One of the best parts of the craft beer revolution is that every day more and more little craft beer gems pop up around town. Last weekend the wife and I got a chance to try a new beer bar and restaurant in south Orlando called Gnarly Barley and walked away with a new favorite place on that side of town! With five taps, a good selection of mostly American craft beers and some tasty bar food– this diamond in the rough is definitely worth a visit. The day we went they had a Cigar City tap takeover and a Puppy adoption sponsored by Pitiful Pups, so my head almost exploded with the combo of good beer and puppy cuteness.

Drinking a Cigar City Marzen on tap

Between the wife and I we drank the Marzen, Jai Alai, Helles, and Table Saison (all from Cigar City and on tap) and shared a Snack Attack (think chicken nachos, but with crispy potato chips and home-made blue cheese) and a BS Wich (Chipotle beef brisket sub with provolone, red onions and house-made coleslaw). Besides the good beer and food (oh, did I forget to mention cute puppies EVERYWHERE?!?) the outside patio area is equipped with corn hole and a large projector screen for movies or basketball games. Our time at Gnarly Barley was spent sitting outside drinking Cigar City, staring at other people’s puppies and playing Scrabble (more like getting my ass kicked, but that’s besides the point.) It was a great day drinking day at a great new place!

Photo courtesy of PitifulPups.com

Last week I went to Big C Liquors, a local liquor store that’s been open for over 15 years and specializes in craft beers. I had never been to Big Cs even though I work mere minutes from them and have even walked right by it without looking in. I must have looked like a kid in a candy store, because after a while of inspecting the sudsy contents of every row, an employee came over and asked “Can I help you find something?” Since it was my first time being there, the extremely knowledgeable employee started asking me my beer preferences and started giving me some recommendations. He was genuinely surprised that I had never had Weyerbacher Heresy since it’s really highly regarded and relatively easy to find here in Florida.  I happily took his recommendations and brought home the Heresy along with a couple of other small bottles. Here’s my review of Weyerbacher Heresy:

Heresy
Weyerbacher Brewing Company
Imperial Stout aged in Oak barrels
8% ABV

Pour: dark motor oil color, light carbonation, thick & coating.

Aroma: Toasted coffee along with some sweet aromas. There are definitely some nice woody notes that are coming through from the Kentucky bourbon barrels.

Flavor: This beer is extremely smooth with some dark chocolate flavors complemented by roasted coffee beans. The sweetness of the malt and vanilla really balances out the initial bitter tones. It finishes with an oaky dryness while it lingers in the palate.

(My Score: 91)

Cinco de Mayo is right around the corner and according to SeriousEats.com the best tasting Mexican lagers are Bohemia Pilsner (a light lager) and Dos Equis Amber (a dark lager). Although I might agree with their selections… these beers are produced by large breweries in Mexico. They’re not craft beers, and doggone it, this is a craft beer blog (that’s right, I said DOGGONE IT!) So, I’ll be selecting craft beers that pair well with different Mexican dishes that you can enjoy for Cinco de Mayo or any Mexican meal!

Bells Oberon Wheat Ale

Guacamole: American Wheat Ale

Examples: Bells Oberon, Lagunitas A Little Sumpin’ Sumpin’ Ale, Southern Tier Hop Sun

This light and creamy side dish is a Cinco de Mayo party favorite! It’s easy to prepare and it’s pretty healthy (if you don’t eat a million tortilla chips with it). I make my version with fresh avocados (of course), chopped red onion, chopped tomato, fresh lime juice, a handful of finely chopped cilantro, salt and pepper. The mild avocado flavors along with the citrus from the lime will pair really well with a beer like Bells Oberon. Guacamole is such a delicate dish that it needs to be paired with a beer that won’t over-shadow it. An American Wheat Ale’s nuanced flavors will compliment the citrus, and spicy onion notes without letting your palate miss the creamy goodness of the avocado.

