Tag: IPA

Wuh-Ster Day Trip

On By Chris ElliottIn Alcohol, Brewery, Distillery, Restaurants, Trips, vacations, whiskeyLeave a comment

Personally, I think this pronunciation of Wooster, Ohio is idiotic. It should be Woo!-Ster like a drunk girl shouting at a bar. However, the locals prefer the WUH so I’ll roll with it.

This past Saturday we took a day trip down to Wooster and walked around the town, had a burger and indulged in some beverages. Traveling during the Covid, is weird. A day trip is easy enough and Ohio has a lot to offer.

First off we visited Muddy’s where I had the cheesiest of cheese burgers. If you have a lactose sensitivity, stay away.

After Muddy’s, the main reason for this trip was to visit the JAFB taproom. Just Another Fucking Brewery, is a pretty spacious taproom and I was able to try several brews. My favorite of the ones I had was the Hefeweizen, though the Summer Forever (New England IPA) was very good as well. The Hefeweizen is a good solid rendition of this beer style with just enough banana taste. I really enjoyed this one. I was told after that I need to try the Apricot one, so next time I’ll give that one a taste.

After the brewery, we had two more stops to make. First off was Minglewood Distilling Company. I am by no means an expert on bourbon but I’m starting to get into it more. They had a variety of alcohols and I did a tasting. I wish the tours were open but again the virus got in the way. I picked up a bottle of the bourbon to take home. Then one last stop at Hartzlers Dairy Farm for some ice cream. Perfect dessert to end the day.

New Year’s Vacation

On By Chris ElliottIn UncategorizedLeave a comment

Florida is well known on the internet for “Florida Man”. Sometimes, the place gets a bad rap for that. While the inland areas may have some questionable residents, I’d argue the coasts are some of the best places around for a relaxing getaway. The past week, I vacationed in Siesta Key with my girlfriend’s family. Now, I consider myself the leading expert of Sanibel Island and I have been to Orlando and all over the Palm Beach area as well as Panama City Beach (PCB13!) but this was my first time to the Sarasota area.

Most of my time was spent crushing Corona Lights on the beach, but I did try a couple breweries out and had a few beers at various restaurants.

On Wednesday, as the slices of bread on either side of my dinner at Brick (fantastic BBQ by the way) we visited JDub’s Brewing Company and Calusa Brewing. Calusa leaned towards having a lot of high alcohol content IPAs, but it definitely had some solid beers on their list and the tap room was pretty busy. The best beer of the trip though was at JDub’s. Brad Popped His Berry was so good. This Blueberry sour was jammed full of flavor. Loved this beer like seagulls loves bread crumbs.

For a beach town, the beer overall was pretty good. But of course you have to have a daiquiri or two (or three). Which I did. However, it’s back to work this week. Monday after a vacation is definitely a level of hell. Just imagine if you had to relive that type of Monday for eternity. How far off is retirement?

The Burg

On By Chris ElliottIn Alcohol, Brewery, Restaurants, Trips, vacationsLeave a comment

Again I’m late on this like a girl who forgot to take her birth control. While I still hate their football team, I have to say Pittsburg was a fun time. About a week ago, we spent a Saturday across the border bouncing around from different bars. Shoutout to Mark and Katie for being great hosts and tour guides.

We hit up quite a few bars and I even had Pittsburgh’s version of bud light, IC Light. I’ll pass on that next time. We stopped at the Sly Fox, a Philly based brewery and I had a delicious IPA, Route 113 IPA.

While the beer was good throughout the city, I had to satisfy the belly too. The full size wings, you know the kind with both parts, at Coughlin’s Law were some of the best I’ve ever eaten. The banana bread French toast for brunch the next day at Urban Tap was a nice twist on a classic. Despite the questionable actions of their QB, Pittsburg had quite a lot to offer.

I love Boston (despite Tom Brady)

On By Chris ElliottIn Alcohol, baseball, Brewery, Football, History, Restaurants, Trips, vacationsLeave a comment

As I sit here on the stationary bike, trying to burn off the 7.3 lbs I gained this weekend and sweat out my disappointment that tribe playoff baseball doesn’t exist this year, it is a challenge to describe how awesome Boston is. Cleveland will always have my heart but Boston has so much to offer. Easy to get around, clean, a lot to do no matter your interest. It’s New York without all the terrible aspects of New York. Only downside is they allow Tom Brady to live there.

