Sam '76

For the first time in a long time, a beer from the Boston Beer Company captured my interest. Then again, the ads for Sam '76 were on my Facebook feed until (and I am totally serious) I finally purchased some. Now, I am not going to go all Fox Mulder on you and suggest something conspiratorial, I am just going to say it was a strange coincidence that the ads finally stopped once the beer took up real estate in my refrigerator. 

Regardless of whether or not I was bombarded by ads for Sam '76, I still would have given it a shot. The Samuel Adams brand is largely responsible for my love of beer in the first place. Like many other beer enthusiasts, their beer was a gateway into the world of better beer. However, over the years their biggest drawback became their lack of finding a way to keep up with other breweries ingenuity. Their approach to distributing an IPA is a perfect example of this. When the market seemed to be leaning toward that particular style, they resisted it until they finally released Latitude 48 IPA. That particular IPA felt more like a halfhearted attempt to appease their customers than a serious attempt at making a good beer.

Over the past decade, I have purchased a fair amount of their new releases but have usually found them to be underwhelming. Their effort at making a shandy(Porch Rocker), was a particularly low point for me with this brewery. Not since my days of giving away their Cranberry Lambic from their holiday mix-pack to whatever unlucky soul was brave enough to drink it have I disliked one of their beers so much. Please don't get me wrong, there is the occasional one I enjoy. One that comes to mind is their Bonfire Rauchbier. That beer was like drinking a campfire and was my gateway into drinking that particular style. A couple of weeks ago, I tried their New England IPA and was shocked at how much I enjoyed it. I am sure I could check my Untappd to find others, but I am here to talk about Sam '76.

The big selling point for me of Sam '76 was the fact that the beer required two active fermentations. They accomplished this by using both an ale yeast and a lager yeast during the brewing process to create a sort of “hybrid” beer. This felt like Boston Beer Company was taking a risk with this beer and it immediately captured my interest. Then again, how could it not?

As I poured a can, I hoped for the best. Scratch that, I was hoping for something unique. The aroma of this slightly hazy, golden yellow brew was doughy, floral, honey-sweet with a touch of grapefruit, pineapple, and herbal spiciness. When I took my first sip, pulled the glass away from my face and puzzled over what I just drank. Up front is a bready sweetness from the malt and a touch of citrus and tropical fruit hops. The hops however are much more prominent in the aroma then the flavor. As soon as you expect the hops to take over and finish like a session IPA, the crisp, clean finish of a lager crashes the party. Each time I took a sip, I tasted a hint of the fruity simcoe hops especially and right when I wanted to taste more of them, everything changed. While, that might sound like a complaint, I actually enjoyed this switcheroo. It was unique, interesting and something that I felt I wanted to buy again. However, this is more of a summer beach beer than a late winter beer. The flavors are light, it lacks body, but it is refreshing and at 4.7% very sessionable. The styles of session IPA and a light lager are blended so well here, it is hard not to look at this as a solid gateway beer and a beer that challenges the expectations of the most refined craft beer palates.

Overall rating: 3.5/5


Rating Scale:
1. Repugnant and undrinkable
2. Acceptable but forgettable
3. Good, worth a purchase
4. Excellent, a step above the norm
5. Truly Exceptional. Drop everything, BUY IT NOW!

To discuss this blog or all things beer like my Facebook page

Look for me on Instagram & Untappd and Twitter @ACraftyLook

For more beer reviews check out: http://www.acraftylook.com

Thanks for reading. Sláinte!

Magic Hat & Dropkick Murphy's BarRoom Hero Pub Ale

It is almost the time of year when every single bar you walk into adds a whole lot of Dropkick Murphys and Flogging Molly to their playlists. It's like Christmas music for people who enjoy a pint of beer or a shot of whiskey with their friends & family. It is also a sign that Spring and warmer days are ahead. I am a Dropkick Murphys fan and while I may not know a lot from Flogging Molly's catalog, I can hold my own singing along to “Drunken' Lullabies” with the best of em. I truly welcome and love this time of year. However, one thing I do not love is Magic Hat Brewing Company. Now, I have written ad nauseam about my strong dislike for Magic Hat's beer, so I will skip doing that this time. All I can say is that even though I typically avoid Magic Hat beer, I decided to give their collaboration beer with Dropkick Murphys a fair shot, for one, because I love Bar Room Hero, the song it was named after and more importantly, the beer benefits the Dropkick Murphy'\s charity, The Claddagh Fund.