Dogfish Head Indian Brown Ale

Mole Poblano: Vienna Style / Brown Ale

Examples: Brooklyn Lager, Dogfish Head Indian Brown Ale, Lagunitas Wilco Tango Foxtrot (WTF) Ale

This dish is very traditional… so traditional that it’s considered by many as the “national dish” of Mexico. The dish is basically a type of meat cooked in a very smoky and complex chocolate chili sauce. The sauce is comprised of a variety of chili peppers, Mexican chocolate, and an abundance of spices including cinnamon, cloves and cumin. The sweet, spicy and rich flavors of the mole will pair well with a few different styles that have more of a malt-forward flavor profile. A Brown Ale like Dogfish Head Indian Brown Ale will accentuate the sweet flavors of the chocolate and cinnamon while managing the spice from all the chili peppers. A thick and rich sauce like mole will also benefit from the lighter mouthfeel of a Brown Ale or a Vienna Style Lager.

Ommegang Hennepin

Tacos al Pastor: Saison

Examples: Ommegang Hennepin, Jolly Pumpkin Bam Bière, Goose Island Sofie

This one my favorite dishes of all time! Pork marinated in pureed pineapple, onions, and citrus and seasoned with chiles and spices is then stuffed into a handheld corn tortilla with a sprinkling of fresh onions and cilantro… how does that not sound amazing to everyone?!? The complex sweet, spicy and savory flavors will pair well with the refreshing fruit and peppery notes of a Saison style like an Ommegang Hennepin. The rich fattiness of the pork and the spiciness of the chiles are nicely balanced by the crisp and refreshing citrus flavors found in Farmhouse Ales (another name for the Saison style)

Allagash Four

Mexican Brownies: Belgian Quad Style

Examples: Southampton Abbot 12, Ommegang Three Philosophers, Allagash Four

One always has to end the Cinco de Mayo party with some dessert– something like spice-infused brownies. I found this Aaron Sanchez recipe on FoodNetwork.com and it sounded like a perfect dessert to prepare for a Mexican themed fiesta (if I wasn’t hispanic myself, I would say “that’s culturally insensitive!”) Pairing a Belgian Quadruppel style like Allagash Four with these brownies will accentuate the sweet and rich flavors of the chocolate and balance out the spices from the cinnamon and chiles. This beer has some sweet malty notes that will enhance the bitter sweet chocolate and the raisin and candied fruit notes will balance the spices infused in the brownies. The higher alcohol content can’t hurt either.

Some might say that Asheville, North Carolina isn’t a destination that most people would call a perfect place for a romance-filled anniversary trip. Those people would be wrong!  They just don’t know romance like I do (am I right ladies?!?!). It’s proximity to the beautiful Blue Ridge and Smoky Mountains, nice weather this time of year, and really good food made it a pretty easy choice for a last minute anniversary trip. It also doesn’t hurt that Asheville’s won the title of Beer City USA three years in a row. On our short trip we got to drink a lot of local beers, do some hiking, drive some of the Blue Ridge Parkway, and go to a few (of the many) breweries in Asheville… here’s a quick recap of the beer related pit stops on our trip!

Lexington Ave Brewery

Lexington Avenue Brewery
39 N. Lexington Avenue
Asheville NC 28801
Twitter – @Lab_Asheville
http://www.lexavebrew.com/

This was our first beer stop in Asheville after we got some breakfast at Mayfel’s Cafe and walked around downtown a little. We decided to get an early lunch snack and a beers at Lexington Avenue Brewery – since we heard their food was great. “Lab” had a nice wrap around bar, brick walls, and some great outdoor seating for people watchers like us. We ordered the Tuna Kombucha appetizer that had flavorful spiced curry flavors of the seared tuna balanced by a cool and refreshing kombucha sorbet. Along with the appetizer we got their full flight of 5 beers: Belgian White, Marzenbier, American Pale Ale, Black IPA, and Chocolate Stout. Out of the five beers the Black IPA was my favorite, it had nice bitter/sweet maltiness that I really enjoyed. The other beers were very solid, especially the American Pale Ale and the Chocolate Stout.

