Monday, February 14, 2011

Birthdays and Beer...

Happy Valentines yall. I recently celebrated my birthday and had an excellent home-cooked meal (brisket bbq, mashed taters, and chocolate raspberry cupcakes) thanks to my beautiful wife ;) In addition to that, the night before, we also went out to a local brewpub for dinner and beers: 5 Seasons Brewing (www.5seasonsbrewing.com). If you're in Atlanta, I'd recommend checking them out. The food was unique; I had the Georgia Rabbit Quesadillas which was my first experience eating a bunny. It was good, but the real reason I picked this joint was to try their brews.


Pictured above (L to R) are Lumburg Belgian Dubbel and Hopgasm IPA. I chose the IPA and my bro-in-law chose the Dubbel. I'm an IPA guy and the Hopgasm had a full aroma and tastes great! Here's a description of the two brews courtesy of the 5 Seasons website:

Lumburg Belgian Dubbel: This complex, malty, and sweet Belgian Dubbel has a dark red color and rich body. You will notice subtle raisin notes in it's fruity aroma and flavor. A great sipping ale at 10% ABV. Don't forget your TPS report!

Hopgasm IPA: Brewmast Kevin McNerney's inaugural release at 5 Seasons. It is a west coast India Pale Ale, bold in every sense. It invites you with a nose far more intriguing than most IPAs. We use 5 different hops, including Simcoe and Amarillo, which give an incredibly rich bouquet and a pleasurable mouth feel. It has a sold malt backbone and a sumptuous aftertaste that will make you want multiple Hopgasms.

My wife and sister chose the Munich Helles (once again, per their website, here's the description): What the Helles this beer? Helles translates as pale or light in German. This Bavarian style is a golden lager with more malt characteristics and less hop bitterness than a pilsner. Have a few and see why it's such a popular style.

Here's Kristy with her giant pint:


Here's Christen with her giant pint too:


Lastly, pitchers and catchers report today............

Tuesday, February 1, 2011

Actually, it's not in a koozie....

On a recent trip to Tampa, albeit before spring training begins, I was able to visit Cigar City Brewing. It's a small, local Tampa brewery which I'd recommend to anyone visiting the Tampa-St. Pete area (www.cigarcitybrewing.com).




They have a tasting room where you can sample their beers by the pint. Prices range from $4.50 to $6 or more, depending on what they've got. On my visit I tried the following:

  • Jai Alai India Pale Ale
  • Improvisation (which is pictured above)
  • Jose Marti
All were great! I'm a pale ale fan and I really liked the flavor of the Jai Alai brew. Lastly, it's finally February, one of the best months in the year. Hopefully the groundhog predicts an early spring tomorrow.