Wednesday, June 22, 2011

Hoppy Beer Tasting

This past Saturday night John and I had a dinner and movie date. The movie was Green Lantern. As much as I love Ryan Reynolds, you can pass on this one. Dinner however, was at The Pub, a semi-local chain that has since worked its way back into our good graces. On a previous visit (back in 2008 probably), we had terrible service and there was really only one thing on the menu we liked (fish & chips!). The only reason we decided to give this another go a couple months ago was because they serve Kentucky Bourbon Barrel Ale on tap. YUM! So much better than in the bottle, even for a non-bourbon fan like me. Luckily, sincen that first trip they've also expanded their menu a bit. That doesn't stop me from ordering the the fried fish though. Gets me every time!


This time, the exact same fish sandwich I had ordered last time came on rye bread. Why? And I had to pay extra for cole slaw. I should have known. But, the Pub is still on my OK to Eat There list for the following reasons: Crispin and this delightful paddle full of beer samples! If you like apple cider and can find Crispin, you must try it. Its distribution, though brought to us by Sam Adams, is extremely limited. The Pub happens to have this on tap too. Two points for the Pub. But, we also branched out and tried the following four beers in 5 oz. samples for just over $5.00. Very reasonable, eh?


Tasting notes from Left to Right. Is this not the cutest thing you've ever seen? Maybe you can't tell from the picture but the glasses are mini!


Belhaven Stout: This Scottish beer was sort of Guinness-y. Very smoky and dark, obviously. My least favorite of the bunch but would be good had I been in a dark beer mood which, in the summer, I'm usually not.


Belhaven Twisted Thistle: This was simply delightful! Not only is it brought to us by my people but it was very floral with hints of jasmine. Even John liked it. Light and sippably summer.


Hoegaarden: The clove in this one is insane! The orange slice reminded my of Blue Moon but otherwise, nothing like that at all. This was my fave with the Thistle coming in a close second. Must seek out in stores.


Breckenridge Vanilla Porter: Dark yes but very smooth. And you definitely taste the vanilla, which I appreciated. I hate when a beer tastes nothing like it's advertised.


Can wait to go back and try more? What have you been sampling lately?

No comments:

Post a Comment

I want to hear what you have to say. Really!