My biggest hope for BarRoom Hero was that it would turn out to be an easy-drinking session beer with a decent amount of flavor. I also hoped that I would be able to make it through the entire 4-pack that I purchased. Normally, I am not that bold with my purchases of Magic Hat's beer since it is usually completely undrinkable, but since BarRoom Hero was priced under 7 dollars for a 4-pack, I decided to gamble and buy the whole pack. So, as I opened the first can I tried to be optimistic and that optimism was surprisingly rewarded.

The aroma of BarRoom Hero is toasted bread, roasted malt, nuts, chocolate, caramel, toffee with a touch of coffee and spice. The flavor was almost identical to the nose. The flavors of roasted malt, toasted bread, chocolate, nuts, toffee & caramel shine before an herbal, spicy, slightly bitter hop finish. The beer is balanced, easy-drinking, and actually tastes good. On the downside, BarRoom Hero is super thin and watery. At 4.2%, this is expected and honestly, maybe tasting less here is why I think this is the best beer I have had from Magic Hat in years. It works as a beer that fits the season and when an occasion calls for a second or third pint. Look, this beer will not make you a fan of Magic Hat, but it does provide you a good beer to hold a glass to when you sing-a-long to “Dirty Glass” with your friends.

Overall rating: 3.5/5


Rating Scale:
1. Repugnant and undrinkable
2. Acceptable but forgettable
3. Good, worth a purchase
4. Excellent, a step above the norm
5. Truly Exceptional. Drop everything, BUY IT NOW!

To discuss this blog or all things beer like my Facebook page

Look for me on Instagram & Untappd and Twitter @ACraftyLook

For more beer reviews check out: http://www.acraftylook.com

Thanks for reading. Sláinte!

Evil Twin Bozo Beer

When it came to picking a beer for my latest blog about, I wanted to go big, like really big. For the past week, I have been looking over the beers in my refrigerator and felt nothing really fit what I was looking for. So I decided to go to a bottle shop to look for something that would and that is how I came across Evil Twin's Bozo Beer. An imperial stout with an ABV of 17.2%, Bozo Beer was exactly what I was looking to blog about this week. I believe it is by far the strongest beer that I have reviewed here and I find that very exciting. What might not be as exciting, is tackling this monster of a beer by myself. Oh the things I do for this blog...

When a beer has an ABV as high as Bozo Beer, one thing you can expect it to be is full bodied. In this case that was an understatement. As I began to pour Bozo Beer into a glass, I said “whoa” out loud when I saw how thick, rich and dense it was. I expected there to be a lot of roastiness & booze in the aroma and there certainly was plenty of both, but there was much more going on here. The side of the can lists a lot of adjuncts and most of them show up and stand out in the aroma. Coffee, chocolate, marshmallow, nuts, creamy vanilla, molasses, cinnamon, chili peppers, cinnamon are all present in the aroma.

When I took my first sip, I prepared to get a hot mess of a beer. What I got was a lot of roastiness, marshmallow, vanilla, coffee, chocolate and molasses initially, with the almonds & hazelnuts coming in to compliment all of these flavors nicely. The cinnamon & chili peppers come in late and are fairly understated but add a nice touch. The warmth from the alcohol follows but is not nearly as aggressive as I was expecting. I guess it is safe to say almost nothing here is quite what I expected it to be. Usually, when a beer has a laundry list of adjuncts, it is never quite as good as you want it to be. A lot of adjuncts get lost in the fold behind more dominant flavors. For example, I expected to taste almost no marshmallow and I expected to complain about it here. That was certainly not the case, as marshmallow was right up front and center. This beer is way better than I thought it was going to be and I am thrilled. Bozo Beer is a rich, creamy, decadent treat that is so much smoother than I expected it to be. The only thing that would possibly make this beer better is some barrel aging, and if I ever come across a BA version of Bozo Beer, Evil Twin Brewing could not take my money fast enough.

