Guest Post: North to the Future: Craft Beer in Alaska

Our guest contributor for today's guest column is Sun King Brewer/Owner Clay Robinson. Staraya, his talented and lovely girlfriend, is a former Alaska native.



Staraya & I arrived in Anchorage after a long journey that took us from Indy through Chicago, then to Seattle for a 22-hour layover, complete with sushi and last minute holiday shopping, and then a very turbulent flight to Alaska. I have been now been lucky enough to arrive in Alaska on both the Summer & Winter Solstices, so I have been able to enjoy their longest and shortest days of the year! But no matter what day it is, the best place to go for a beer lover is The Moose’s Tooth.


The Moose’s Tooth boasts an impressive 22 taps, all of which are pouring fresh beer, brewed on site. On this particular day, they had 18 beers pouring! I didn’t get to taste all 18 of them because it was crazy busy and I needed to save room for their pizza, which is exquisite. The place is packed at 8 p.m. on this frigid Monday night and from what I gather that is the case pretty much every night. The doors lead straight into their waiting area, which is right in front of their bar. Two dining rooms extend out from either end of the bar and the place is buzzing with chatter and good spirits. The atmosphere at The Moose’s Tooth is very cozy with exposed wood beams and stone. Everywhere you look they have artwork from their First Tap Series, all of which is incredible. You could spend hours perusing their poster collection that lines the walls.


We put our name in and headed for the bar to grab a beer for the wait. They have a convenient spot sectioned off at the bar for thirsty patrons to grab a beer while they wait for a table, which doubles as a spot for convenient growler fill service. Russell, Jeanie and myself all got the I.P.A. and Staraya got the Winter Warmer. After traveling for a few days I had a powerful thirst for something hoppy and their Fairweather I.P.A. really hit the spot. Its initial caramel sweetness is mild and quickly cut through with big doses of Chinook Hops. The hop flavor and bitterness were just right, so between the delicious beer and catching up with old friends, the wait really flew by.

We were seated and greeted by our server, Kristen, who was comfortably decked out in Moose’s Tooth apparel, topped off with a cozy sock hat. The staff at the Tooth is always friendly and seems to genuinely enjoy working there. After a little chatting, Russell told her that I was in fact a brewer, so Kristen said she would bring me samples of a few things that she felt I had to try… then she left us to the difficult task of choosing our pizza.


Choosing a pizza at the Moose’s Tooth is akin to picking your pie at Jockamo’s. There are dozens of options from traditional to unique and of course being in Alaska there is a Halibut pizza (Blackened Halibut, Diced Red Onions, Diced Roma Tomatoes, Spicy Sour Cream Sauce, Parsley, Mozzarella, Provolone, Garlic & Olive Oil). It is my opinion that some of the best things about pizza are: 1) Good pizza places have their own unique dough/crust. 2) There are a countless number of toppings and combinations. 3) Pizza is perfect for sharing. Of course these are some of the same reasons that I love beer, breweries and traveling to experience them, so I’m kind of in Heaven at this place!

In the infinite sea of pizza decisions, we chose to go with two medium pizzas and have each side of the table pick a pie. Russell and Jeanie chose the White Pizza (Sundried Tomatoes, Artichoke Hearts, Feta, Mozzarella, Provolone, Garlic & Olive Oil) with the addition of sausage. Staraya and I went with the Brewhouse Favorite (Italian Sausage, Sundried Tomatoes, Red Onions, Mozzarella, Provolone, Parmesan, Denali Sauce) then added mushrooms and black olives. When Kristen returned, she had three tasty samples of beer. We ordered pizza and a salad and I commenced sampling.

Winter Warmer: I took a sip of Staraya’s Winter Warmer when she first got it. I was happy to have some to myself, so I didn’t end up drinking all of her beer (which happens quite frequently), but given her fondness for this particular beer, I thought I’d better get my own. Winter Warmer is a really nice beer. It is reminiscent of Sierra Nevada Celebration Ale in that big malt and generous hops kind of way. The aroma is full of earthy hops. It has a rich malt start with a distinct extra dark crystal malt character. The body is full, bordering on chewy and it is all balanced with a generous earthy hop flavor. Winter Warmer is a well-balanced beer that is very enjoyable and would probably sneak up on you after a couple of pints, which would be easy to consume on a cold Alaskan evening.