Bruisin’ Ales
66 Broadway Street Suite 1
Asheville, NC 28801
Twitter – @bruisinales
http://www.bruisin-ales.com/

After Lab we stopped at Asheville’s premier craft beer store to pick up some supplies for our cabin. Bruisin’ Ales is a small place with an impressive selection of any kind of craft beer you fancy (including growlers from Pisgah, Greenman and other local breweries.) We picked up an Allagash Odyssey, StillWater / Mikkellen Two Gypsies: Our Side, Smisje Calva Reserva, and a Founders Double Trouble. All of them were great recommendations from the staff at the store.

Wedge Brewing Co.

Wedge Brewing Co.
125B Roberts Street
Asheville, NC 28801
http://wedgebrewing.com/

After having an amazing dinner of Caribbean inspired pasta and rice dishes at Nine Mile Restaurant we headed over to Wedge Brewing Co. The brewery is in a hard to find location right by some train tracks and across from the French Broad River. There’s a nice tasting room with a full view of the brewery, but the coolest thing about the brewery is a truck that sits outside where they project movies for occasional free screenings. It’s pretty impressive for such a small brewery to have 8 of their beers on tap when we visited. I enjoyed their 3rd Rail Double IPA. It had a great apricot fruit and dry hay aroma. This beer is surprisingly smooth and easy drinking for a 10% ABV IPA. The alcohol flavor was slightly obscured by some syrupy sweet fruit. The floral bitterness comes out at the back–end of my palate. This was one of my favorite beers of the whole trip. The wife had a Super Saison which was dry hopped and fermented with wild brett. All in all a really nice place to stop in for a couple of great beers and some cornhole (It’s not dirty… just look it up!)

Barley’s Taproom & Pizzeria
42 Biltmore
Asheville, NC 28801
http://www.barleystaproom.com/

This two-story beer bar and pizzeria had a good selection of local beers along with tons of other craft beers. I ordered a French Broad Wee Heavy-er– a Scotch Ale that was a nice malty beer and was pretty solid. We weren’t able to stop in for long time because we had to get up early the next day to hop on the Blue Ridge Parkway and do some hiking.

Having a Cask Aged IPA and an ESB at Greenman Brewery

Greenman Brewery
23 Buxton Ave.
Asheville, NC
http://greenmanbrewery.com/

This was another word-class small brewery in Asheville. with a great tap list. I had their Cask Aged IPA and was surprised that it was not very aromatic. It did not disappoint on the palate though, there was some wonderful citrus fruit flavors along with some floral notes. This was another smooth and well rounded IPA . The cask woodiness comes through on the back end of my palate where the oak balances the pine bitterness. I tried the regular IPA and it’s it a lot more aromatic and bitter tasting, but it’s less smooth and well rounded as the one aged in the cask. The wife had the ESB, which was also really good.

Here’s a complete list of Asheville area beers I was able to try while visiting:

Pisgah Spring Wheat (The wife)
Foothills Hoppyum IPA
Highland Gaelic Ale
Lab American Pale (flight)
LAB Black IPA (flight)
LAB chocolate stout (flight)
LAB Whitney (flight)
LAB Marzenbier (flight)
Pisgah Pale Ale
Wedge 3rd Rail Double IPA / Barleywine (A++)
Wedge Super Saison (The wife)
French Broad Wee-Heavy-er
Greenman Cask IPA (A++)
Greenman ESB (The wife)
French Broad Gateway Kolsch

A Pisgah Spring Wheat and Highland Gaelic Ale at NeoCantina Mexican Restaurant

Foothils Hoppyum at a restaurant on our drive from Knoxville, TN to Asheville, NC

Lexington Ave Brewery

Lexington Ave Brewery

Lab's beer flight

Stillwater/Mikkellen Two Gypsies: Our Side at the cabin

Wedge Brewing

Wedge Brewing 3rd Rail Double IPA

Wedge Brewing

Cornhole at Wedge Brewing

Entrance to Wedge Brewing

French Broad Wee Heavy-er at Barleys

One of the many amazing views on our drive through the Blue Ridge Parkway

Beers at Greenman Brewery

Looking like a green man at Greenman Brewery

An Allagash Odyssey back at the cabin

Enjoying the Allagash Odyssey in front of the warm wood burning stove

A French Broad Kolsch at the Pisgah Inn for lunch with an awesome view

Hiking Graveyard Fields

Founders Double Trouble IPA & Smisje Calva Reserva at the hotel on our last night

Source: FrugalDad.com

I stumbled onto this infographic when visiting one of the best beer blogs out there: BeerWench.com

I’ve been training for about a month and a half for the Orlando Corporate 5K presented by IOA (you know this if follow me on Facebook or Twitter.) I ran it last year without training much and my time was just under 35 mins for the 3.12 miles. This year I’m trying to break the 30 minute mark (that’s cutting 5 mins from last years run for you mathematicians out there.) So far I’ve been able to do it on my training runs, but it might be tougher when there’s over 5 thousand people trying to run through the streets at the same time. Whatever time I make, I know I will be able to count on one thing after the race… a nice cold beer to bring me back to life. My work group will be heading to a friendly establishment to hydrate after the race (like Pine 22 where we drank craft beers and gorged on burgers after the race last year)

So what beers are good to rehydrate after a grueling 3.12 mile run, you ask? I’m legally* obligated to say that alcohol dehydrates and you should probably drink some water before drinking anything else. So after those two cups of life restoring glasses of water, I would recommend these beers:

Samuel Adams Noble Pils
Boston Beer Company (Samuel Adams) 
Czech Pilsener
4.90% ABV

Light and crisp with citrus notes, this refreshing beer will have your back after you run. Noble hops will encourage you to sprint towards the finish line (bottom of your glass!)

Zombie Dust
Three Floyds Brewing Co.
American Pale Ale
6.20% ABV

A hard to find but refreshing selection for the hop-head runner. This intensely hoppy Pale Ale will have you running like the undead are chasing you (they want BRAAAAAIIIINNNSSS!)

Hennepin
Brewery Ommegang
Saison / Farmhouse Ale
7.70% ABV

If you are into funk and farmhouse tastes (in the best possible way!), saison style beers should be where you turn for refreshment. This beer was made to be drunk after a hard day of farm work… it’s effervescence along with citrus and tropical fruit notes will rejuvenate you like few other beers.

Hitachino Nest White Ale
Kiuchi Brewery
Witbier
5.00% ABV

This Japanese import will hit the spot after running with ninja-like speed… with it’s orange peel flavors balanced by some tasty spice notes. This witbier will cut through your thirst like a samurai sword through a watermelon.

* My dad is a lawyer and wouldn’t want me to get into any trouble if a runner died of dehydration because they followed my expert advice.

Some of you might like bunny hops, some might like hip hop, but I like me some IPA hops! Everyone who knows me can see that IPAs hold a special place in my heart. I like them when it’s nice out, when it’s hot, when it’s cold, when I’m happy, and when I’m being a grump! Easter is a perfect time to celebrate hoppy beers… spring is just starting and we are all getting into yard work and being outdoors looking for well hidden easter eggs to steal (what? like you dont sneak an easter chocolate or two from your kids or nephews!) This week I dedicated myself to celebrating everything hoppy, so I drank a Stone IPA and a Great Divide Hercules Double IPA… And even an Oskar Blues G’Knight Imperial Red that was hoppier than my wife expected (she didn’t dig it, so I had to finish it. YES!)

Stone IPA

Stone Brewing Co.
Stone IPA
American IPA
ABV: 6.9% 

Pour: Golden yellow that reflects the afternoon Florida sun coming through my vertical blinds (I know, very poetic). Thick lacy head that disappears pretty quickly.

Aroma: Citrus, hay, and cedar wood. Hoppy freshness penetrates my nasal cavity.

Taste: Bitter grapefruit mixed with sweet lemons. Pine in the mid palate coating my tongue but finishes crisp and refreshing. Makes my mouth water for more IPA goodness.

(My score: 87)

Great Divide Hercules Double IPA

Great Divide Brewing
Hercules Double IPA
American Double IPA
ABV: 10% 

Pour:
Golden amber color with little foam that laces the glass beautifully.

Aroma:
Floral and pine aromas aromas are strong, but they are balanced out by some sweet alcohol and malt that’s begging me to take a sip.

Taste:
Citrus and pine hop characteristics but with a sweet fruit flavors from the caramel malts that round this beer out. That alcohol that came at my nose begging me to taste is keeping me drinking. This beer has so much complexity of flavors and balance in the palate. I would highly  recommend this Double IPA to anyone who’s tired of your typical hoppy beer.

(My score: 93)

Oskar Blues G'Knight Imperial Red (my wife in the background w/ her blanket getting ready to say g'night)

(Special Mention)
Oskar Blues
G’Knight Imperial Red
American Double IPA
ABV: 8.7%

I seriously thought this was a red ale and not a Double IPA so I gave it to my wife thinking she would like it. But, seeing as she hates IPAs with a passion… almost as much as I hate pickles or peanut butter (I know you think it’s weird that I hate peanut butter… but it’s gross and you know it!) So, like a good soldier I’ll drink this Double IPA.

Pour: Amber with thick lacy head.

Aroma: Pine resin, cedar, honey and some alcohol.

Taste: Grapefruit and pine come ut at the front, but its very smooth for a double IPA. Caramel from the malts come out at the mid palate and finishes with some stickiness on the back of the tongue.

(My score: 89 / Wife score: Yuk)

If you follow me on twitter, you know how excited I’ve been to go to this beer tasting at Yellow Dog Eats! Yellow Dog is one of my favorite places in Orlando because of its great food, ambiance, location and (more recently) their beer selection. The chef / owner creates down home dishes like wraps, salads and bbq with a unique twist. Thai chili sauce blends with mexican flavors on the Mexican Mutt wrap and the Pulled Pork Nachos. They’ve added 3 taps and an expanded craft beer selection that complements their great food… so much that they’ve begun doing beer tasting events! This was my first tasting event here, and I was lucky to share a table with some great people who had sophisticated palates and great personalities… it made the discussions and disagreements that much more enjoyable.

Great Divide Hoss Mårzen / Sundried Tomato Spread and Feta on Toast

This is the order of the menu for the beer tasting:

• The Bruery Saison Rue / Humboldt Fog Cheese and crackers

• Ommegang Three Philosophers / Pulled Pork Sliders

• Great Divide Hoss Mårzen / Sundried Tomato Spread and Feta on Toast

• Lagunitas Censored Ale

• Lagunitas Wilco Tango Foxtrot / Smoked Cheese (forgot to ask what kind)

• Bells Two Hearted Ale

• Lost Coast Tangerine / Mini Lemon Cupcakes

• Bells Oberon Ale

There were several highlights of the tasting for me.

I am usually not the biggest fan of blue style cheese but the Humboldt Fog Cheese with (the last minute substitution of) The Bruery Saison Rue was a great pairing. The cheese was creamier and more toned down than your traditional blue cheese, but it still had that bitterness that you are familiar with. The saison has some of the same bitter characteristics but with some fruit sweetness that is a nicely counters the cheese.

Pairing Pulled Pork Sliders with Yellow Dog’s signature mustard bbq sauce along with the Ommegang’s Three Pillosophers was genius. The fatty / juicy pork and tangy sauce were perfectly balanced by the spices and chocolate flavors in the Belgian style Quad.

This was a really fun event and I can’t wait to go to next one!

Being hispanic, I sometimes enjoy a nice espresso after dinner. So after enjoying a spicy chinese salad for dinner tonight, I decided to finish my meal with a much larger espresso… 750ml of espresso imperial stout! During last weeks post I mentioned that I had an Espresso Oak-Aged Yeti Imperial Stout waiting for me in my fridge. Today, the wait was over! I picked up this beer a couple of weeks ago at Yellow Dog Eats, my favorite restaurant in town (EVER!) Everything I’ve ever had here has been great and now they have three taps and better beer selection (win and win). Matt is the beer guy and he highly recommended it which left me with little choice but to grab the bottle and run!

Espresso Oak-Aged Yeti
The Great Divide Brewing Co.
Imperial Stout
9.5% ABV

Pour: Dark chocolate color with very little head that resembles espresso foam.

Aroma: Sweet chocolate, caramel and roasted malts with a hint of tanginess.

Taste: Bitter chocolate and espresso flavors come to the forefront. Very creamy and smooth mouthfeel that goes down like buttah. There are some sweet tones from the roasted malts and a nice oak on the  finish that round this beer out nicely.

(My score: 92)

Considering my mediocre bracket it’s pretty surprising that someone of my limited knowledge of college basketball would want to do a March Madness post. The main reason to watch the games for me at this point is to hope for some outlandish upsets and drink some good beer. I’ve picked four very popular styles and I’ll be choosing two outstanding beers from each style that you might want to stock in your fridge or cooler when you are cheering your teams to victory or wallowing in dispair (that bracket looked so promising last week!!!) Stouts, IPAs, Belgian Style & Lagers are the most popular beer styles in America at the moment. Some of these beers are powerhouses in the industry (like Kentucky and UNC), while others are up and coming (like Baylor and NC State). But one thing they all have in common is that they are really good beers worthy of wetting your lips!

Stouts

Espresso Oak Aged Yeti Imperial Stout
(currently in my fridge!)
Great Divide Brewing Co.
Oak-Aged Imperial Stout
Flavor notes: Espresso, vanilla, oak character, intense roasty maltiness
ABV: 9.5%

Old Rasputin Imperial Stout
North Coast Brewing Co.
Imperial Stout
Flavor notes: Sweet chocolate, espresso, burnt malts
ABV: 9%

Honorable Mentions:
Rogue Brewing Co. Chocolate Stout
Cigar City Brewing Hunahpu’s Imperial Stout
(currently in my pantry!)

IPAs

Pliny the Younger
Russian River Brewing Co.
Imperial IPA
Flavor notes: Hops, citrus, tropical fruit, pine
ABV: 10.5%

Jai Alai IPA
Cigar City Brewing Co.
American IPA
Flavor notes: Tropical fruit hop, citrus, caramel
ABV: 7.5%

Honorable Mentions:
Stone Brewing India Pale Ale (IPA)
Bell’s Brewery Hopslam (one of my favorites)

Belgian Style

Allagash Tripel Ale
Allagash Brewing Company
Tripel
Flavor notes: Honey, Passionfruit, Herbal
ABV: 9%

Ommegang (Abbey Ale)
Brewery Ommegang
Dubbel
Flavor notes: Honey, toffee, chocolate and dark dried fruit
ABV: 8.5%

Honorable Mentions:
Swamp Head Brewery Saison Du Swamp
Brooklyn Brewery Brooklyn Local 1 

Lagers

Morimoto Imperial Pilsner
Rogue Brewing Co.
Imperial Pilsner
Flavor notes: Crisp hops, pineapple, honey, grapefruit, malt
ABV: 8.8%

Anchor Steam Beer
Anchor Brewing Company
Steam Beer
Flavor notes: Citrus, toasted malts, caramel
ABV: 5%

Honorable Mentions:  
The Bruery Humulus Lager
Southern Tier Krampus (Imperial Helles Lager)