon find myself in the warm embrace of Michigan brews, so I looked beyond my state’s boarders.

Abita Turbogod’s … er, Turbodog’s pour is dark and rich, almost like a porter or stout. It certainly has a dark coloration. I spilled a bit when I sneezed as you can see in front of the bottle. I am happy I had a second bottle in the refrigerator.

The aroma is wheat with some caramel.

Tongue feel is smooth and light.

Taste is overall … good. For the pour’s darkness and aroma’s wheatiness, it is undoubtedly an ale. It is not a wheat beer.

I would like to say that I “discovered” this on my recent trip to northern California. If you would like to believe that, I will not dissuade you of it.

It is North Coast Brewing Co.’s Red Seal Ale. I picked it at my local source because I was trying not to grab Michigan brews.

The color is a filtered amber.

The head dicipated quickly with lacing and some light head on the top.

The aroma is mild: not very hoppy, not very grainy.

The tongue feel is light.

Over at Beer and Whiskey Brothers is a post stating “Holy Cow: Craft Beer is Better for You Than Milk“. This is a health care reform I can get behind!

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3.5% ABV beer has good flavor. Light and smooth in taste, it is dark brown in color.

Some head, some lacing on the sides.

Not bad for the first beer after 5 hours in the sun.

My train got cancelled, so another night in downtown Chicago. I cannot get a rental car until morning.

So here I am at the Weber Grill resturant eating pretzel bread, drinking a Goose Island Honker’s Ale, and waiting for my meatloaf to arrive.

A sad side note is that I am Goose Island-ed out. Think I will shift to the Shiner Bock.

father’s day finds me roaming the rails here in Chicago. Today I am here at Revolution Brewing with the sounds of the CTA in the background watching World Cup.

I ordered the pork belly. Wholy Bovine! That was a damn fine sandwich. You can probably hear my arteries slamming shut from whereever you are.

The Mad Cow stout is milky, very smooth. Almost no hints of chocolate or smokiness. Swishing it around in my mouth I can almost taste the alcohol.

The stout is almost black. There is some light lacing but little head. It has an ABV of 7.5%.

All in all a good brew.

The Coup de Grace is their saison. It is a wheat, no doubt. And it is sweet, surprisingly so. 8.5% ABV. Is smells citruicy. The color is a golden yellow with little head or lacing, but it is a taster. It’s the one on the right, btw.

The Best Coast IPA is a 7.2% ABV. Light yellow with a good head and lacing on the glass, you can smell the hops and a bit of fruit or flowers. It’s clear, not cloudy. A good amount of hops and fruit great your tongue right off. It’s more mild than a lot of IPAs. JK probably would give it a pass, but it works well for me.

From the menu:

This Mexican lager is introduced each year at Cinco de Mayo and is slightly dark but not overly bitter with burnt and roasted malt characteristics that stouts or porters tend to depend on. Instead, hops are used for a good portion of the bitterness. Very refreshing and soul lifting but one with depth and color and taste. Goes well with Pinatas and Nachos.

It is a bitter beer. There is a small head with lacing on the glass. The color is very dark, porter like in it’s inky brown darkness. You cam smell the roasted notes. 5.5 ABV. Served with lime wedges on the rim.

I had a bunch of draft posts going back to the first of the year. I meant to clean up the reviews. I wanted to add photos. I didn’t.

So, I am publishing them as is. Someday I will return to them to improve the quality of the posts.

Until then, enjoy!