Barrel Trolley – eh…

 

There was this beer, on the shelf, that I hadn’t tried – so I tried it.  Anything that says “Nut Brown Ale” gets my attention, as I am a “Brown Ale Girl”.

This beer was a little malty, but more for the amateur drinker and a little watered down for my taste.  When I’m drinking a Brown Ale, I want it to be bold and have a malty kick in the pants – much like my beloved Legend Brown Ale.  I didn’t get the nuttiness either… just some malt with some water.   Did I dump it out??  No, of course not – I’m not that harsh… I just think my expectations were a little high for this one.

Sure, this is a good beer for the average drinker, but if you love your Brown Ales – you may want to look elsewhere; Just saying.

 

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Cigar Beer?

Brown ales are one of my favorite styles of beer, so when I saw this Brown I hadn’t tried, by Cigar City- I had to order it!

It did mention in the description that it went well with cigars, what it didn’t mention is that it actually tasted like a glass of cigars. I’ve been know to smoke a good cigar in my days, but when I drink a yummy ale, I don’t find the cigar taste very appealing.

I’m sure some people may enjoy the complexity of this “cigar” beer… but I will stick with a brown ale that tastes of rich, caramel malts!

Birthday Beer!

 

I know I’ve made many posts about Legend Brewery – but I couldn’t resist making another.  I came home from work on my Birthday, to be greeted by a six-pack of Legend Brown.  My good friend, Leila, knows how dear Legend Brown is to my heart – and she surprised me with this delicious gift.  Now that’s a good friend!!  😉

Brown Ales are one of my favorite styles of beer, and while I’ve tried a ton of them – I still note Legend Brown at the top of my list.  I’m not sure if it’s the crisp maltiness or the mellow hops, but something draws me in and keeps me coming back for more.

Cheers to Legend, for making such a tasty brown ale – and cheers to good friends who bring you beer as gifts!  😉

 

Clown Shoes – Brown Angel

 

So, as I mentioned before – Clown Shoes doesn’t print anything on their caps, but their seductive label illustrations make for great photos!

I consider myself a “Brown Ale Girl”, so I was excited to see this “Brown Angel”, a Double Brown Ale,  in the store recently.  It’s roasty, almost to the point of a porter – but also super chocolaty with that smoothness of a mellow Brown Ale.  At 7%, this brown is considered a “double” and while not a real “summer” type beer, I really enjoyed it; it may even be one of my new favorites.

This 22oz is certainly enough to share with a friend, but once you taste it, you may want to keep it all for yourself.  Cheers!

Lego Cap

 

After playing Legos with my daughter, I couldn’t resist posing the crazy pirate and his Rayban wearing sidekick for a cap picture.  My husband is to thank for their carrot sprout hair and the added bouquet of flowers.  If you love pictures of Legos though – I’m not as good at taking Lego pictures as this guy (I dare say “I’m not worthy!!”):  http://legomyphoto.wordpress.com/2011/06/23/day-327-2/   I love following his blog – super hilarious and detailed, well thought out scenes!

This cap is from Bells, who make fabulous beer!  Their “Best Brown Ale” is super delicious and pretty malty!  I am a “Brown Ale Girl” so if it’s short of delicious, I’d let you know!  I believe I’ve posted about one of their other beers before – maybe the Oberon?

Cheers!

 

Legend Brewing – ESB

Yes, I know that I post a lot about Legend Brewing, but they’re local – I can’t help it!  Today, sitting on the deck, my husband ordered their ESB.  I have to say there was nothing “Extra Special” about it.  The brew actually tasted a bit funky – and when we asked the waitress about it, she replaced it with a Golden Ale (my husband’s hoppy favorite).  Come to find out, we were served the bottom of the keg, so I guess it was pretty slushy.  Maybe we’ll try the ESB again, but that funky taste sure won’t be soon forgotten.