Prince William Porter: This is a spot on Porter. It has a lot of chocolate to the nose with a bit of roast. The body is light to medium and the flavor is rich and chocolaty with a nice ester quality. It is a clean, smooth, delicious porter.

Dark Star Lager: From what I could taste, the Dark Star Lager is essentially the Porter, but fermented with a lager strain. The chocolate flavor was really nice in this beer as well and the clean lager finish worked well to make this a really nice beer.

While all of these beers were delicious, as I’m sure most everything else is, Fairweather I.P.A. was calling my name. It is the type of beer that I just can’t get enough of, so I ordered another pint to accompany our pizzas. The pizzas and my fresh beer were delivered to the table in a timely manner and our feast ensued! Both pizzas were f@$!&# fantastic and we devoured every bit of it.

All in all, I can’t see how there could possibly be a better place for pizza and beer in all of Alaska. So, if you ever make it up this way… Stop in at the Moose’s Tooth. It’s worth the trip!

Guest Post: The Digitante Visits Champaign, IL

Today's content comes via long-time HBG reader Andy Howard. Andy is also a regular at HBG events and does a bit of writing and provides technology advice and services through his blog, The Digitante.

Last weekend, the wife and I headed out with our girls to meet up with some friends from Peoria. It goes without saying that I wouldn't be caught dead in Peoria, so we decided to meet about halfway: Champaign.

Champaign has a lot going for it:

It's not Peoria.

It's a Big Ten college town like West Lafayette, the home of my alma mater.

It has a great restaurant called Radio Maria.

As we were planning our trip, the wife and her friend simultaneously selected Radio Maria and I could not have been happier. They have a tap list consisting of 27 beers and a wide selection of bottles and bombers.


The 27 taps are mounted on a former industrial hand-washing station.


That definitely wasn't the only thing in the bar area that was recycled. The light fixtures contained a shroud from a wind tunnel, a neon light that was the 'O' from Leonard's Pawn Shop, vacuum cleaner cords for the wiring, and the pods from a pneumatic transfer system. All said, only the booth seats, bar top glass, and chairs were new.


Now on to the beer. The selections for the day were Southern Tier Cherry Saison, Ballast Point Sculpin IPA, and Two Brothers Cane and Ebel.

Southern Tier Cherry Saison

This beer has been reviewed by the Geeks before, but I had read the post long enough ago to completely forget what they said. When comparing notes a few minutes ago, it sounds like I was right in the ballpark.


The nose smelled like a rosé wine. It mostly felt like a beer wasn't supposed to smell that way. The first sip solidified my thought that this beer was weird. It had a citrusy, Mandarin orange flavor, it was very thick and syrupy, and the alcohol was very pronounced.

All in all, neither I nor the wife was very impressed. In HBG parlance, I probably would have rated it around 2.50 mugs.

Ballast Point Sculpin IPA

I had never heard of Ballast Point, but it appears they are a Southern California brewery and I've not seen them in Indiana.

This was the quintessential IPA for me: well balanced with a floral hoppy smell and a relaxed, not overpowering floral hoppy taste. The head was a bit thin, but definitely stuck to the glass through the entire beer.


I would consider this to be a supremely drinkable beer, perhaps the most of any IPA I've ever had. Overall, I would put this beer at about as close to 5.00 mugs as I can. If it was available in Indiana, I would have my new go-to beer.

Two Brothers Cane and Ebel

I believe this is a beer that is brewed using Turbinado raw sugar (Cane=Cain?) by the two Ebel brothers. There's your non-fact-checked background story.

This beer was nearly flat as it produced minimal head when being poured. It smelled very sweet and did not disappoint on the taste. Although it did have a sweet molasses flavor, the sweetness didn't overpower the hops and rye which stood out very well. The aftertaste was a major turn off for me as it left me with an instant iced tea flavor on the back of my tongue that wouldn't go away.


