Suddenly, it set on me.

Few things are better than choosing at random to grab a beer in the afternoon with a friend you haven't seen in a while.

I stopped in to Kasey's to grab a beer with Steve Figg and b.s. about the Louisville Ironman course and what I'm doing in school. Long story short, we caught up.

What really inspired me to write today, was the beer I decided to enjoy on my way out the door. A Green Flash, West Coast IPA.

I've been living in Chicago for three years now and I have to admit that I've gotten used to Midwestern brews. While that's not a problem, it highlights how my expectations have changed. Much like one would expect a Sierra Nevada to be off-palate of you live in Connecticut, the Green Flash sharply reminded me of how a West Coast Ale should taste.

There's something inherent in the bitterness that permeates this IPA - a fruity and ever-present hoppiness reminds me of the (many) days I spent in San Diego while in the Navy. It should be no surprise that Green Flash is located in San Diego, but to be perfectly honest, I don't remember where I've tasted this brew before (can you blame me? I was a sailor on shore leave!) but they've certainly managed to embody what I consider a quintessential West Coast beer.

I've been to Fleet Week in San Francisco, tried to make my mark on the Gaslamp (left its mark[s]on me) in San Diego, and have sampled brews from Long Beach to Santa Monica... I'm very happy right now to have chosen this brew, in this, the oldest tavern in Chicago's South Loop, only to find myself transported to the Pacific Coast - if only for a few minutes. 

 

...and for those of you who know what it is, I once caught one on video!

Ok, so.... True story

After class this morning, I decided to stop at Haymarket Brewing Co. on my way home. In my head, I told myself it was to get the contact information for the Food & Beverage Director so I could ask for advice in preparing a cover letter and résumé for the burgeoning gastro-pub industry. But let me be honest; it's Friday the Thirsteenth ....I mean, THIRTEENTH .... and fresh, home-town brewed beer is awesome no matter what day it is. (Sidebar: they're totally playing Naughty-By-Nature right now - You down wit' O.P.P?) Also, I would have been able to drink all day, but my sister called me around 11:50 and kept me on the phone for twenty minutes thus violating drink-all-day rule #1.

I ordered up a pulled pork sammich and some mac-n-cheese to line my stomach and an Angrier Birds Imperial Belgian Rye I.P.A. for starters. I really like this beer largely because I helped Sean brew a similar beer last year, Northern Brewer's partial mash kit of the Surly Cynic. Haymarket's brew is a great combination of rye along with what would normally be pilsner malts and fermented with a Belgian yeast. Together with my lunch order, I had a ton of flavors fighting for 1st place (p.s. - the beer won).

The next best part about hitting the brewpub early, was that Haymarket Brewer Pete Crowley came in with a growler of IPA from Tighthead Brewing Co, Recently opened in Mundelein IL. I wasn't too sure of the beer's bouquet, but their IRIE IPA didn't disappoint. It was well carbonated with a light body and excellent hop flavor. I'm looking forward to finding out more about these guys in Mundelein.

 

I didn't have time do drink all day, which by now I couldn't honestly do so, so I finished my visit with Haymarket's The Saison Also Rises. Their take on the traditional Belgian farmhouse ale is very light and incredibly thirst quenching. I feel bad about comparing it to Ommegang's Hennepin, but they're in the same style; it's just that Haymarket's has a much lighter body and you can drink it... all day.


I got a serious treat when I got home! My wife came home shortly after I did and started asking for dinner and stated that she wanted a glass of wine. So I made her a deal - I'd start dinner if he ran over to Binny's and grabbed a bottle of wine and some beer. In response to "What do you want?" I told her to surprise me - and boy did she!! I had been looking for the Lagunitas SUCKS Holiday Ale since October but could only find it on tap at the Maple Tree Inn in Blue Island, IL. (Thanks to Katie, Erich, and Emily for providing such amazing beer availability!) One bottle out of this six pack went into the "the locker" next to my very-first-ever bottle of homebrew.

