I am a Craft Brewer - older, but great nonetheless

Lagunitas Lucky 13

I should have this in my fridge at all times. I can't get over how drinkable this beer is. Rate it? Not tonight. Just enjoying it. Lagunitas make a great brew.

Blatant Marketing...

I wanted to give this Amazon Associates thing a try so I thought I would put up a book by one of my high school friends, Nicole Peeler. Folks, I admit to reading this book and I am proud to say that I enjoyed it - a lot. She did a killer job and deserves a lot of credit. This is the first in a series of three.

Brooklyn Brewery

I just called and they have Saturday tours available, free of charge. E and I will head over the bridge for lunch on Saturday and then cab it up to the brewery for a tour and a few beers. They confirmed that they have their usual lineup, a seasonal and a brew master's special on tap (8 altogether).

Should be one of many highlights on on our mid-January weekend trip!

Two things...

I will eventually post my review of Ivan the Terrible. As it turns out, I cannot locate the notebook I wrote the review in. I am sure it will turn up, undoubtedly in a bin with my son's toys.

Also, I am trying to locate a sixer of Left Hand's Fade to Black. Hope to have a review of that up soon as well.

Piece Pizza in Wicker Park - Chicago

Piece has great pizza. They have even better beer. Going against the grain in a city filled with deep dish "Chicago-style" pizza lovers, they chose to open a Connecticut-style joint with equally delicious red and white pizzas. My favorite last night:

Red Pizza with goat cheese, onions, sausage and banana peppers.

And then there is the beer. I wasn't there to rate beer, but I did want to mention what I had and my initial thoughts. I started off with their Double IPA - Wackjob. This is a fantastic brew. As you would expect, a very hoppy, 9% abv beer that goes down like water - tread carefully! I had two of the DysfunctionAle - their regular IPA. Very good beer, 6.5% abv and oh so drinkable. I would love to have a fridge full of this stuff. I also tried their Dark Bier - a dark German wheat beer. I am not a fan of this type of beer for the most part, but it was very refreshing and very drinkable. I think it sits at 5% abv. I also tried their Festivus. At 8.5% abv, this potent dark Belgian ale is just too malty to make me a fan favorite. I love a good Belgian, but this seemed to be trying too hard. Finally, I was given a taster of their OMFG, a blend of their Barley Wine and Smoked Porter. Wow!!!! Watch out - at a VERY potent 11% abv, this beer could seriously knock you on your ass. Thankfully, I was given only a shot glass.

Final verdict - great pizza and great beer. They make some of the best IPAs in Chicago.

The First Tasting Will Be ...

Big Sky's Ivan the Terrible Russian Imperial Stout. Will likely try tomorrow. Good night.

Brand New ... and Naked!

Coming soon:

I will feature a weekly beer pick that I will taste, grade and, hopefully, recommend. I will also detail books/products that I have personally read, used or consumed.

More to come.