Between the overly sweet taste (I'm not a fan) and the iced tea aftertaste, this beer just didn't do it for me. The hops saved it to some extent though. I would put it at about 3.25 mugs.

Radio Maria is a great bar in the historical district of Champaign. We can't wait to check it out again when we can spend more time moving though the tap list. A special thanks goes out to Jacob at Radio Maria for filling us in on the history of the bar. Be sure to check it out next time you are headed toward Champaign.

Our thanks go out to Andy for the informative and helpful work - I visit Champaign every once in a while myself.

Want to contribute to Hoosier Beer Geek? We love submitted content. Send us an email at knights at hoosierbeergeek.com and we'll iron out the details.

Greetings From Michigan, A Great Beer State: Stop #4 - Founder's Brewing Company

This past week Gina and I took a couple days off to visit family in Michigan. Of course no vacation is ever complete without enjoying a beer or two, so we also visited a few of Michigan's finer craft beer establishments.



Our final stop on our one-day whirlwind Michigan beer tour found us in Grand Rapids, home of Founder's Brewing Company. After we deposited our bags in our hotel, we took a scenic one mile walk across the grand river and a found ourselves a seat at the Founders Tap Room.


The tap room is a huge, airy, space; A long barn-like building featuring an east side composed of windowed garage-type doors, which I'm sure are opened during good weather, expansive wooden floors, and what must be at least thirty tables. A pool table or two and a makeshift stage filled out the space. Of course I can't forget the bar - a gigantic curvy monster that took up most of the west wall. It was there we sat down for dinner, and a pint or three.


Founders Hand of Doom - A 10% Imperial IPA might not seem like the best way to easy yourself into a night of drinking, but keep in mind we had already visited Dark Horse, Arcadia, and Bells that day. Knowing that the car was safe back at the hotel meant that we had very little to worry about.

Hand of Doom is a super coconut IPA - at least that's what my notes say. Sweet, syrupy, thick and hoppy, with hints of coconut throughout - nose, front and finish. The creamy mouthfeel reminded me of something that it took me a little while to put my finger on. And then it hit me - Hand of Doom drinks like Apocalypse Cow. If there weren't so many other beers to try I certainly would have had another. And another.

I wonder if there was any lactose in there..


Founders Newago County Cherry - Imagine Cerise aged on oak. And there you are.


Founders Honey Wheat - 5.5% ABV, cloudy, with that regular gold wheat beer color. The nose is sweet and fruity, with an agreeable sweetness that goes through the whole beer. My notes say "Upland Wheat + heft in body + honey". Very tasty.


Founders Super Gold - Another 5.5% ABV beer, Gina's notes say "an easy to drink beer that tastes watery, and yet peppery". Super Gold is a pale lager, and was probably the least interesting beer of the night.


Founders Holé Molé - We split a 4oz a sample of this one, and actually we didn't finish it. This was by far the spiciest beer I've ever had. A stout with habenero pepper, it was pretty much like sipping on hot sauce. I appreciate the experimentation and the experience, but I can't imagine having a whole pint.


While this concludes this batch of Michigan coverage at HBG, it's worth noting that we left Founder's shortly after a band of hippies (one of which may have been Founders brewer Jeremy Kosmicki) took over the music stage (that's not really why we left - I love you, hippies!), and headed over to Grand Rapid's Hop Cat, where we had a fantastic experience. On our way over toward Detroit we stopped in at Jolly Pumpkin Ann Arbor, where we sampled a few beers that definitely stand out. In Warren we visited Kuhnhenn during their Octoberfest celebration, and rounded out the night with a stop at Dragonmead, where the extensive beer menu blew us away. We'd highly recommend all of these breweries and bars, and look forward to our next trip, where we'll dig in a little deeper.

Greetings From Michigan, A Great Beer State: Stop #2 - Arcadia Brewing Company

This past week Gina and I took a couple days off to visit family in Michigan. Of course no vacation is ever complete without enjoying a beer or two, so we also visited a few of Michigan's finer craft beer establishments.



