I think I am going to try Brewing Beer

Lately I've been thinking about trying to brew my own beer. I blogged months ago how the last time I attempted to brew beer I used a Mr Home Brew Kit, and it tasted awful. This time, I do not want to use a kit. I'm not sure the type of beer I would brew, but as it is the summer I think I would want to brew something along the lines of a Blue Moon. Being my first time brewing I am not sure how it will turn out, but if I never try I will never know. Most of my research will be done online, and of course I will document every step of the way, so continue reading. I've also been wanting to start a beer group, but unsure of the direction I want to pursue this. I will keep you all posted on that venture, but when I do brew a beer, it will be offered at one of the meetings.

Yard Work and Beer: Doesn't get more Memorial Day than that

While most people spend the Memorial Day weekend BBQ and heading down the shore, I spent my Sunday doing yard work. By no means am I complaining, as I actually enjoy yard work. While out in the yard, I found a cooler filled with Natty Ice, and have no idea where this beer came from. I can't even remember the last time picking up a case of this "college" beer. This was one beer case that I immediately discarded as I wasn't going to drink Natty Ice, especially since this beer has been sitting in a cooler for God only knows how long.

I stayed hydrated most of the day by drinking water and Arnold Palmer's (my favorite non beer drink). At one point I was wanting a cold beer and grabbed one of the pick'em 6 packs: Geary's Summer Ale. This beer was actually really good, and refreshing. I do want to point out this beer had an awesome label. Because the label was so clever, I knew this brewer had a lot of pride in this beer. With this a Summer Ale the blue label had words that represented summer. I've included a picture below, but some of these words included: Bon Fires, BBQs, and Heat Waves. This beer was something I would recommend for a summer beer, and I'm hoping I can find this beer again for a tailgate.

#9 was a bit off

With the Phillies in prime time Saturday night I was looking to drink some beers, and ended going to PJs in Maple Shade. For my first draft I went with a safe bet: Magic Hat #9. However, after my first sip, something seemed off. I'm not 100% sure I had the correct beer, as the beer didn't taste exactly as I remembered. Even the color seemed ligther than most #9 drafts I've had. Regardless I drank the beer, and enjoyed it. I am aware that if you try the same beer from different batches the taste can differ. For my second draft I ordered a Seirra Nevada Pale Ale, which is a dark amber color. I prefer the Magic Hat beer over the Pale ale, but being thrown off by the taste of the #9 I choose another beer. Looking at the beer list, PJs is going to be offering three beers that I would drink. Out of the three I've never had the Lagunitas IPA, but am excited about the Brooklyn IPA. I consider this one of the better IPAs, and consider Brooklyn Brewery to be one of my favorite breweries.

H's Beer Review: Blueberry Oatmeal Stout

It's been a while since I last reviewed a beer on my blog. For my birthday I was given a mix and match 6 pack, which happens to be a gift I suggested in my blog to give the beer lover in your life. Out of the pack, the beer I was most excited to try was the Oatmeal Stout Blueberry by Buffalo Bill's Brewery. I've never heard of this beer nor the brewery, but was anxious to try despite it being a stout beer. If you know my beer drinking taste Stout beers are not the top of my list. Thinking about it my excited was came from the fact that this beer is brewed with blueberries, and I imagined it tasting like Blueberries. The last time I drank a beer that was brewed with blueberries was at the Manayunk Brewery as they had Blueberry Wheat on draft. That beer was a ligther beer and is the complete opposite of what beer I am drinking now.

When I poured the beer I was in shock to see it be a dark beer. Looking at the beer, the color actually reminds me of a dark blue color, I guess that's the blueberries. Prior to drinking this beer, I imagined it to be a ligther beer, and similar to the one at the brewery. Once I opened the beer I expected to be greeted by a strong aroma of blueberries or a fruit smell, yet this beer had neither smell. As I based this beer off a past experience, the taste was not as I expected. Although Lauren did not like the beer, I did find this beer enjoyable and be a full flavored stout beer without a blueberry taste. Let me restated: this beer did not taste like blueberries. I did like the taste of this beer, however I was disappointed that this beer had no flavor of blueberry. I understand during the brewing process you might lose the flavor of the fruit, however if you name the beer Blueberry stout, I expect to taste blueberries.