For those of you who don't go looking for beers like this, the simple review goes like this: It has a nice golden color, is well carbonated, and has a crisp bitter finish. Overall, this cannot be mistaken for anything but a Lagunitas beer. Fans of Lagunitas know what I'm talking about - even though all their beers taste different from each other, each one has that signature Lagunitas taste. Can I type Lagunitas a few more times?  Lagunitas.

The most fun thing about last year's seasonal release from Lagunitas is the fact that they ridiculed themselves and slandered their own name - though, I don't think it can be considered slander given how successful the release was. I have a lot of respect for a brewery that will publicly announce how disappointed they are with themselves (yeah, right) in a press release!

 

Best Bottle Caps of 2010

Ok! So these are a year late, but I've finally cleaned up and mounted my "best of" collection from 2010.

This project started after I received a wall-mount bottle opener from my friend Jody. He was cleaning out his condo and found several beer steins he no longer had room for, and the opener was in the box. Luckily, I had room for both the steins and the opener in my kitchen. The opener installed nicely near my recycle bin and with the help of a random, loose magnet, it catches all the caps before they fall to the floor.

I had been collecting bottle caps for no apparent reason other than I had a magnetic knife rack that I wasn't using. Once I installed the opener on the wall, I got the idea to collect caps that I didn't already have - at least the ones I liked.

The current front-runners of the 2011 collection.

I printed out a template to which I glued the caps before putting them in a deep-set frame. I ran out of heavier card stock, so the standard piece of paper warped a bit as the glue dried. I'm planning to buy a thin sheet of tin or maybe just cardboard to adhere to the back in hopes of flattening it out, but it will suffice for now.

Back in 2010 I had managed to squeeze in more than enough caps and was perplexed as to how I was going to make them fit on a 8-1/2 x 11" sheet of paper. It was Jody who pointed out the obvious: "There's 24 bottles in a case of beer, why don't you just keep 24?" ...so out went the caps I knew I'd have no problem finding again! (really, there's many on there still that I could have thrown out)

The layout prior to framing

My personal favorites from 2010 are:

• Bell's Oberon; this cap always makes me think of summer!
• Hook & Ladder isn't a common find in Chicago - unless your house is actually on fire.
  
• Harpoon Brewery's cap is simple; it's old fashioned and rather distinctive.
  

The complete list can be found after the jump.

The end of 2011 is approaching, and I'm now faced with the problem of picking up SIX new beers with interesting caps! Suggestions will be most appreciated!

All buttoned up! (and me on my way!)

Jalapeño?

My new favorite curiosity? Asheville Brewing Company's "Fire Escape." It's their "Escape" filtered through jalapeño's! Delicious!


          [2011-12-16] I need to look back into this brew...
          "Escape" isn't listed as a beer brewed by Asheville
          Brewing Co, but they have a "Houdini!" - Which
          explains why I thought the un-filtered version was
          called "Escape Artist."

"Bottle Caps"

Apparently, if you collect enough bottle caps during Chicago Craft Beer Week, you earn extra prizes !

Nodding Head Brewery, Philly

Brewery visit #4, Nodding Head Brewery, Downtown Philadelphia, PA
I'm posting this largely because we made two pit-stops in Philly, and I took pictures. Don't get me wrong, the beer was ok; but not great. It was a lot cooler to be downtown Philly than in this dark, dive-y, brewpub.

The outside of the pub was inviting, the sign out front provided some explanation of the name.

But that could never explain how creepy the bobble-head doll collection and tap handles were. And if my memory serves me right (it doesn't, I'm setting up a joke), the beer on the left tasted a bit like shaving cream. Thanks, creepy barbershop quartet!

The brewery section didn't look bad... I just remember being upset that my beer tasted bad. ...and it's not 'entirely' the brewery's fault, I had a full belly and it was getting late.

And as became the theme of the trip, here's another disapproving look from Jami!

Dock Street Brewing Company!

After stopping for dinner with my Great Grandfather in New Jersey, we headed south, and since we were driving right through Philly, we googled "brewery" and found our way to Dock Street.

Once again, I didn't take any notes on this flight that I enjoyed... But I do remember that I wasn't impressed with the lighter beers. The porter and the stouts were much better.

And here's another picture of Jami giving me a disapproving look out front of another brewery: