A Kona Pipeline Porter Enjoying the View
The Big Island of Hawaii offers a lot for those looking for a great vacation. There is plenty of sun, beaches of all colors (White sand, black sand, black and white sand and even green sand), an active volcano, whales, dolphins, turtles, snorkeling, SCUBA, surfing, fishing, skiing and even beer. That’s right, there are now three breweries on the island; Kona, Mehana, and Big Island Brewhaus. In addition, every year for the past 16, they have had a Brewers Festival. It was this festival that lured us to the Island for our latest Good Beer Trip.
When planning what to do and where to stay I’d recommend getting a travel book. We went with the Big Island Revealed, and found it very useful. It is a big island (hence the name) and if you want to see all that it has to offer, you’ll want to split your vacation into multiple locations otherwise you’ll end up spending most of you time driving.
On this trip we ended up staying in three locations; a condo in Kailua-Kona, a condo in Hilo, and a unique vacation rental Hawi (Upper Northwest side of the island). Condos and vacation rentals are a great option because for the same price of a hotel you usually get more space, a kitchen to make meals in (saving money), and a refrigerator (to keep your beer cold). We used VRBO to find our rentals.
View from our Condo in Kailua-Kona
The top floor Kona Ali’i #710 condo in Kailua-Kona was great. It was large, open and reasonably priced. It had been recently renovated with a new kitchen, appliances, tile floor and bathroom upgrades. It isn’t ocean facing, but has views of the ocean from the lanai and rooftop deck. The bed was incredibly comfortable. The best part it was right in the heart of town and less than a mile to the Kona Brewpub. They had bikes to use, and a keyboard if you wanted make music. The owners were super sweet and even left us a couple of beers in the fridge since they knew we we coming for the Brewers Festival.
In Hilo, we stayed in Mauna Lao#703, another top floor condo It was a two bedroom that worked out great, as we could sleep in one room and have all our stuff in the other. It had been updated recently. It wasn’t as open as the Kona unit, but was still roomy. It was appointed nicely with art and wood carvings collected from around the world by the owners.
The Turtle Lagoon
The master bedroom was amazing. Since we were on the top floor there was no need for blinds. From the bed you could look out over the tree canopy out to Hilo Bay, and at night peer at the star and whales in the morning. Also viewable from the condo, just below, was the adjacent Carlsmith park with a large lagoon that was great for swimming, snorkeling, and was the home to at least five Sea Turtles. (We were told there had been Twelve, but six had recently been turtle-knapped).
A Whale Crossing in Hawi was a very unique experience. The rental was on the property of the owners and consisted of a sleeping cottage with an attached but accessed from the outside kitchenette and a detached bathroom gazebo with a large soaking claw foot tub, and a heated outdoor shower. The two buildings were connected by a deck. We were concerned about privacy, but it wasn’t a problem. The view from the deck, and the lower yard were amazing! It was so relaxing to just stare out at the ocean, watch whales jump with the island of Maui in the back drop. It was very windy when we were there and the cabana is pretty much just screened in, so bring earplugs if you are a light sleeper. Although we didn’t see many, we sure got a lot of mosquito bites, so make sure you use the provided bug spray.
I hope they are insured, and glad this wasn't our condo
The Tsunami
Yes, we had to evacuate for the tsunami that was a result of the massive earthquake in Japan. Like many tourists, we spent the night and most of the next day in our rental car. (Good thing we rented a Jeep Grand Cherokee) This was our second tsunami warning in as many years. Last year we were on Molokai when an earthquake in Chili caused alarm. With this practice, we knew what to do (Get groceries and water early, load your stuff in the car, and get to higher ground). Unlike last year’s tsunami, this one actually hit the islands hard and caused extensive damage on the Kona Coast of the Big Island. There wasn’t the devastation that is in Japan, but homes were destroyed, condos were wiped out, roads were ripped up, shops were water logged, and the King Kamehameha Hotel’s first floor was flooded with a foot of water. I posted a few photos earlier, and YouTube has some interesting videos. Mother Nature can sure throw a strong punch. Our thoughts go out to everyone in Japan, Hawaii, and around the Pacific Rim that lost their lives, family member, friend, home, property and livelihoods as a result of this catastrophe.
The promoters for the 16th Annual Kona Brewers Festival definitely had their work cut out for them this year. After all their planning and preparation, the event site on the grounds of the King Kamehameha Hotel was destroyed by the tsunami, the day before the festival. With a “show must go on” mentality they worked like little beavers and successfully moved the festival to the Kona Brewery parking lot. They did such an amazing job, that if you hadn’t known any better you would have thought this was the location all along. Great job!
When booked this trip we knew this beer festival was going to be a different from the ones we are used to in the Northwest, and not just because it was in Hawaii. Sure there was beer, 43 breweries from nine different states serving up more than 70 different ales and lagers, but there was also more than 25 top chefs from local restaurants serving sweet and savory tastes of the Pacific Rim. On top of that, there were two stages for live music as well as a Trash Fashion show. That’s right, a Trash Fashion show. High fashion garments made entirely out of recycled materials to increase the awareness of recycling.
The best part, a glass mug, 8 tasters, the entertainment, and all the food you could eat were included in the $60 cost of entry. All the proceeds go to local charities, so you feel good about being there too. This year they were making plans to earmark funds for the tsunami relief effort on the Big Island.
We were a little worried about baking in the hot tropic sun in a cramped area with the other 1,498 revelers. Several folks in town warned us to make sure to get there early, wear a hat and put on sun screen. We took this advice and arrived about a half hour before the gates opened wearing our sun hats, all sun screened up. As we scouted out the venue all of our worries went away as there was plenty of room, plenty of water stations, and plenty of shady areas. (Not to mention at least two shady characters)
With food in one hand and beer in the other we walked around, enjoying the event. In lieu of taking any sort of notes, and after being instructed by LushC to stop tweeting, I opted for just taking photos. We focused on beers from breweries we’ve never had before, starting off with Buffalo Bill’s Alimony Ale and a Caldera Hibiscus Ginger Beer. Throughout the day we had beer from California (Buffalo Bill’s Coronado, Noble Ale Works, Pizza Port Carlsbad, Rubicon, and Six Rivers), Hawaii (Kona, Maui, Waimea), Illinois (Goose Island), Michigan (Jolly Pumpkin), New Jersey (Flying Fish), and Oregon (Caldera and Hopworks).
There wasn’t a bad beer to be had. From what we tasted the most interesting beers were the Jolly Pumpkin Bam Noire and the Caldera Hibiscus Ginger Beer, the best food/beer pairing (done on my own) was the Kona Koko Brown with Tropical Dreams Tahitian Vanilla Ice Cream, and our favorite beer was the Noble Ale Works Dark Sybian IPA. The beer that had the most buzz at the festival was Seattle’s own Pike Monk’s Uncle Tripel. “I like Pike” stickers were also trending in Kona on this day. (Click here for more photos)
It was definitely a fun time and an event I’d recommend for any beer enthusiast. If you do plan a trip around the festival, make sure you get tickets online early, as it sells out fast. You don’t want to get there thinking you can get tickets at the door, and be turned away. Also get a cute hat, you will need it. (LushC)
Round One
Leche de Tigre
and our favorite was...
– To Be Continued –
FTC Info: Nothing was received for the writing of this.
Tsunami Damage Photos from Kailua-Kona
Here are some photos of the damage caused by the Tsunami in Kailua-Kona. It’s not beer related and I know it’s nothing compared to the destruction in Japan, but it is still real. My thoughts go out to everyone affected.
Photos from the 2011 Kona Brewers Festival
We had a great time at the 16th Annual Kona Brewers Festival. The promoters did an amazing job pulling off the event after their ocean front location was devastated the day before by the tsunami. We’ll come back later and tell you more about it, but for now here are some photos.
For those from Seattle, “I like Pike” was well represented.
The 2011 Kona Brewers Festival: Brews in Paradise
Fine Beer, great eats, palm trees, blue water and sunshine. What could be better?
The 16th Annual Kona Brewers Festival, Brews for the Big Rock, is only a week away. Hopefully you got your tickets, because once again it is sold out. We got ours and are packing for our next Good Beer Trip.
From the website:
“The Kona Brewers Festival is an annual event held each March designed to promote the craft brewing revolution in Hawaii, encourage professional brewers and chefs to work together as an industry and have a positive economic and environmental effect on the community.
The event debuted in 1996 to celebrate the birthday of Kona Brewing Company, foster Hawaii’s increasing interest in the craft brewing industry and promote recycling. Over the years, it has become one of Kailua-Kona’s – and the state of Hawaii’s – premier events and has raised more than $360,000 for local environmental and cultural organizations.”
The list of breweries attending this year looks impressive. It’s good to see the Harmon, Pike, and Redhook will be there flying the Washington flag. There are many “new to me” breweries on the list that I’m looking forward to trying.
• Ballast Point Brewing Co, CA
• Bear Republic Brewery, CA
• Big Aloha Brewery, HI
• Big Island Brewhaus (Tako Tako), HI
• Boston Beer Co, MA
• Buffalo Bill’s Brewery, CA
• Caldera Brewing Co, OR
• Coronado, CA
• Deschutes Brewery, OR
• Double Mountain Brewery, OR
• Eel River Brewing Co., CA
• Flying Fish
• Goose Island Beer Co., IL
• Gordon Biersch, HI
• Green Flash Brewing Co, CA
• Harmon Brewing Co. WA
• Hawai`i Nui Brewing, HI
• Hopworks Urban Brewery, OR
• Jolly Pumpkin Artisan Ales, MI
• Kona Brewing Company, HI
• KBC 2 – Rocket Suds
• Lagunitas Brewing Co, CA
• Lompoc Brewing, OR
• Lost Coast Brewery, CA
• Maui Brewing Co., HI
• Mehana, HI
• Michelob Brewing Co, MO
• Nani Moon Mead
• Noble Ale Works, CA
• Pike Brewing Company, WA
• Pizza Port Carlsbad
• Pleasanton Main Street Brewery, CA
• Primo Brewing Co, HI
• Redhook, WA
• Ring of Fire Meadery, AK
• Rogue, OR
• Rubicon Brewing Co.
• Sierra Nevada, CA
• Six Rivers Brewery, CA
• Stone Brewing Company, CA
• Thomas Kemper Sodas, OR
• Waimea Brewing Company, HI
• Widmer Brothers Brewing Co
Check back in a little over a week, to find out if we survived!
Cheers,
DraughtE
FTC Info: This is not a paid for advertisement. We purchased our own tickets.
Washington Beer Open House 2011
Looking for something to do today? Why don’t you check out one of the great Washington Breweries in the first ever Washington Beer Open House!
Breweries all over the state will be opening their doors from Noon – 4:00PM, including the opening of American Brewing in Edmonds, WA. The event will provide tastes of special beers and and great tasting experiences. Just remember to have your designated driver.
For more information check out the Washington Beer Commission Website.
This comment was left by our friends up at Chuckanut Brewing in Bellingham and highlights their plans for the day.
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Blake Seelbach
February 25, 2011 10:03 am
“Chuckanut Brewery Open House – Saturday, February 26th from 12-4pm”
The Washington Beer Commission has organized a statewide Open House for all breweries in the state of Washington who choose to participate. This is a real treat for the huge supportive craft beer community we have here in the Northwest. The state wide Open House coincides with the Washington Beer Commission’s mission to promote Washington Beer by presenting a great opportunity for Washingtonians to go get a behind the scenes look at their local breweries.
Chuckanut Brewery is no stranger to the Bellingham Community, open for service seven days a week and offering brewery tours every six weeks during the year, but this is a special opportunity to get to know us and our beers even better. Our brewers will be here to answer questions and discuss the more technical side of our beers and the brewing process. Co-owner and operator, Mari Kemper, will be welcoming guests with the lighter and more fun side of beer; with tips and techniques for drinking it! Did you know that using the right beer glass can offer a more complete and satisfying beer-drinking experience? Well, it’s true and Mari will be here to discuss the rationale behind using different glassware for different styles of beer and to give you tips for choosing the right one. Mari will also be offering guests suggestions for pairing beers with food; if you pair them correctly, you can bring out some really great flavors in your beer and food that could otherwise go unrecognized. It will be fun learning experience for everyone and it’s FREE!
Chuckanut Brewery and Kitchen, located at 601 W Holly St, Bellingham, is a brewery and restaurant offering a full-service menu. Started by the originators of Thomas Kemper Brewery in 1984, Mari and Will Kemper returned from traveling to foreign locations to welcome guests to their brewery & restaurant every day of the week. Well known for their European style award winning Lagers and Ales, Chuckanut Brewery & Kitchen was awarded National Small Brewpub/Brewer of the Year 2009.
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Cheers,
DraughtE
Day Trip: North Sound Brewing, Washington’s New Brewery in Mt Vernon
George Washington was a well-known beer lover and likely enjoyed many brews at his Mt Vernon estate. It’s quite fitting then, that you can find great craft beer in Mt Vernon, Washington. The 32,139 (2009 data) residents of this town that is most known for its annual Tulip festival are lucky to have two breweries (Skagit River and North Sound ) and three pubs that specialize in craft beer (Empire Alehouse, Porterhouse Pub and Trumpeter Public House). I’ll eventually tell you more about all them, but today I’ll focus North Sound Brewing.
We arrived at North Sound Brewing
North Sound Brewing Co. (#223)
Last Saturday, on our way up north we decided to stop and visit North Sound Brewing Co (Map). It was just after Noon and we nearly had the place to ourselves. Lyra, our bartender and writer for the blog BeerGoodFood.com, said that this was a sweet spot in the day and the quietness wouldn’t last long (Checkout Lyra’s 30 day beer challenge). It is good to hear that Mt Vernon has taken well to this new establishment that only opened its door late last summer.
The brewery is located northwest of town at 17406 Memorial Highway (SR 536). They’ve done a great job with what was once a used car lot. As you arrive, you can’t miss the great outdoor beer garden with its several wood tables. Although sitting outside was enticing, we ventured indoors. (It is February after all). The Taproom isn’t too large, but they make good use of the space they have, with seating for about 20. The large window looking out over the beer garden brings in plenty of light so that it doesn’t feel cramped.
Behind the bar there is very cool custom brushed metal nine tap draft beer tower that sits in front of a large window. Through the window you get a glimpse of the brewery and the beautiful copper four barrel mash-tun and brew kettle and the double batch stainless steel fermentation tanks. They weren’t brewing this day, so everything just sat there looking shiny and clean.
If you’re hungry, you may want to eat before you get there, or better yet they allow you to bring in your own food. They do sell some snacks like Beer Nuts and Walker’s British Crips (in crazy flavors) if you forget.
They are also Fido friendly (In the Beer Garden), but sorry no Kiddos allowed.
Let’s get onto the beer. Like I mentioned earlier, they had an impressive nine tap line up. They sell Imperial Pints, half pints (At half the pint price!), (4) 4 ounce taster trays, pitchers, and wine by the glass. You can also buy or fill your own growler to go. We opted for two taster trays, plus one extra taster to sample them all. Our empty growler was filled with the Goosetown Brown when we left.
DraughtE with his taster - by LushC
Beer Sampler
Big Bend Blonde – Light, crisp, and dry with enough malt and hop flavor to make it interesting. It would make a great summer-lawn-mower beer. Big R Imperial Red – Big toasted toffee malt flavor up front with a coppery hop finish. It hides its 9.1%ABV very well. Be careful with this one. Bitter Rain ESB – Well balanced malt and hop make this an easy drinker. Look out though, it is 6.7% abv. We’ve seen this one around the Seattle area, definitely give it a try. Cherry Wheat – A very light bodied wheat beer with a slight cherry and almost peppery finish, a summer session beer for sure. Goosetown Brown – Their description fits it to a tee, “Slightly sweet, smoky and full bodied. Chocolate roasted and dark Munich malts give this beer a nice mahogany color and rich flavor”. Hop Chops IPA – Sweet floral nose, sweet malt start, and a floral and citrus hop finish. This beer has enough hops for the hop head but it doesn’t have too much to burn the tongue. Slainte Stout (nitro) – Smooth, well balanced, with a wonderful toffee/coffee finish. This is currently one of LushC’s favorite stouts. X-Batch Bitter – “Beers we release under this label are experimental or beers that ended up with a different profile than expected.” Like they advertised this beer had a “fruity (almost bubble-gum like) flavor “, and a pleasant floral hop finish. It made me wonder where the baseball cards were. X-Batch Magnum IPA – Sweet malt up front with a clean bitter finish. Another very drinkable beer that hides its 8%abv very well.Overall we were impressed with the beer. Many of them are higher in alcohol content than you’d expect, but there is no real overly alcohol taste. They were all well balanced, with a clean finish. We felt right at home with the great service and comfortable vibe. We’ll be back, for sure.
Cheers,
DraughtE
FTC Info: Nothing was received for the writing of this post, so Suckit!
Base Camp Winter Ale Fest – March 5, 2011, Conway, WA
This event was left on my Contact page. It looks fun and is for a good cause so I though I’d post it on the main page. Thank you Ellen for making us aware of the Base Camp Winter Ale Fest.
If you go, please come back here and let us all know how it was.
Cheers!
DraughtE
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The parents of Summit Academy are serving up beer and brats – 20 local, hand-crafted ales, to be exact. The fund raiser includes Silvana Meats bratwurst and locally-grown oysters.
With 10 participating local ale houses supplying 20 ales, local beer and brats, and live music, the first annual Base Camp Winter Ale Fest promises to be a fun event. The event takes place from 4-10 p.m., Saturday, March 5 at The Conway Muse.
“The Muse has such great character, with a loft and a stage, and the ambience of an artsy, historic barn right on the edge of Fir Island and the Skagit River,” said Ellen Hiatt, a parent organizer of the event. “It’s the right place to make this event fun.” Fresh grilled brats provided by Silvana Meats, and local oysters from Taylor’s Shellfish will also be available for sale.
The local ale providers include DiamondKnot, Chuckanut Brewery, Skookum, Anacortes Brewery, and North Sound Brewing Company, among others.
Alex Dorchak, a Summit Academy parent and a member of the Cask Club, is excited about the participating ale houses. “I’m buying a ticket myself just to be sure I get to taste all of these great ales!”
Hiatt noted that the Winter Ale Fest includes a silent auction, hors d’oeuvres, a commemorative tasting glass, and a souvenir tasting guide. Tickets are $30 and are available online at ww.basecamptickets.com, or $40 at the door.
Live music for the event will be provided by The Crying Shame, a Seattle-based band. “They’ll provide just the right kind of jive for this event. We’re so excited they could be there,” said Hiatt.
All proceeds benefit Summit Academy, a 501(c)3 non-profit, http://www.summit-ed.org; Summit Academy is an independent school that uses a field-based approach for intensive study in the environment, arts, sciences and community.
Participants must be 21 to attend.
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FTC INFO: Nothing was received for the advertisement of this post.
2010 in review
The stats helper monkeys at WordPress.com mulled over how this blog did in 2010, and here’s a high level summary of its overall blog health:
The Blog-Health-o-Meter™ reads Wow.
Crunchy numbers
A Boeing 747-400 passenger jet can hold 416 passengers. This blog was viewed about 7,600 times in 2010. That’s about 18 full 747s.
In 2010, there were 56 new posts, growing the total archive of this blog to 75 posts. There were 390 pictures uploaded, taking up a total of 718mb. That’s about 1 pictures per day.
The busiest day of the year was January 5th with 116 views. The most popular post that day was Welcome to Good Beer Trips.
Where did they come from?
The top referring sites in 2010 were facebook.com, seattlebeernews.com, washingtonbeerblog.com, twitter.com, and WordPress Dashboard.
Some visitors came searching, mostly for beer trips, molokai, good beer trips, snoqualmie falls brewery, and skookum brewery.
Attractions in 2010
These are the posts and pages that got the most views in 2010.
Welcome to Good Beer Trips June 2009
2 comments
Breweries Visited June 2009
2 comments
Vancouver, BC – 2010 Winter Olympics Edition February 2010
5 comments
Skookum Brewing – Arlington, WA March 2010
2 comments
Two Beers Brewing Co – Seattle, WA January 2010
1 comment
2010 Washington Winter Beer Festival
DraughtE at the 2010 Washington Winter Beer Festival
A great time was had by all at the SOLD OUT first night of the 2010 Washington Winter Beer Festival. Once again, the Hale’s Palladium was filled to its britches with merry folks celebrating the season with fine Washington Winter Beer.
LushC and I both love Winter Beers and love this festival! We parted ways with many tokens last night and below is the list of what we got in return. From what I remember, our favorites of the evening were the Cozy Sweater, BBomb, Pumpkin Death, and the Hopocolypse.
The best surprise of the evening was the appearance of Paradise Creek Brewery from Pullman. Their Hopocolypse Cascadian Black IPA was terrific, a great example of one my new favorite styles of beer. Cheers to Paradise Creek, and welcome to the scene. I see a Good Beer Trip to the Palouse in the near future.
If you‘re going to the festival today you can get the complete list of beers at the official festival website to help plan your attack.
7 Seas Brewing Port Royal Export Style Stout w/Blackberries – Tasty, but I was hoping for more blackberry
Airways Brewing Hot Chocolate –Mild spice, and sweet, yum.