I, on the other hand, had my staple Legend Brown Ale – which I adore.  It was delicious as always.  I guess there is something to be said for leaning on the old favorite.

Hopefully everyone else had an equally gorgeous day as we did here in Richmond!  Cheers!

Dogfish Indian Brown

Oh, how I love the Dogfish Brewing Company.  Yes, I know this isn’t a cap, but honestly beer on tap really is better, isn’t it?
This brown ale is one of my favorites… rich with chocolate malt and well balanced hops.  I really enjoy a beer that has good body and doesn’t feel as thin as water… and dogfish beers never feel like water.

Maybe I am bias when it comes to Dogfish… because I love all of their beers.  From their Indian Brown to their Olde Skool, it is all good! 

Dogfish – Again, but Different!

Yes, I know, I’ve posted a Dogfish Head Brewery Cap before – but, this is from a different beer!  We have many caps, but some of them are from the same breweries… what can we say – when a brewery has one good beer, they normally have several that follow!

The last time I posted a Dogfish Head cap, I talked about the Palo Santo Marron <swoon>, but with this cap I will talk about another favorite of mine – the Raison D’Etre.  The Raison D’Etre is a rich Brown Ale that is actually brewed with raisins and beet sugar.  You can totally taste the raisin flavors, which meld well inside a brown ale.  This particular brown is also brewed with a Belgian style yeast (can you say “yum”?) which gives it a unique flavor and bubbly head.

Dogfish is one of my favorite breweries, brewing so many different styles of beer that are all complex and tasty.  Don’t be surprised if you see another cap from them in my blog soon!  Cheers!

Leffe – The Brown you can’t buy in the U.S.!

When my husband and I first started dating, he raved about this beer that he had while backpacking through Europe.  In a small, very old brewery in Brugge, he stubbled upon Leffe Brown.  It was one of the most delicious beers he had tasted and actually started his quest for “good beers” – straying away from your run of the mill, random domestics.

We searched for this beer from state to state but, much to our despair, were told that they only sold the Leffe Blonde in the United States and that the Brown was not imported here.    I so wanted to try this beer my husband raved about, and he longed to have a taste again of what turned him on to craft brewing.

Fast forward a couple of years, to when we honeymooned on the Island of St. Maarten.  What a beautiful island filled with lots of different tastes and cultures!  One evening we stumbled upon a small German restaurant (yes, a German restaurant on a warm vacation island), but we love German food and German beer – so it was certainly a find!  Inside, the small bar/eatery boasted a number of delicious beers, one being the long sought after Leffe Brown.  We drank the four beers the kind owner had on hand, and she even ordered us another four to pick up a couple of days later.  It’s rich, chocolaty malt and has that distinctive Belgium beer taste.  It’s been a while since I’ve had it, but I can remember that it was wonderful.

So, I bet you’re wondering where this particular cap (or bottle) came from, eh?  Our friend was recently in Europe, knew our story about this legendary beer, found it and brought us one back. What can we say, we have great friends!  So, the reason the cap is still attached??  We haven’t opened it yet; we’re waiting for a special evening to share it together – maybe even a wedding anniversary?

Wind Powered Brewery? Good Beer and Environmentally Conscience!

What’s better than an environmentally conscience brewery?  One with delicious beer and great bands!
We visit the Outer Banks and always go to The Outer Banks Brewing Station!  This brewery crafts delicious beer, currently I’m enjoying the Coco Brown Ale… mellow, chocolatly and yummy!  And the food is delicious… their hush puppies are the best I’ve ever had!

If you have little ones, there is a playground out back of the brewery.  You can have a brew and they can have a homemade rootbeer while running off the sugar!

The brewery is also soley powered by the windmill out back, which I think is one of the most awesome things ever!  They host lots of great bands with a wonderfully set stage as well!

If your ever vacationing in OBX, you must visit this stellar brewery!  You can even get a grolsch bottle of beer to go!  Cheer!