Our second stop along the way was a random detour - we knew that we were headed to Bells in Kalamazoo, and we also knew that we had a hotel reservation in Grand Rapids. The question then became "how much can we (responsibly) fit in before we get to Founders?"

The Michigan beer map showed on slight detour on the way west along Interstate 94 - Arcadia Brewing Company. Knowing very little about the brewery (apart from recognizing a few of their beers from somewhere along the way) added a little mystery to the detour.


If you want to get the attention of the staff at a brewpub, just pull out a camera. As soon as I did, I was met with a greeting of "no photography, please". I turned around and said "oh, OK" and was met with a smile and a "just kidding" from Arcadia brewer Kevin Becraft.

As I sauntered off to the restroom Gina struck up a conversation with Kevin. When we had walked in the bar I noticed a large group of Marines taking a tour of the brewery, which is located in a warehouse space just behind a bank of windows on the wall across from the bar and restaurant. When I returned to the bar I asked Kevin about the tour.


"You want to jump in?" he asked. We quickly jumped on the back of the tour group and learned about the process of brewing and bottling Arcadia's award winning English style beers. For example, Arcadia uses open fermentation in the brewing process (something we hadn't seen in practice before), and bottles on a bottling line produced in the 1950s.

Unfortunately we were on a schedule, so we couldn't spend more time with Kevin and his co-brewer Josh Davies. They were kind enough to answer some of our questions and also make some suggestions on where else to visit while in Michigan.


Brewers Kevin and Josh
And of course - we had a couple beers.

Arcadia Golden Harvest Ale - Recommended by Kevin. My first thought was "this reminds me of Broad Ripple Brewpub". This is a bold English pale, with a nice malt balance bringing up the back. The use of fresh hops is evident in the snappy hop bite in the finish. I wish we could have stayed for more.

Gina had Arcadia's ESB, but her notes are unclear - being on vacation meant that she was easily distracted.


Next up, a stop at Bells. And another stop at Bells. And a return to our original stop at Bells.

Greetings From Michigan, A Great Beer State: Stop #1 - Dark Horse Brewing Co.

This past week Gina and I took a couple days off to visit family in Michigan. Of course no vacation is ever complete without enjoying a beer or two, so we also visited a few of Michigan's finer craft beer establishments.



Our first stop was Marshall, Michigan's Dark Horse Brewing Company. You may know of Dark Horse from their distribution in Indiana - beers like Crooked Tree IPA, Reserve Special Black Bier Ale, and Perkulator Coffee Dopplebock.


One thing we've never understood was Dark Horse's scattershot beer packaging. A stop in to their brewpub was all the insight we needed to figure out their marketing philosophy.

Dark Horse's brewpub is the sort of place where bathroom graffiti is appreciated - a Bert's Peppy Grill sort of cobbled together space that is one part Three Floyds, one part biker bar, and one part hunting cabin.


The tap handles are a collection of cast off idols and knickknacks - half a toy horse, what looks like a soft soap dispenser, an idol of Lenin, a Dryad's dildo, a bloody hand in wood, and their more commonly used double barrel shotgun - that pour a varied collection of brews. An Oktoberfest, scotch ale, amber, harvest pale ale, oatmeal stout, and smoked stout joined the aforementioned Crooked Tree IPA and Special Black Bier on tap.


It's obvious that Dark Horse's mug club must is widely supported - you'll notice rows and rows of custom made mugs lining every available space in the bar. Before we left, we noticed a group of folks sitting down at a table towards the back. The waitress walked up and said "the amber?", giving away their "regular" status at the bar. The fact that they were elderly women didn't seem strange at all.


Dark Horse Harvest Pale Ale - This is a cloudy, copper-colored beer, with a milky head and light lacing. The nose is citrusy hops - mostly orange, with a slightly footy note mixed in. The front is bitter but light, backed up with a nice malt balance. The highlight of the beer is the creamy mouthfeel - an element that reminds me of Three Floyd's Apocalypse Cow.