Overall, I enjoyed this beer, and would recommend it to any stout beer lovers. However, do not expect me to run out and purchase a case of this brew, and as the name did not match the taste, this beer lost points. H Beer Grade: C+

Almost that time of the Year

It's almost that time of year again. From June 3 through the 12 Philadelphia will run their annual beer week. In past years, I have not gotten too many of the events held in the city or the surrounding suburbs. Heck, thinking about it I don't think I made it to any events last year as I was too busy working. This year I'm hoping to change that. I haven't done too much research into all the events that will be held, but I promised myself I will make an effort to participate in at least an event per week. If any of my fellow beer lovers have attended any of the events in years past, and have recommendations please let me know. Philly beer week is a great time to celebrate the great leaps beer has taken even through the past few years. I've said it before, but Philadelphia is really become a beer mecca, and it's great to see beer become incredibly popular. It's an awesome time to try new beers from breweries you may have never known existed. The one type of event I am looking forward to planning is a dinner, beer pairing. I was on the website and noticed several breweries have teamed up with local restaurant to hold dinners all ranging in price.

Thankfully, beer week does not start tomorrow so I do have some to figure out my plans.

http://www.phillybeerweek.org/

Bud Light over Balashi?

I was walking through the Aruba airport and took the below picture of a guy drinking a giant bud light. I thought it looked cool, and looking at it now, the guy looks real and not painted on the wall. Too bad he was drinking a Bud light and not a Balashi.

Pick em 6 pack

I ended up getting a 6 pack for my birthday, which I'm anxious to try. I think out of the pack, I am most excited for the Blueberry oatmeal stout.

Phillies Tailgating and a Birthday Celebration

Yesterday was my birthday. For the first time in a few years the Phillies were playing at home on my actual birthday. To make it an even better birthday, it also happened to be Roy Oswalt Bobblehead giveaway. Aside from Dannys Baez, Roy Oswalt is one of my favorite Phillies. With the combination of a home Phillies game, and a great promotion, I knew what I wanted to do to celebrate my birthday.

I got down to lot K around 3 and began setting up to tailgate. Prior to heading to the stadium I stopped at the local market and got plently of food, and of course beer. Because I wouldn't be the only one drinking the beer, I knew I couldn't get a case of IPAs or some heavy beer. I went with a safe tailgating/summer beer, and picked up a case of Blue Moon Honey Ale. A few months back I picked up a case of Miller light, which I never opened so I also brought that. If you follow my blog, you've read my guide to beer choosing. In that blog, I noted that when selecting a beer you need to consider what you will be doing while drinking. To increase the selection, I threw in some yeunglings and a few beers from my beer of the month club. The beers from my beer club were IPAs, as how could I possibly celebrate my birthday without an IPA.

With the game on a Tuesday night, when I sent out the inivtation I didn't expect to have a good turnout. Although I'm a workaholic, I do have a belief that no one should ever work on their birthday. Because of my strong belief of this I had taken off of work months in advance. I was taken back by the turnout I had, and must say I had a great time. I got to drink plenty of beer, and of course was given a birthday shot (or two). Thank you to everyone that showed up.

Once I got into the stadium I decided to visit the local brewery town where I got a flying fish and a prism brewery draft. I think the flying fish was their pale ale, but I'm not sure what kind of beer the prism brewery was. I've never seen or heard of this beer, and think this is the first time I've seen this beer served at the stadium. The color and taste reminded me of a pale ale, which a bit of a hoppy taste. I wouldn't consider this an IPA though, however the beer wasn't bad but I would probaly go with another draft over this one.

After the game, I ended up at Mcfaddens where I switched to Bud and Miller light in the aluminum cans which get this beer so cold. Sometimes these beers are so cold that my hands begin to freeze. I planned on writing some more, but I was watching this Phillies game tonight, and with it going into the 19th inning I just realized it's now like 1:30 and time for bed.

