JULY 2024
What a great time! We pulled together a good beer list despite the taps being a little skewed toward the sour end of things. For several beers we plugged in a request to Google’s AI search feature and learned what obscure facts it could dig up about the brewing company. Also, many thanks to everyone bringing in additional beers for our monthly giveaway. Everyone went home with a guaranteed beer and some even went home with two. Our next tasting will be an offsite event. You won’t want to miss it.
Sly Fox Royal Weisse (Hefeweizen)
Lawsons Super Lemonova (Blonde Ale)
Epic Oak and Orchard Cherry Lime (Sour)
Springhouse Serenity Who (Black IPA)
Erie Cherry Bomb Sour (Sour)
Voodoo Key Lime Kolsch (Kolsch)
JUNE 2024
Everyone must have been out on vacation but we still had a good crew show up. We had lots of fun putting our taste buds to the test deciphering the beers from the list.
Fat Heads Yinzer Lager (Lager)
Straub Summer Splash (Fruit Beer)
Dancing Gnome Painter Pigment (NEIPA)
Destihl Blueberry Crumble (Fruited Sour)
Pizza Boy Falcon Murren (IPA)
Anderson Valley Bourbon Barrel Stout (BBA)
MAY 2024
We welcomed Chuck and his friend from the Society of Beer Tasters that meet the third Wednesday of every month. They also provided our halftime entertainment. Lots of fun had by all and thanks to John and Jeff adding to the beer giveaway everyone went home with a beer and some people got two beers in the giveaway.
New Holland The Poet Oatmeal Stout (Oatmeal Stout)
Dewey Secret Machine Triple Berry Fruit Smoothie (Fruit Beer)
Lolev Double Lupula (DIPA)
Urban Artifact Capy Snacks (Fruit Beer)
Helltown Interdimensional Pterodactyl (Fruit Beer)
Sly Fox Raspberry Lemon Ale (Fruit Beer)
APRIL 2024
Another one in the books with great turnout thanks to John and crew with some great beer giveaways as usual. Hope to see you at our next one.
Voodoo Brewing Beach Gear (Fruited Blonde Ale)
Smuttynose Old Brown Dog Ale (Brown Ale)
Levity Haze Frehley (NEIPA)
Ithaca Cayuga Cruiser (Fruited Sour)
Stone Lemon Shark DIPA (DIPA)
Epic Big Bad Baptist Blueberry Pie (Barrel Aged Stout)
MARCH 2024
We kicked off Spring with some great beers and had a lot of fun with some great beers to giveaway too. Many thanks to John and Jeff for the additional beer giveaways, John for our bonus beer, Mary for providing halftime entertainment, and Patick’s pub for the free beer glasses we got to take home.
Great Lakes Conway’s Irish Ale (Irish Ale)
Von Trapp and Troegs Sotwe Style Dukelweizen (Dunkelweizen)
Logyard 666’s IPA (TIPA)
Smuttynose Cherry Limeade Sour (Fruited Sour)
Singlecut 18 Watt IPA (IPA)
Dewey Beer Co Apple Crisp Ala Mode (Fruited Ale)
FEBRUARY 2024
Another one in the books. It was great to see everyone come out and those that haven’t attended in a while. We even got to meet Lou who provided some great half time stories. Looking forward to our next tasting and hop to see you all there and thanks again to Eric for helping pour.
21st Amendment (Blonde/Golden Ale)
Troegs Little ‘Nator (Bock)
Dogfish Head Nordic Spring (NEIPA)
Dewey Beer Co Secret Machine (Fruited Sour)
Ithaca Red Velvet (Porter)
Funk Brewing Citrus IPA (IPA)
JaNUARY 2024
The weather must have kept everyone away for our January tasting as we had a small group where everyone went home with a beer from our giveaway. Or was it dry January? Either way, thanks to those that came out and hopefully Janet got her furnace replaced.