Now, I have been to Boston before but this time I visited a bunch of new places and walked the whole freedom trail. Drinking a beer in the Green Dragon Tavern evokes a sensation knowing that some of the most important decisions and conversations in American history were had there.

And have I mentioned that Boston has such good beer. I’ve wanted to go to Trillium for years and finally made it. The variety of sours they have is splendid. The Sour Cherry Soak was my favorite there. Just around the corner from there was Hopsters. Another cool Boston brewery right in Seaport.

My favorite beer of the trip though was a can I had at Bell in Hand Tavern. Another revolutionary era bar. The 617 Title Town Hazy IPA from Lord Hobo Brewing Co. was so delicious. Perfect New England style IPA. I just wish it had a different name in stead of honoring all those damn championships. Have I mentioned I hate Tom Brady?

On the last day, we also visited the Fenway area. Boston Beerworks has a good IPA as well and the area was full of energy as the Pats played and the last Red Sox game of the year was about to start. To finish her off we grabbed food and drinks in the Bleacher Bar. This is a bar like no other as it’s located under the stadium and literally looks out to the field. During warmups the players can look right into the bar in outfield. I can only imagine a guy like Manny Ramirez slamming a beer out there. It’s an experience like no other and Boston is a town like no other (despite Tom Brady).

Smoky Mountain Vacation

On By Chris ElliottIn Alcohol, Brewery, Distillery, Trips, vacations, whiskey1 Comment

There is a quote or something about man going into the woods to search for the meaning to life. I could look that quote up and get philosophical on you all, but let’s skip that part.

This past weekend my girlfriend and I took a trip to the Smoky Mountains in Gatlinburg, Tennessee. I went for the hiking mainly, well and the the variety of alcohol. The area has beautiful views (see picture below for proof), but I think many of the people visiting in downtown Gatlinburg could use a hike or two. I’m not a doctor, but I think a little exercise could do some good.

Ok end of my rant, now onto the drinks. There are so many places to do tastings in that city, it’s hard to hit them all. We didn’t even come close to getting to all of them. We did visit some good ones though. Doc Collier’s moonshine was a really great stop that will get you the cheapest buzz you can find. $5 for 18 sips of moonshine. That’s a deal I can get behind. If the 125 proof at the start doesn’t put some hair on your chest, the brandy at the end will.

If you’re more into beer, like I typically am, Gatlinburg has two breweries plus a craft hard cider maker. Both Smoky Mountain Brewery and Gatlinburg Brewing Company make very good beers. Make sure to try the pizza at Gatlinburg Pizza. That was a tasty late night snack. The Barleywine IPA at Smoky Mountain was a really great beer in the city too. And Tennessee Cider Company is a must visit. Such a wide and unique variety of craft ciders plus free samples. You had me at free. All in all, I definitely ate well and drank well and now need to spend a solid week in a sauna.

Royal Easter Beer

On By Chris ElliottIn Alcohol, Brewery, Trips, vacationsLeave a comment

This weekend I was up in Michigan for Easter or Zombie Jesus day, whichever terminology you prefer. While I may have grown up in Michigan, I honestly don’t know the area that well. We tended to stay in my West Bloomfield bubble. Now, I like to try out the different breweries in the area when I can.

Saturday night we grabbed a few at The Royal Oak Brewery. This place has been around since the mid 90s. The taproom reflects the working class vibes Royal Oak tended to have till it became a millennial hotbed. The brewery makes really solid beers. I went with the Royal Pride IPA and the Northern Kolsch. Both were good beers. Nothing crazy or spectacular that stood out but both good beers that I would have again. Having been around for much longer than many craft breweries, it is clear that they know what they are doing. Sometimes just doing the little things is enough to be good. Credit to The Royal Oak Brewery for recognizing that.

Quality in Fairfax

On By Chris ElliottIn Alcohol, Brewery, Restaurants, TripsLeave a comment

A big reason I took this job 9 months ago was because of the travel I get to do. This past week I flew off to Fairfax, Virginia for a few days. While my free time is limited on these trips, I do make an effort to try out at least one thing while I’m there. This time I made a visit to Ornery Beer Company and visited a few local bars near George Mason University.