Big Time Brewing Holy Mole Chocolate-Chili Ale – Big and bold, the spicier of the two chocolate pepper beers.
Black Raven Brewing 2010 Bourbon Barrel la Petite Mort – missed this one last year, so I got it first, it was worth it!
Fremont Brewing Bourbon Abominable Ale “BBomb” – It’s the bomb!
Iron Horse Cozy Sweater – a cashmere sweater for sure, nice and smooth.
Issaquah Brewhouse/Rogue Jolly Frog – a jolly frog is a happy frog.
Naked City Brewery French Dude Barrel Aged Beer – a crowd pleaser.
Paradise Creek Brewery Hopocolypse (Cascadian Black IPA) – Get ready for the Cascadia revolution.
Redhook Winterhook – A favorite back in the day when I could get a pitcher for $3 at the World Famous Up & Up.
Schooner Exact Hoppy the Woodsman – I love this one, it always kicks my butt though.
Scuttlebutt Brewing Oaked 10 Below Winter Ale – aged in a neutral barrel, not a virgin barrel.
Snipes Mountain Brewery Pumpkin Death – way to abuse those pumpkins!
Trade Route Brewing Sumatra Coffee Stout – A great pick me up!
Two Beers Cask Conditioned Jive Espresso Stout– LushC stamp of approval!
Cheers,
DraughtE
Day Trip: Rockfish Grill and Anacortes Brewery – Anacortes, WA
The sign to good beer
If you travel north on I-5 from Seattle towards Canada, there are numerous side trips you can take to find good beer. One of those is to the Rockfish Grill and Anacortes Brewery in Anacortes, Washington.
To get there, take exit 230 (Hwy 20 West) at Burlington and follow the signs towards the San Juan/Vancouver Island Ferry; only 16 miles off of I-5. Go left at the traffic circle and drive into the Historic Old Town. When you are on the edge of town it will be on you left at 320 Commercial Avenue in a long-standing corner storefront.
The building interior has a recently updated, rustic seaside café feel. Don’t get me wrong, it’s comfortable and clean. As you enter, the brewery is on the right, off to the left is the kid friendly dining area and directly in front of you is the classic wood bar. Out back, there is a great patio area.
A couple of weekends ago we decided to take this detour as we drove back to Seattle from the Mt Baker Foothills. We entered the front door, zipped right past the hostess stand, and found a couple stools at the bar. Shortly after sitting down we were greeted by Brian, the bartender, a very courteous and beer knowledgeable bloke. They will soon have a full bar, so he told us that he had been committing to memory hundreds of drink recipes, and his mind was full. He took our drink order; still feeling the season, LushC ordered an Oktoberfest, and I went with a Beer Sampler.
We took a look at the menu and pondered what to eat. I’d say it’s pretty much standard pub fare, with a little more emphasis on seafood, and the addition of stone oven pizzas. LushC zoned right in on the Fish Tacos, and after careful consideration I ordered the Tostado with grilled chicken. The taco plate was a good portion consisting of three large tacos. I didn’t hear any complaints out of LushC. As for the Tostado, it was a large plate of lettuce, cheese, black beans, with two crispy taco shells sneaking out the sides and topped with the chicken. Yum!
Anacortes Brewing Beer Sampler
BEER SAMPLER
Pilsner – light and crisp with a hint of honey.
Oktoberfest – dark amber, malty sweet building to a spicy hop finish. LushC, enjoyed it at first but after half of it found it a bit overwhelming and too sweet.
Amber – smooth blend of malt and hops with a nice citrus nose; very hoppy for an amber and I liked it.
IPA – citrus nose, sweet upfront, finishing with a big citrus hop flavor. It fits in well with other Northwest IPA’s. Just like LushC likes ‘em.
Darkside IPA Amber Malted IPA – sweet and mellow, with a classic flowery hop finish. Not as dark as I thought it would be from the name, but still very good.
Porter – Nice toasted malt and coffee flavor. A little light bodied for a porter, but still enjoyable.
Bourbon Barrel Red – Cloudy red, sour upfront, almost a cabernet flavor (wine bite), then mellows out to the vanilla flavor of the bourbon barrel.
For some reason we don’t make this diversion that often. Now that we’ve done it again, I can see us doing more often.
Cheers,
DraughtE
FTC INFO: Nothing was received for the posting of this article. All items reviewed were purchased by Good Beer Trips.
Good Beer Trips 