East End Fat Gary Nut Brown Ale (Nitro Brown Ale)
Fat Heads Hop Marauder (DIPA)
Great Divide Hibernation Ale (Sour Fruited Ale)
Destihl Wild Sour Series Cherry Pit (Fruited Sour)
Big Sky Space Goat (DIPA)
Epic Big Bad Baptist Blueberry Pie (Imperial barrel aged Stout)
DECEMBER 2023
We want to thank everyone that came out for our last beer tasting of 2023. We had a great time playing bingo, giving away some great beer as usual, and we changed up the format slightly to test everyone’s ability to sleuth out the beer we were tasting. We also want to thank everyone that came out and joined us at one of our events during 2023. We look forward to all the great beers that 2024 will bring.
Anderson Valley Nitro Crema Cerveza (Nitro Cream Ale)
Rusty Rail Misfit Toys (Hot Cocoa Peppermint Stout)
Cinderlands Lotta Sap (DIPA)
Troegs Mad Elf (Belgian Strong Ale)
The Smiling Moose OU “Drank” 12 (DIPA)
Whole Hog Oatmeal Cream Ale (Imperial Stout)
NOVEMBER 2023
Our first tasting in quite a while without a kicked keg or list switching. We even had a guess the beer from the list without a description taster that didn’t fool anyone. We have a smart group of beer tasters and got to welcome back some former regulars that use to come a long time ago. Looking forward to the last tasting of 2023. Let’s make it a good one.
Jolly Pumpkin Bam Biere (Farmhouse Ale)
Great Divide Hibernation Ale (English Style Old Ale)
Troegs Perpetual IPA (IPA)
Rhinegeist Fruited Sour (Fruited Sour)
Flying Fish Big Pineapple (DIPA)
Stone Xocoveza (Mexican Hot Chocolate Stout)
OCTOBER 2023
We had a good turnout just before Halloween. We navigated some kicked kegs but still had a great selection, everyone went home with a beer from the giveaway, and I was reminded that next year we will bring back our Halloween costume contest. Thanks to Pablo (Eric) as always for the quick and fantastic pours as well as Marcus for the extra can giveaways. We appreciate all the support and those that can attend.
Sullivans Irish Gold (Golden Ale)
Singlecut/Ithaca Kim Hibiscus Sour (Sour)
Penn Brewery Pumpkin Shandy (Pumpkin Shandy)
Great Lakes Vibacious IPA (DIPA)
Cinderlands Squish Pale Ale (Pale Ale but was more of an NEIPA)
Rusty Rail Need More Chaos IPA (NEIPA)
SEPTEMBER 2023
It was a small group but we still had fun and got to try some great beers with some good conversation.
Lakefront Brewing Honey Nut Beerios (Nitro BLonde Ale)
Delerium Tremens (Belgian Golden Ale)
Rusty Rail Sky’s Out Thighs Out Pink Lemonade Sour (Fruited Sour)
Pizza Boy Incognito Crystals (DIPA)
Ithaca Country Pumpkin (Pumpkin Ale)
Heavy Seas The Great’ER Pumpkin (Barrel Aged Pumpkin Ale)
AUGUST 2023
Another one in the books and everyone got to go home with a beer this month for our giveaway. Thanks go out to those in our group that bring some extras for the giveaway. We also had a few new faces and had a great time trying some interesting beers and getting to welcome some new people to the group.
Troegs Oktoberfest Lager (Lager)
Prairie Artisan Ales Tiny Esses (Fruited Sour)
Carton Brewing Co. Dune Fruit (Fruited Sour)
Stone Notorius POG (Berlinerweisse)
Ithaca Petal Power (IPA)
Ale Song Kentucky Kilt (Scotch Ale)
JULY 2023
This month we had our palate’s tested again with a minor beer mix up with the list. Nevertheless we were able to figure it out together as a group. We even had enough can’s thanks to John’s contribution for everyone to go home with a beer from the can giveaway. Time is really flying this summer. Can’t wait to see you soon at the next one.
Utepils Ewald the Golden (Hefeweizen)
Voodoo Ranger Juicy (NEIPA)
UFO Maine Blueberry (Hefeweizen)
Mother Earth Nitro Milk Truck (Stout)
Levity Tang Glider Fruited Sour (Fruited Sour)
Tenn Red DIPA (DIPA)
JUNE 2023
We had a smaller turnout likely due to vacations this time of year. We still had fun though, got to try some interesting beers, give some beer away, and try some of Jack’s latest homebrew. We even managed to remember to get a photo this time too. It was a small enough group that we poured our own and Eric got the night off from pouring.