Reality Tomorrow

It's been a few days since my last blog as my last few days I've done nothing but chill, drink, and eat. I haven't been this relaxed in some time, which is an awesome feeling. Unfortunately tonight is my last night in Aruba, and with the rapture/end of times not occuring today I will be flying back north tomorrow and will have work on Monday. Thankfully I'm going to the Phillies game on Tuesday for my birthday celebration/Roy Oswalt Bobblehead day. For those in the area, you are welcome to join me as I will be in lot K, and I will be grilling. I already took off work and should be down there sometime around mid afternoon.

Most of my days were spent on the beach or pool bar just straight chilling. I now understand how people can come to an island and decide to make a permanent move to a place like this. While at the beach today I did enjoy a Balashi, as what would the beach/ocean be without beer. The other night I did visit one of the local beach bars, Mooba. This bar, which is located right on the beach is under a giant hut that reminds me of a bar you would see out of the movies. Although there were people from the surrounding hotels, this seemed to be a place a lot of the locals hang out. I was surprised to see how friendly they were to us "shoobies." I ended up drinking Balashi Chill, which again is like a corona, and is served with a piece of lime.

The restaurants down here have been amazing, and if any one ever visits Aruba please ask me where to eat as I had some outstanding meals. I've eaten fresh seafood at places that had remarkable views on right on the water. The past few nights I've been cheating on beer as I did have a margarita on the rocks, and a mango mojito. Although I do enjoy the balashi, there is only so much of this island beer that I can drink. Perhaps my next venture would be to open a beach bar and import craft beer from the states. I'm not sure if it's too expensive to do so or if the country regulates the beer coming in, however the beer menus are limited.

I didn't get too many pictures this trip, but once I do get home I will be posting a few pictures of the trip.

Fishing for Beer

I've been up since 6 this morning doing some serious deep sea fishing. While on the open sea, we caught some big boys which tired me out and really had me wanting a frosty beer. We got back to the hotel and headed to the sports bar where I continued my Balashi drinking. We ordered a pitcher of Blasahi which ran $25!! How a beer that is brewed on the same island is sold for $25 a pitcher is beyond me. Actually, it should be illegal. Regardless, I drank the beer and was happy they were served in frosted Balashi glasses. While on the boat I did see some Flying Fish. No, not the beer, but actual Flying Fish.

Another Balashi, Please

"Your drinking so much Balashi, your going to turn into a Balashi." - Lauren.

I can't really deny her statement as all I have been drinking is the Aruba beer Balashi. I did mix in a KingFisher, and Amstel Bright, but all these restaurants offer is Balashi. I don't mind the beer as it actually tastes good and is great to drink in the hot/humid weather of Aruba, however I could definately go for an IPA.

I went to another sunset dinner this time on the actual waterfront. The food was outstanding, the Balashi beer was refreshing, and the view was amazing. While hanging at the private dining we had I couldn't help but think I was in a Corona commercial of the couple sitting on the beach drinking beers. Just add the sunset and the marketing department would love it
The drive to dinner was on the other side of the island, however we did pass the Balashi plant. I found out they have a brewery tour and I think they have a brewpub. Now, only if I can make time to get there

Just an Update

I drank a lot of Balashi at the pool bar. Enough that I now have the hiccups. Before the beer I drank a frozen monkey and a mangto tango margarita. I don't have any pictures as I knew I would have gotten the camera wet. Sorry.

Lauren also made a lot of friends, but if you know her, does that surprise you.  We are going out to drink with another couple we met tonight. And before that dinner. I will blog later.

Just like NJ: Beer at the Market

After breakfast I went to a local Aruba supermarket. Like New Jersey you are able to purchase beer and liquor here, and thankfully unlike the restaurants I've gone too their selection of beer is much larger. To my surprise I also found many beers they I never even knew were brewed by some bigger named companies. They offer the typical American choices: Bud, Miller, and Sam Adam's lager (go figure), however I wanted to try something I've never had before. My first choice was a 6 pack of the KingFisher Premuim lager beer. Its served in a green bottle and looks lighter than most lagers, but my decision was based on the label listing it as a lager and won several beer awards. My second 6 pack choice was much tougher as I saw the many Belgains (ever since Monks) and beers I never knew were brewed such as the Heneken beer in a red box. I grabbed a bottle of the Amstel Bright beer (yes bright not light) and an older guy walking by began telling me how thats a good beer choice. He stated it was similar to a Corona and goes well with a lime. That was my sign. I will find out soon enough if they were good beer choices.

When we got back to the Marriot there was beer car parked in the lot.

Dinner by Sunset

For my first night in Aruba I had a sunset dinner. At the top of one of the hills (or mountain) there is a lighthouse that has an Italian restaurant within walking distance. For Itailian food it was was alright, however people obviously go here to watch the sunset. The beer menu wasn't as extension as the server mentioned Corona and Balashi before I made a decision. This place mainly serves wine as they had a book of white and red wine. Again, I went with the local flavor, and ordered Basahi, which is very light and not filling. Because I find Itailian food heavy it was refreshing to drink a beer that didn't make me full. The beer is so light that I easily drank 4 beers and not even feel any effects of the alcohol. Each time I got another beer the server would come out with a bottle and a frosted glass to pour it into. One of my biggest pet peeves when being served beer is when inexperienced servers pour beer into a glass. Instead of a nice glass of beer, you get a nice glass of foam, aka the head.

Officially On Vacay

I am officially on vacation on the country/island of Aruba. My flight landed around 2, and with the weather being hotter than hell I needed cold frosty beers. For most people when they vacation an island in the carribean they will drink rum or a fruity/frozen drink. Lets not kid, I'm certain by weeks end I will have a mojito, or a frozen drink but as of now I've only drank beer. From past experiences, I do realize that when you travel outside the states the beer selection isn't the same as what the Philadelphia area has to offer. After checking into the Marriot Surfclub we went to a sports bar (yes sports bar to watch the Phils) and their beer menu consisted of two beers: Heineken and Balashi. It was kind of funny that their beer list included several choices of the Balashi in different draft sizes. I went with the Aruba brewed beer and never had a beer like it. Although light in color it doesn't remind of me any bud or miller products. I would consider it to more of a corona with more of a taste. Even the non beer drinkers at the table enjoyed it.

Although I am on vacation I will be posting this week so keep reading. I'm going to some sunset dinner tonight so hopefully the beer Gods hear my prayers and this place will have a large beer selection.

Did TGI Friday's Get the Memo?

The other morning I was getting ready for work and saw a commercial for TGI Fridays that advertised they are now serving craft beers. The voice over then stated they had included a new menu that had dishes inspired and cook with beer. While watching the commercial I noticed they partnered with Harpoon brewery and were pushing their IPA which can be found at Bertucci chains. I worked late all week, and decided to catch dinner with my parents Thursday evening. Ironically, their choice was to go to TGI Fridays which I did not object due to the commercial I saw earlier this week. Perhaps I was brainwashed by the commercial.

I met my parents who were seated in the bar section, which gave me the opportunity to to see what was on tap. Looking over the taps, I didn't really see anything out of the normal, which was disappointing. They had the "typical" lighter beers consisting of Miller Light, Heineken, Amstel light, and they had the "typical" darker beers such as Sam Adam's and Yeungling Lager. I guess their idea of serving craft beers is Hapoon IPA and Blue Moon Seasonal Honey Moon. Let me stop, I do enjoy the last two beer I mentioned, however when I hear a restaurant is wanting to cater to craft beer lovers I expect to see local and non local beers favorites. As there wasn't any beer I never had before, I ordered a Harpoon IPA which was served in a really cool beer mug specific for that beer. I will give credit to Fridays for not only getting this beer on tap, but getting their beer glasses made for the beer your drinking. I've had this IPA before, and can see why Friday's would choose this IPA over possible options. From my experience, you either hate IPAs, or you love them. As this is a lighter IPA this beer gives the non IPA drinker the opportunity to try one that isn't too strong. I consider the Harpoon IPA to be more of a "fancy" beer and can see how it pairs well with Italian dishes, but it's not something that pairs well with a rack of ribs.

May: The month of burgers and beer

It's been at least a month since my last visit to the Iron Hill Brewery. The last mug club email I received from the brewery was about May being National Cheeseburger month and to celebrate they were creating a new burger each day. Definitely an awesome concept since I love burgers.

