Unlike most of you my Saturday didn't consist of waking up and heading into Philadelphia for the Erin Express. Instead I woke up and began packing for CT before meeting up with the Realtor to continue our house search. After a busy and successful morning we needed to get lunch prior to our drive and ended up at my favorite place: Iron Hill Brewery. In a previous blog, I mentioned my urge to get to the brewery but due to the timing I had to select another restaurant. As it was close to noon when we walked I didn't think we were at the right place because there was a light crowd, and we were easily able to grab a seat in one of the empty booths in the bar area. Because of our three hour drive to CT, I knew it would be a terrible idea to drink a strong and multiples. Needing an enjoyable lighter beer with taste I picked the Inbound Ale which is considered a staple in their beer menu as it's always on tap. I couldn't help but think how happy I was that Iron Hill decided to open up a brewery in Maple Shade.
The drive to CT was uneventful, but long. After sitting in the car for over three hours we were hungry and decided to on Chinese Food. Normally we would order take out, but for some reason we were in the mood to go to the restaurant to enjoy our dinner. I didn't plan to order a beer until I saw the table across from me order a round of Tsingtao Beer. From memory, I think I've had this beer only once. I'm almost certain the one time I did have this beer was when we found it in someones trunk who probably had it in there for several months. I don't remember it tasting that great. As I poured the beer into the glass provided, I noticed the beer had a yellow shade comparable to Miller or Coors light. However after my first sip I realized it was much different, and it's crisp taste paired well with Chinese food, and I'll leave it that. I can't see myself ordering this beer being at any other place than a Chinese restaurant.
After dinner we entered the beer store that was in the same complex of the restaurant. I quickly realized we weren't in the Philadelphia area as many of the neon lights hung in their windows represented the Boston sports teams. The store was small but offered wine, liquor and of course beer. I walked to the beer cooler and saw the row of sampler packs they had on the ground that lined the coolers. Lauren pointed a pack out that also caught my eye: Brewers Dozen Boulder Beer. This brewery located in Colorado reminded me of Magic Hat as their beer packaging and names had a Hippie vibe. When I got home and opened the sampler pack I immediately feel in love as their were three types of IPAs. Of the the beer in the sampler pack: Mojo India Pale Ale, Flashback India Brown Ale, Sweaty Betty Blonde Ale, and Hazed and Confused, I found the Hazed and Confused to be my favorite while the Sweaty Betty was on the opposite end of the spectrum.
The main reason to go to CT was that there was a Portuguese baptism we needed to attend. Knowing there would be foods from the Portuguese culture, I was praying Portuguese beer would be offered. GOD must have heard my prayers as I was able to order a Sagres mini beer. I wasn't sure what this beer would taste like and thought for sure I wouldn't like it especially after being tired from the night before. To my surprise the beer was delicious and I was told countless times it was similar to Heineken Light.
My weekend consisted of trying different beers that I never had before. Since I started this blog I'm really trying to branch out of my norm and experience all that beer has to offer. If anyone has any suggestions on what beer I should try next I would love to hear from you.
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