Overall rating: 4.5/5

Rating Scale:
1. Repugnant and undrinkable
2. Acceptable but forgettable
3. Good, worth a purchase
4. Excellent, a step above the norm
5. Truly Exceptional. Drop everything, BUY IT NOW!

To discuss this blog or all things beer like my Facebook page

Look for me on Instagram & Untappd and Twitter @ACraftyLook

For more beer reviews check out: http://www.acraftylook.com

Thanks for reading. Sláinte!

Beer Stories: A Weekend in Philadelphia

First off, I think it is safe to say, it has been way too long since I have written a blog. I do not like falling behind so I apologize and I hope this blog makes up for lost time. I will be back much sooner with the next one, I promise.

I am particularly excited about this blog because it is not so much a beer review as it is about a memorable weekend with my wife, sister and brother-in-law in Philadelphia, PA. Now, don't get me wrong, there are beers involved here(too many in fact) but the weekend as a whole was quite unforgettable and I am excited to write about it.

The planning for this weekend started last summer. I forget which of the 4 of us suggested it but the idea was to attend the 30th Anniversary of the WWE Royal Rumble and make a weekend out of it. After a few months of deliberation due to the fact that buying tickets to the event was more challenging and expensive than expected, we finally made the decision to go in early December.

I have mentioned in previous blogs that whenever I go on vacation, I love to visit the local breweries. From reputation alone, I could not come to Philadelphia without stopping in Ardmore, PA at Tired Hand Brew Cafe. It was my first time there and I absolutely loved it. I was even more excited to find out I was not alone.

You already know that my wife, Alicia, is into craft beer. I believe I have mentioned my brother-in-law Andy embraces trying new beers as well. My sister Ashley however, is a slightly different story. Ashley's beer of choice is Bud Light out of a bottle. For years, I have tried to get her to try other beers but have had little to no success. Recently, to my excitement she has been a bit more open than ever to trying different beers. While looking over the menu, Ashley just told me to find something she would like. I accepted the challenge and ordered her, as well as the entire group four pours of the their cask beer: Hophands Pale Ale double dry hopped with citra and conditioned with blood orange tisane. The beer was a huge hit and it received praise from everyone drinking it. The herbal tea was a nice touch and the citrus was turned up beautifully with this version of HopHands. It was also super easy to drink and paired perfectly with the spring-like weather outside. For the next round, I ventured off on my own and tried a taster of Act Appalled, a black ipa with lime & coconut. It was complex, rich and delicious. I particularly enjoyed the addition of lime here, it really added a unique touch. The last beer I tried at Tired Hands was A Long Silence which is a French Toast Dark Mild and the beer I am drinking as I write this. This was by far, my favorite beer of the 3 I tried. It is bready, chocolately, creamy, easy drinking, perfectly sweetened with maple syrup and vanilla, spiced nicely with cinnamon, and has a really nice hint of fruit. If I lived by Tired Hands, I would go back and get another crowler, as soon as possible.

After leaving Tired Hands extremely satisfied with our experience we headed to our AirBnb apartment. We decided to try AirBnb because none of us had done it before, we had heard good things from others who had tried it, and the Stubhub markup on our Royal Rumble tickets was absolutely ridiculous. When we arrived we immediately loved the location, it was right in the heart of Rittenhouse Square. The downside of the apartment was that it had not been cleaned since the previous renters stayed there. This was pretty gross and obviously not ideal but after contacting AirBnb & the renter of the apartment we found out there was little that we could do that night except get some of our stay refunded and wait for the cleaning crew to come the next day. So we cracked a can of HopHands and got ready to go out.