The main reason I love drinking at breweries is that the beer is fresh, and depending on the season and what the brewmaster wants to brew the beers can vary and always seem to rotate. If I go to the Iron Hill in Maple Shade I might have different choices than if I go to the Iron Hill in Media.

During my Sunday night visit, I saw two beers on their rotating list that intrigued me: The Situation, which is a double IPA named after the Jersey's Shore star, and the Saizanne, a Belgian-style farmhouse ale recommended by my friend Steve. Since I wasn't sure if I wanted a full draft, I asked for a sample of each. Because the Situation was a double IPA, I sampled the Saizanne first which Steve mentioned being the "Champagne of Belgians." The beer was light but had a spicy aftertaste that I enjoyed but didn't think I could drink a full draft. I tried the Situation and realized this was a strong beer that had me feeling buzzed after the sample. Although I could find myself drinking this beer, I felt I would be drunk off one draft with an alcohol content of over 10%.

Instead of going with a beer from their seasonal list and something I never had, I made the safe choice and ordered an Inbound Ale, which is an Iron Hill staple. I've had this beer before, and think this might have been the first beer I ever tried at the Iron Hill. The Inbound Ale is your typical Pale Ale, which pairs well with many of the foods they serve.

For my second draft, I decided to try a beer I've never had: Raspberry Wheat, which tastes exactly like it's name. The fruit taste was present in each sip, however this wasn't overwhelming. Thinking about this beer now, I can't stop thinking about the Blueberry Wheat Manayunk Brewery brews. Although one tastes like blueberries and the other raspberries it's great to see brewers take risks and use ingredients you wouldn't think you could use to brew beer.



Note: I've been trying to get this posted the past week however the blog site was down a few days, and I actually thought I lost my saved draft.

Still A Member

Another month, another package of beer arrives in the mail. I had forgotten that I was still a member of the club, and haven't even drank any of the beers from the previous month. Most likely I will save this beer for the craft beer party I plan to throw.

Jones and the City

I've only been to Stephen Starr's restaurant Jones on Chestnut once. The last I ate there was after an afternoon Phillies game with Lauren. With the game ending around 4, we wanted to try a place we've never tried, and remembered the many positive reviews about this place. Having a $100 gift card also factored into the decision. If I remember correctly, on my last visit I drank Sam Adam's Oktoberfest, which is served as a Fall seasonal.

Sunday was Mother's day, and like most people we decided to take mom out for brunch. After kicking around several ideas we decided on Jones, as we've heard their brunch was one of the best the city has to offer. Although the food was excellent, I do want to point out the beer menu was full of local favorites including several Yards, Victory, and Yeungling products. While Lauren and my mom went with mimosas, I decided to go with Yards Pale Ale. Since all I've been drinking lately is IPAs, it was refreshing to drink a pale ale with a nice crisp taste. I had forgotten that these beers remind me of IPAs, without the bite. The only complaint I have about the beer menu was that they had no beers on draft. It's not that beers out of a bottle taste bad, I just find beer from a keg that much fresher. Despite the no draft selection, the menu was filled with beers on the lighter end such as Appalachian Water Gap Wheat to heavier beers such as Victory Storm Black King Stout. With the unique selection I had a tough time picking on a beer.

Yeungling Light in a Can? That's a First

Growing up I don't remember Sweet 16 parties being a big deal. I'm not sure if its because of the MTV show My Super Sweet 16, but for today's generation of kids it's a huge deal. From the gifts they get to the parties these parents throw, I can't help but think these are a bit extreme and outrageous. This past Saturday night, me and Laur got invited to a Sweet 16; as we love parties and people we decided to RSVP. Other then getting a good meal, I knew there would be plenty of alcohol and beer for those of legal age. Being that the party was held at a rented firehall there were coolers lined against the walls filled with beers to choose from. The selection of beer consisted of Yeungling light, Corona, and Michelob Ultra. There might have been a few more, but those were the ones I remembered. Because I'm not a fan of Corona and Michelob, I decided to go with a PA favorite Yeungling. Or should I say the Lager. Most times I've drank Yeungling, I've had it from the traditional green bottle. Yet, Saturday night was a first as I drank this beer out of a can I've never seen before. When it comes to drinking beer out of a bottle of can, I do prefer glass. I find beer out of glass to taste better, and at times when I drank beer out of a can I can taste the aluminum. A few summers back, I was at a party that had Yeungling light, which I decided to try and found it enjoyable. It didn't make me as full, but still had that great lager taste. I am surprised that a light beer still provides the taste the non light beer offers, as I find many light beers tasting like water. For those that never tried Yeungling light, I do suggest trying it. Perhaps the next time your at the store pick up a 6 pack, and let me know.