Dark Horse Oktoberfest - The nose on this one is light and bready, and comes from a deep red/almost purple colored brew. The front is grapeish and fruity, but the beer balanced out with a cereal-like malt flavor. This beer has a sugary sweetness that isn't present in most of the oktoberfest beers I've had, which I can appreciate since I'm not the biggest fan of the style.


Dark Horse Black Bier - The beer has a nose of BBQ meat, but the beer is smooth and subtle - a little smokey, a little meaty.

Dark Horse is only 3 and half hours from Indianapolis, and is the perfect start for a weekend Michigan beer trip. Stay tuned for more stops along the way in the next few days.

A Journey Into the Heart of Darkness

Saturday morning, after a City Cafe breakfast and another woefully unbearable match by the Fulham Football Club, Gina and I headed back to our old St. Louis area homes for the holidays. After wasting Saturday away between the drive back and the lack of options in our tiny hometowns (Trenton and New Baden IL), we hoped to make a better day of Sunday. Thanks to a suggestion from my mother, we did just that - we spent the day drinking.

We started our Saturday in the heart of American beer consumption - on the Anheuser Busch St. Louis brewery tour.

As a veteran of a few small brewery tours, this was quite a different experience. We started our tour in a small museum, which featured different kiosks for the history of Anheuser Busch brands. Because we arrived just as the tour was starting, we didn't dally; We walked over and started listening to one of our two tour guides, who was busy rattling off a series of facts about Adolphus Busch. These facts were thrown out in a rapid-fire method - best to get them out of the way - before the commonly-known announcement (at least to St. Louis residents, anyway) was made - this tour would include free beer.

We walked out of the museum and into the cold outdoors, where we were shown a Clydesdale, eating from a fenced patch of fresh hay and standing directly in front of a tractor trailer advertising the Budweiser brand. After a few horse facts we were lead into one of the three national landmark buildings on the tour - the stables for the Clydesdales. After another series of facts about the horses, we were given the option to advance directly to the hospitality room (with the free beer), or continue on the tour.

We continued on to a building containing the beechwood aging room, which featured holding tanks two to three stories high each, where the beechwood aging of Budweiser takes place. These tanks were in rows of (I'd guess) about 20, and double or triple stacked. If I were to guess, I'd say each one of these tanks contained the equivalent of all the beer that passes through Warbird's facilities each year, and the beer only stays in these tanks for 19 days before moving on to be bottled.

After visiting the tanks, we headed over to the Brewhouse, where we learned about the four quality ingredients in Budweiser - Hops, two-row malt, four-row malt, and "to give it that crisp taste" - rice. After our quick beer lesson, we were taken to see the mash tanks and brew kettles in rooms as large as a high school gymnasium. As we passed the computerized control room, I couldn't help but think that the type of sitting around waiting for alarms to go that Budweiser's brewmasters do isn't all that different than the methods most homebrewers are used to.

We then left the brewhouse and headed over to the packaging facility, where we were shown a short film hosted by some very young and attractive "model" AB Employees, who told us all about AB's amazing production capacity. This seems to be the focus of the whole tour, and included a minute or two talking about how amazing Budweiser's packaging was.

After we left the packaging facility we finally made our way to the hospitality room, where we sampled the rarest things we could find on tap - a highly agreeable, highly drinkable stout by the name of "Mule Kick" - it wasn't listed under any particular Budweiser brand, so I'm not sure what they've got planned for this one. I also tried the Bareknuckle Stout - a Guiness rip-off that was a poor follow up to the Mule Kick. I tried a sip or two of a Belgian White called "Shock Top", which looked to be packaged in a way similar to AB's Spring Heat Spiced Wheat from earlier this year.

All in all the tour was pretty fascinating, but as a beer geek I found myself wishing they had focused more on the actual beer - perhaps not such a strange feeling, considering the brewery.

Beer Run - Washington, DC

Saturday morning Gina and I will be flying out to Washington DC, where our current plans seem to revolve around nothing more than drinking. DC has both The Brickskeller - "featuring the world's largest beer list", and a Dogfish Fish pub that hasn't had its grand opening yet (but will while we're there on Tuesday the 6th).