The destination for dinner and drinks was going to be Monk's Cafe. Being a lover of craft beer I find it a bit embarrassing to admit I had yet to have a chance to try Russian River's Pliny The Elder. I had been following the draft list at Monk's for the week leading up to us heading there and was pleased to find out it happened to be on draft. There are few certainties in life but one thing I can tell you for sure was, one way or another, I was going to to drink Pliny The Elder that night. We were dressed, ready to go to Monk's Cafe and as we made our way to the door to leave to go out for the evening, the night took an unexpected turn.

The apartment we were staying in shared a courtyard with several other apartments. The apartment directly across from the one we were staying in had thick black smoke pouring out the windows. I immediately called 911, they said the fire department was already on the way and we quickly exited the courtyard. From the street, we watched firefighters courageously do their job and put out the fire. Fortunately and most importantly, no one appeared to be in the apartment at the time so no one was injured. Unfortunately, the damage to their apartment was severe.

While watching from the street, we met some very nice people who offered us their extra room if we needed a place to stay. The “City of Brotherly Love” title certainly fits Philadelphia. Every time I have been there, people have been super kind and generous and this time was no different. We thanked them but declined because AirBnB was going to pay for our stay at a nearby hotel since they did not have any rentals available that worked for our location. Once the Fire Marshall cleared the area, we were allowed to go back in and pack up our things.

We booked what turned out to be a tremendous room at a hotel in Center City. Got ready again, and got a Lyft to Monk's Cafe. I spent a good amount of time during the ride once again telling everyone how much I could not wait for this moment. When we pulled up, I was overwhelmed with excitement. I rushed into the crowded bar, saw the Pliny The Elder tap and asked everyone what they wanted to drink. Alicia & Andy were on board with giving Pliny a try, my sister however wanted to try something different. She opted for an Allagash White Ale, and I was damn proud of that selection. To me, Allagash White is one of the best white ales on the market. For Ashley to like it and drink a couple pints of it instead of Bud Light out of a bottle was definitely a highlight of the trip to me.

When it came to drinking Pliny The Elder, I found it to be everything I hoped it would be. I took a moment to enjoy its beautiful aroma and then took my first sip. The first thing I noticed about it was how perfectly balanced is was. The second thing I noticed was how smooth it was. At 8%, I expected to taste at least some presence of alcohol but got none. What I got was a lot of pine, some citrus and a nice malt backbone bringing it all together. The fact that Monk's Cafe served this in pint glasses felt a bit overly indulgent but that made the experience even better. Andy & I had three of them over a delicious dinner and we all left Monk's Cafe extremely satisfied with our experience.

The rest of the night was not so much about craft beer but enjoying a night out on the town and that we did. The following day we went to the Mutter Museum, DiNic's for Roasted Pork Sandwiches and Yards Brewing. Their Philadelphia Pale Ale was a really nice session ale. Their George Washington's Tavern Porter unfortunately was a touch too thin. I enjoyed the Love Stout but the real highlight for me was the Olde Bartholomew Barleywine. I realize drinking a 10+% beer may not have been the wisest decision before the Royal Rumble but it was damn delicious beer that paired nicely with a cold, rainy Philadelphia day.

As for the Royal Rumble, the event was a blast to attend. I have always wanted to be a part of a wrestling crowd in Philadelphia and they did not disappoint. About 45 minutes before the show started the people in my section were so excited for the event to start they started chanting for seemingly anything and everything that came to mind including the number of our section, popcorn and the popcorn guy. That energy carried on for most of the night. When the event ended, it was bittersweet because that meant an unforgettable weekend in a tremendous city was coming to an end as well. There was only one more thing to do, grab a cheesesteak from Geno's.

Until next time Philly!


To discuss this blog or all things beer like my Facebook page

Look for me on Instagram & Untappd and Twitter @ACraftyLook

For more beer reviews check out: http://www.acraftylook.com

Thanks for reading. Sláinte!