I happen to like Fruit in my Beer

Yesterday was May 5th, or for those that like to celebrate holidays, Cinco De Mayo. I've made it clear that I love everything about the Mexican culture, and especially love the food and drinks. Because of the holiday you would assume I would have gone to a Mexican bar to celebrate. Perhaps I could have ended up at the Tent Party at The Tortilla Press; I heard last years party was a blast. Instead I was at the Phillies game drinking Shock Top beer.

Although I had tickets from my season package, I didn't plan to go. A few weeks back I gave Lauren the tickets and suggested she take a friend and have a good time. After she thought it over, she loves me so much that she invited me because she knew she would have the best time with me! When I got asked to go, I immediately accepted the invite as I love Lauren and I love the Phillies (You can barf now).

We got down to the stadium before the start of the game. Amazing, right?!? To celebrate the holiday I thought about ordering a Corona or maybe a Bud light lime, yet when it was time to order my first beer I knew those beers wouldn't satisfy me. My last time at the stadium I ordered a Shock Top draft for Lauren and found myself drinking her beer. Because I didn't want to drink to her beer again, I decided to order a draft for myself. I mentioned in a previous blog that when deciding on a beer your decision should be based on what your doing. When your at a ballgame, and its not freezing, you should order a lighter beer with great taste. The taste of the Shock Top goes down smooth, and I was again impressed that Citizens Bank Park offered oranges for the beer.

I remember a beer commercial about the Man Laws; a group that passes laws that men should life by when drinking beer. In the one commercial, Jimmie Johnson suggests passing a law that you never fruit your beer, which passes. I couldn't disagree more. When I hear statements like that, I realize the disconnect these mega beer companies like Budweiser have with today's beer drinkers. It seems they have lost all touch with us. With all the microbreweries opening, and the thousands that brew their own beer at home, the beer community has grown tremendously. The selection of brands and types is truly amazing; beer is one thing I am glad that I discovered.

To make the day even better, the Phillies ended up winning and it looks like Raul Ibanez is out of his slump.

Beers Before Breaking News

Hours before media outlets broke the news to the world that Bin Laden had been killed I was at PJ Whelihan's watching the Phillies and drinking beer. The beer of choice that night was Victory Brewing Company Headwater, which I've never had, nor even heard of. I've had Victory beer before, but their HopDevil is the only beer they brew that I really enjoy. As usual, I had a tough time picking a beer from their draft menu. I narrowed my choices down to the Dogfish Head 60 minute IPA, Magic Hat #9 and Victory Headwater. I was even impressed that they had Magic Hat Wacko on tap. Because I felt like all I've drank lately is Magic Hat and Dogfish Head, I went with the unknown. From the beer description I knew the Headwater beer was going to be a Pale Ale. Normally, when I haven't tried a beer before I will order a sample, but with this being a pale ale I knew what to expect. The beer, which appeared amber in color, did have a mild hop taste that went down smooth. I was surprised by the taste of this beer, and do want to mention that I had tweeted to Victory Brewing Company that I was drinking their beer and watching the Phillies. Life doesn't get much better than that.

Stone IPA at the Pub

I've never been to CHIFA in Philadelphia, however for the past few months I've been wanting to go. I've visited their website several times, and each time I've checked out the site I noticed they hold 4 course meals with beer pairings. As I've always said, Beer and Food go together. Due to previous obligations, I have yet to get a chance to attend one. Two pairings that intrigued me included Brooklyn Brewing Company and Stone Brewery. While in college there was a bar in York called Cobblestones, which is an old ballroom turned into a bar. The owner of this bar must love beer as much as me because they have over 75 beers on tap, and doesn't include what they offer in bottles. The first time I had a Stone Brewery beer was at Cobblestones.