We're probably more excited than we should be. And we're looking for suggestions - if you've been to DC and can recommend anything, please do. And while you're at it, check out the Brickskeller's beer list, and suggest a beer - or ten.

Roadtrip: Warbird Brewery, Ft. Wayne, Indiana

My wife is from the greater Ft. Wayne area and I first heard of Warbird Brewing from the Ft. Wayne newspaper. What really caught my attention was the company founder's desire to serve his beers in cans. And his reasoning was sound: it did a better job of keeping beer than bottles. You didn't hear about many craft breweries doing that.

My first experience with Warbird Brewing, however, was at a bar in Ossian that served the T-6 Red Ale on tap. It wasn't until I returned to Indy that I finally bought a six pack of the T-6 Red Ale, which happened to be the only beer they produced and distributed.

That was a couple of years ago. Today, much has changed. They couldn't get past the public perception that canned beers are cheap beers, so now they put them in bottles. And they have added new ales to their collection. But Warbird founder Dave Holmes is still continuing his mission of brewing better beers. And on Saturday, Hoosier Beer Geek took flight and landed at his brewery where we were given a tour and a few samples.

It sounds kinda funny to hear Dave (seen above) say that he brews beers that his wife would like. But don't think of Warbird as a chick beer brand. He's not brewing Zima or wine coolers. But he's not brewing the super hopped, super malted, super complicated beers either. He's doing traditional ales. And he's doing a great job at it. More about the specific beers later.


Warbird is unlike most Indiana breweries, in that they have no restaurant, bar, or gift shop as part of their operations. They are a brewery in the strictest since of the word. Located near the Ft. Wayne airport in an industrial park, it is all about work when he is on site.

The brewmaster at Warbird recently left, leaving Dave with those duties. Though Chris Tallman (seen above) has been brought on recently, and I suspect that after a while, he will have the brewmaster title.


Marketing-wise, everything revolves around planes. Dave is a former military pilot and until recently would fly antique aircraft in air shows. He sold his plane, but his love for the old birds carries on as every beer is named for a plane. Military stencil fonts are found on their labels, packaging, and kegs.


Currently, there are four beers available in bottles. But they currently brew five styles. We were lucky enough to taste four of the five, and we started with the "Shanty Irish" Irish Ale. It is only available at JK O’Donnell’s Irish Ale House in Ft. Wayne, but it will be bottled and released for St. Patrick's Day next year. It is a very nice Irish red with sweet notes of molasses, brown sugar, and caramel, but with a little bit of hops. A great beer and my favorite of the four we tasted.

I should also point out that a variety of this Irish Ale is now on tap at the Rathskeller in Indianapolis as the "Rathskeller Red". Warbird is the new brewery for the house beer and first went on tap on October 16th, so be sure to check it out. We were informed that this new deal made the Rathskeller their number 1 outlet.


We also had the T-6 red ale, the Warhawk pale ale (above), and the Mustang golden ale (below).


All four are quality beers that everybody in our group enjoyed. Which brings us back to the "beers my wife would drink" statement. Four knights made it up: Kelly,Mike, Gina, and myself. I brought along my father-in-law and brother-in-law. Both have been trying to expand their beer pallet. But neither are big into big hoppy beers.

So I say again, everybody in our group really enjoyed all of the beers, geeks and novices. These are beers that are easy to enjoy and easy to convince others to enjoy. While the Mustang is not a lager or a pilsner, you should serve these to Bud and Miller drinkers and watch them light up as they discover what real beer tastes like.

Know someone who isn't big into the big hops of Hopslam, Hoptimus, or any other double, triple, quadruple, or any other numbered IPA? Start them on a Warhawk. They brewed this beer in the traditional sense. It has bite, but it doesn't leave bite wounds.

Speaking for myself, I'd say that all four beers would receive at least a 3 mug rating with the Shanty Irish getting at least 4. And while it is readily available in Indianapolis and most of Indiana, it is probably one of the most under appreciated breweries in the state. Which is a shame. I would recommend that everybody should try and take flight with Warbird.