Troegs Summer Lager (Lager)
Great South Bay Jetty Ale (Lager)
Mother Earth Cali Creamin Nitro (Cream Ale)
Great Lakes Edmund Fitzgerald Porter (Porter)
Levity High End Flannel Sour (Fruited Sour)
Stone Enjoy By Tangerine and Pineapple IPA (IPA)
Cascade Brewing Vlad the Imp Aler (Barrel Aged quad/blonde)
Jack’s two bonus beers
MAY 2023
We had so much fun that Tom forgot to take photos again. It was an interesting variety of beers and thanks to Paul for sharing two of his new homebrewed beers. He is working on the recipes in prep for a friends wedding and even has them listed on untapped. We got to meet some new faces and overall was a great time. Shout out to Eric for helping pour the beers.
Coronado Weekend Vibes (IPA)
Leinenkugel Juicy Peach Sour (Sour)
Sweetwater Blue (Fruited Blonde)
Sierra Nevada Hoptimum 3X IPA (IPA)
Spoetzl Strawberry Blonde Ale (Fruited Blonde)
Pizza Boy Murren River IPA (IPA)
Paul’s two bonus beers
APRIL 2023
We got to meet a new person this month and see some familiar faces we haven’t seen in a while, give away some more beer (plus some added giveaway cans thanks to Marcus), and we had an overall pretty good variety of beer at this tasting. Looking forward to the next one.
Penn Brewery St. Nikolaus Bock Reserve (Bock)
Ellicottville Ski Bum Winter Ale (Winter Ale)
Victory Brewing Berry Monkey (Sour)
Shmaltz Brewing Hop Manna IPA (IPA)
New Hollan Hazy River (NEIPA)
Lexington Kentucky Bourbon Barrel Ale (BBA)
MARCH 2023
The year is flying by and we are already into Spring. Another great beer tasting in the books with some great beers to try and we had some great beers to giveaway. Thanks to Marcus for bringing four extra beers to contribute to our giveaway. Always a great time and Tom bought a bonus beer with his poker winnings from the weekend burning a hole in his pocket.
Sly Fox O’Reilly Stout (Nitro Stout)
Sweetwater Georgia Brown Ale (Brown Ale)
Sothern Tie Irish Cream Stout (Irish Stout)
Fat Heads Bonehead Imperial Red IPA (IPA)
Ellicotteville Blueberry Wheat (Wheat)
Rhinegeist Terrorbird IPA (IPA)
Anderson Valley Dragons Milk (bonus beer)
FEBRUARY 2023
It was a good turnout and a lot of fun. We got to try eight beers. Seven beers for our tasting and thanks to our friend Paul who brought his homebrewed strong ale. Given the range of beers we tried throughout the night I think the group was all in agreement that Paul’s beer stole the show.
Anderson Valley Berry Melon Gose (Gose)
Four Seasons Berlinerweisse with Passion Fruit, Orange, and Guava (Berlinerweisse)
Erie Railbender (Scottish Ale)
Sam Adams Light and Hazy Lager (Lager)
Straub Tight Lines Kolsch (Kolsch)
Troegs Double Nugget Nectar (DIPA)
Rusty Rail Ninja Breadman (Lager)
Paul’s bonus beer (Homebrewed Strong Ale)
JANUARY 2023
Peter Straub Stellar Night Dunkel (Dunkel)
Cigar City Maduro Brown Ale Nitro (Brown Ale)
Epic Brewing Tart and Juicy (Sour IPA)
Sweetwater Festival Ale (Christmas Ale)
Logyard Regen American IPA (IPA)
Epic Brewing Big Bad Baptist Rum Imperial Aged Stout (Barrel Aged Imperial Stout)
DECEMBER 2022
Wow, our first full year of monthly beer tastings since the pandemic. Looking back, we had some ups and downs as far as attendance goes. At one point it was just Jeff and Tom alone at a tasting. We also had some new faces come and go along with some fairly new regulars that have joined the group. We wrapped up our tasting with an ugly Christmas sweater contest that didn’t disappoint and we will continue to keep our monthly beer giveaways rolling into 2023. Happy New Year!