I ended up meeting my coworkers Saturday night to celebrate a birthday. The bar that the birthday boy selected was the Great American Pub in Conshohocken, which I've been to a handful of times. Although their beer menu isn't as extensive as some bars I've been too they do have some local craft flavors as past visits I've drank Dogfish head and Slyfox beer. Honestly, before going I was wishing they would have Dogfish Aprihop on tap. Unfortunately, they didn't.

The group I meet had grabbed a table at the top bar, so my only way of knowing what was on tap was to ask the server. As I walked past the front bar, I didn't get to check out the taps. Since the bar was quickly filling in, I had a tough time hearing what she said they had on tap. As she was listing the beers, I heard the word "Stone" and "IPA." By that point I heard enough and ordered a Stone IPA draft. I figured that was a safe bet.

The Stone IPA is your typical IPA. The taste is smooth and the hop taste doesn't give off too much of a bite. When I got my first beer I realized this appears lighter in color than most IPAs I've had. Bottom line: this beer is good but it's nothing to brag about. Then again, it couldn't have been too bad considering I drank three drafts.

This time, The Weather at the Ballpark was Alright

Anytime your at a Phillies game when Ryan Howard hits a homerun you know your at a good game. So when Howard hits a 2 run shot and a Grand Slam I knew it was an excellent game. It's been a couple weeks since I've been to a ball game, as I previously promised myself that I will not attend anymore games with crappy weather. Driving from Conshohocken it took me over an hour to get to the the ballpark, and by the time I parked the game already started. With the way traffic was I was happy that I only missed a half inning.

Although the sun was out, I was smart enough this time to grab my northface. The last time I went to a game the temperature dropped, and I only had a short sleeve t-shirt to keep me warm. Because most games I go to are during the week, I have yet to park in Lot K, which is prime for drinking beer and tailgating. I ended up parking in the Phillies lot, and was able to enter through the left field gates which is close to my seats. I've previously mentioned that the Phillies do a great job at selecting craft beers to serve at the stadium. However, my one complaint would be that where my season tickets are located the majority of the beer vendors are Bud and Miller Products. I'm also tired of seeing the beer vendors serve these beers in the aisles. Bring down the craft beers!

To my surprise, as I walked into the game I saw a Brewytown that had Yards Brawler and Shock Top on tap. Wanting to warm up I went with the Brawler for myself as I consider it a winter beer. I'm actually surprised they have this on tap at a baseball park as I expect this to be served at a Football stadium. Philadelphia brewed Yards Brawler is a dark color beer that to me has a hint of red. I've had this beer previously, but wouldn't say this is one of my favorite Yards products as I prefer their Pale Ale. The one benefit of drinking darker beers during colder temperates is that you can quickly get your "beer coat" on.

Because Lauren isn't a beer drinker whenever I order her a beer I always try to get her lighter beer that would be brewed with fruit. I knew she wouldn't like the Brawler, so I ordered her a Shock Top which you could compare to a Blue Moon. I don't even know if I could tell the beers apart. The one benefit of buying your girlfriend beer at the stadium is that because you can't walk with two full beers you do get a chance to take a couple sips of their beer. In my case I took big gulps.

By the time I finished my first brew it was time for my second. Lauren had been hounding me to grab food so I gave in and we walked Ashburn Alley. While she waiting in the long line to get cheesesteaks I got in line and grabbed a Flying Fish Pale Ale and another Shock Top for her. This time they were able to put an orange in the beer! Once we got back to our seats I finished off my flying fish, and because Lauren doesn't drink beer I was able to drink hers.

 Friday night's Phillies game was one of the better games I've been too in a while. You could argue that seeing a walk off win on Opening Day was impressive, but seeing Howard slug two against the Mets is truly awesome, especially when the Phils put 10 runs on the board. The extra excitement is the fan interaction between the two fan bases. I've added below a picture of one the guys that snuck down to my section later in the game only to find himself get escorted out. The ironic part was this man did nothing wrong, expect cheer when the Mets hit a homerun to find the boot. On the flip slide a drunk underage kid wearing a Mickey Moridini Jersey was yelling at Victornio obnoxiously and was only told to quiet down. Go Figure.