Beer Run - Cincinnati, Ohio

I've just returned from a two-day trip to Cincinnati, where I took in a concert and baseball game. The concert and baseball game were my original reasons for visiting Cincy, but a couple of detours proved to be just as rewarding.

The first detour was Jungle Jim's International Market, where Gina and I went a little overboard buying beer. How overboard? Here's the list:

Heritage Brewing Company, Cincinnati, Wooden Shoe Bock Beer
De ProefBrouwerij Lochristi, Belgium, Lozen Boer - Abbey Style 10%
Barrelhouse Brewing Company, Cincinnati, Duveneck Dortmunder Style
Unibroue, Belgium, 16
Barrelhouse Brewing Company, Cincinnati, Boss Cox - Double Dark IPA
Lion Brewery, Sri Lanka, Lion Stout
Van Steenberge, Belgium, Gulden Draak
Bells Brewery, Comstock Michigan, Kalamazoo Stout
Bells Brewery Label, Brewed and Bottled by Kalamazoo Brewing Company, Comstock Michigan, Third Coast Old Ale
Great Lakes Brewing Co., Cleveland, OH, Edmund Fitzgerald Porter
Great Lakes Brewing Co., Cleveland, OH, Dortmunder Gold - Golden Lager
Left Hand Brewing, Longmont, CO, Blackjack Porter
Left Hand Brewing, Longmont, CO, Milk Stout
Great Divide Brewing, Denver, CO, Denver Pale Ale
Great Divide Brewing, Denver, CO, Wild Raspberry Ale
Dogfish Head, Milton, DE, Raison D'Etre
Dogfish Head, Milton, DE, Midas Touch - Handcrafted Ancient Ale
Ommegang, Cooperstown, NY, Witte
Jolly Pumpkin Artisan Ales, Dexter, MI, Bam Biere
Michigan Brewing Co, Webberville, MI, Celis Grand Cru - Belgian Style Ale
Anderson Valley Brewing Co, Boonville, CA, Boont Amber Ale
Anderson Valley Brewing Co, Boonville, CA, Hop Ottin IPA
New Holland Brewing Co., Holland, MI, Sundog Amber Ale
Atlantic Brewing Co,, Portland, ME, Bar Harbor Real Ale
Summit Brewing Co., St. Paul, MN, Maibock
Windsor Brewing Co., Windsor, VT, UFO Hefeweizen - UnFiltered Offering
Bison Brewing Co., Berkley, CA, Bison Chocolate Stout
Speakeasy Ales and Lagers, San Francisco, CA, Prohibition Ale
Mendocino Brewing Co., Saratoga Springs, NY, Blackhawk Stout
Weyerbacher Brewing Co., Easton, PA, Blithering Idiot - Barleywine
Weyerbacher Brewing Co., Easton, PA, Merry Monks - Belgian Style Golden Ale
Breckenridge Brewing Co., Breckenridge, CO - Vanilla Porter

Needless to say, Jungle Jim's has a fantastic selection - by the time I had worked my way through the domestic breweries, I knew I was going to have trunk space issues. We barely browsed the foreign selections, though I did manage to pick up a few old favorites. If you're in Cincinnati, don't hestitate to visit Jungle Jim's. It's well worth your time.

Our second detour was sort of by accident. Before leaving Indy I pulled up directions to various Cincinnati destinations, one of which was a pub that I found through Fox Soccer Channel's Pub Guide. Although it looked promising, I shook off that thought, and went about printing directions to our hotel, the concert venue, and the stadium.

Friday night we left our hotel on route to the concert, but when we arrived at the address of the venue I realized I had made a mistake - we were at the Pub instead. After an hour or so of what seemed to be aimless wandering, we managed to find the concert venue... and Saturday we managed to find Hap's Irish Pub again.

Hap's has a fair beer selection (the Guiness family of beers, Newcastle... that sort of thing), but the staff and patrons were top notch people. Hap's is another Cincinnati instituion I can recommend without reservation. If you're ever in the neighborhood, check it out.