While the beer was great, I would say the best part was the quality of the bartender, Corey. He very well may be the best bartender I have ever had. From offering suggestions to a good conversation, Corey made my visit top notch. Well done man.

Now, the beer and food was pretty good too. The Bull IPA was a really delicious too. This came off a recommendation from Corey. The IPA had a great floral taste to it and was extremely drinkable. A well made IPA.

I honestly don’t know if I will ever be back to Fairfax again in my life, but that is what is great about this job. The opportunity to see little towns and pockets of America I would normally never have checked out. If you ever do find yourself there, check out Ornery Beer Company. Hopefully Corey is bartending that night.

Viva La Beer

On By Chris ElliottIn Alcohol, Brewery, Trips, vacationsLeave a comment

I could start with a cliche Vegas saying here. But I’ll refrain. And for the sake of my mother, who is one of the 13 people who reads these, I’ll spare most of the details from this trip.

Luckily, I did miss the shooting at the Bellagio by 30 minutes or so. That was more lucky than I was at the tables this trip.

Vegas has pretty much everything you could want but finding a good beer on draft in that city is damn near impossible. And no Mark, Blue Moon is not a craft beer you asshole.

I did manage to get to the Sin City Brewing bar on the strip and have some beer there. Their seasonal Double IPA was one of the most drinkable DIPAs I have ever had. Crushing a few of those by the pool could get dangerous.

Overall, Vegas needs to up their craft beer selection in the casinos on draft. Do better Sin City.

ATX, WVU and a Whirlwind of a Weekend

On By Chris ElliottIn Alcohol, Brewery, Football, Trips, vacationsLeave a comment

Texas is a completely different place. I think that’s been pretty well documented #texasforever. This was my first time in the state for more than just a layover and I took my talents to Austin. Talents is a loosely defined term.

In a whirlwind of a weekend, I accomplished quite a bit here. The highlight? Witnessing WVU knock down the Longhorns with a two point conversion to go up one point with just seconds remaining. Will Greer is a God.

While the game was amazing, I also managed to go to an EDM concert (The people watching at that is entertainment) and checked out a couple breweries. I visited Brewtorium for lunch and also made a stop at Live Oak. I need more time here as there were plenty more I wanted to check out, but both delivered some good beer. And wow were their spaces huge for craft breweries. Everything really is bigger in Texas. The Spacelaser Double IPA from Brewtorium and Smoaktoberfest from Live Oak were the best of the bunch. The Spacelaser was one of the best Double IPAs I’ve had recently.

Overall, Texas has some great beer, good music and good food. Survived another trip. Till next time, Keep Austin Weird.

First Four, Dayton, and a Gas Leak

On By Chris ElliottIn Alcohol, Basketball, Brewery, College, Restaurants, TripsLeave a comment

There are certain sporting events that every guy should go to. Things that don’t require being a fan of either team to enjoy. The NCAA First Four in Dayton is one.

My buddy and I drove down for Day two of the First Four and took in the city of Dayton. We managed to stuff our faces in food ranging from poutine to pizza. We visited five breweries. Lock 27, Dayton Beer Company, Warped Wing, Carillon and Toxic City are all doing really good things with beer. Dayton Beer Company had a great stout. I really enjoyed Lock 27 as the best of the bunch though. Really nice location next to the Dayton minor league baseball team. I imagine that makes for a great summer night.

Then, there is the First Four. We saw two games with the second one being a great one. Syracuse vs Arizona State came down to the end. The crowd was dyed orange as this was clearly a Cuse home game. Really not a bad seat in that arena. I can see why they play those games there in this small midwestern city. Just pure hoops fans in Dayton as we saw people wearing shirts ranging from Ohio State to South Dakota State. First Four does not disappoint.

Now, I have to say I’ve never had and issue with AirBnB and credit to the company and our hosts for refunding our money. See we couldn’t stay in the house because not only was the furnace broken, which they told us as we arrived but we walked into the place and it clearly smelled of a gas leak. If you lit up a cig, I’d imagine that placing blowing up like a fireworks display. So after a day of drinking and right as the hangover hit due to no alcohol in the First Four, we drove home at midnight. Three hours back to Cleveland made for a late night but it was a hell of a day. Dayton didn’t disappoint.