Peter Straub Stellar Night Dunkel (Dunkel)
Dogfish Head Crimson Cru (Red Ale)
SweetWater H.A.Z.Y. Citra (American Pale Wheat)
Troegs Blizzard of Hops (DIPA)
Flying FIsh Fried Ice Cream Stout (Imperial Stout)
Bells Scotch Ale (Scotch Ale)
NOVEMBER 2022
We had a great time getting to meet some new people local to the Moon area and playing some bingo for our beer giveaway this month. Thanks to John for bringing some additional cans to add to the giveaway.
Rusty Rail Alone in the Woods (Black Lager)
Rusty Rail 365 IPA (IPA)
Destihl Cherry Pie Sour (Sour)
Ale Smith Party Tricks (IPA)
Toppling Goliath Rover Truck Stout (Stout)
Sweetwater Mosaic Double IPA (DIPA)
OCTOBER 2022
Thanks to everyone that came out and participated in our costume contest. We had some pretty good ones.
Firestone Walker Hopnosis (IPA)
Aslin Bringing Sexy Back (Imperial IPA)
Rusty Rail Pooka (White Stout)
Straub Autumn Smash (Fruited Lager)
Spring House Heavy Crown (Fruited Sour)
Oskar Blues Thick Haze (NEIPA)
SEPTEMBER 2022
Epic Imperial Pumpkin (Porter)
Levity Tenured Imperial IPA (DIPA)
Founders All Day Chill Day (IPA)
Hofbrau Oktoberfest (Oktoberfest)
Jackie O’s Who Cooks for You Hazy IPA (NEIPA)
Rusty Rail Cheat Day Cherry Cheesecake Sour (Sour)
Thirsty Dog Barktoberfest (bonus beer?)
AUGUST 2022
We had a great time getting to meet some new people and others that hadn’t attend in a while. We even had some trivia beer giveaways.
4 Seasons Monkey Business (Fruit Beer)
Anderson Valley Peach Gose (Gose)
Lexington Vanilla Barrel (Cream Ale)
Mother Earth Nitro Milk Truck (Stout)
Victory Golden Monkey (Belgian Tripel)
Dragons Milk (Stout)
JULY 2022
Well it was our smallest beer tasting gathering I think in the history of the group. It was just Jeff and Tom. So, be default Jeff got the 4pack giveaway for the night. Also, since it was just us we threw the pre-planned beer list out of the window and had free reign to choose from the entire list.
Saugatuck Blood Orange Oval Beach Blonde Nitro (Blonde)
North Country Imperial Firehouse Red (Red Ale)
Rusty Rail Citrus Milkshake IPA (IPA)
North Country Watermelon Cucumber Sour (Sour)
Great Lakes Tidal Fury Hazy IPA (NEIPA)
New Holland Barrel Aged Dragons Milk (Stout)
JUNE 2022
Another beer tasting wrapped up. We got to try a variety of beers as usual with some better than others. Also, we had a mix up on the first beer as we were told it kicked and got replaced. The first beer was supposed to be an IPA by Axe Man but got replaced with a Mai Bock. There must have still been some IPA in the lines because after the beer was poured our sharp eyed members noticed the color wasn’t quite right and didn’t have the expected malt flavor after tasting it. Turns out we got served the IPA but were told it was the Mai Bock. After our inquiry it was confirmed it was the Hazy Daisy from Axe Man and then we were able to get a sample of the Mai Bock. We have a smart group of beer tasters. We wrapped up the night with another 4 pack beer giveaway. We split it into two cans each with some trivia questions (which aren’t too hard by the way). See you all in July.
Axe Man Mayfly Bock (Mai Bock)
Founders All Day IPA (IPA)
Rivertowne Suburban House Wife (Blackberry Cucumber Kolsch)
Fatheads Juiced to Jupiter (IPA)
Rusty Rail Wolf King (Coffee and Oatmeal Imperial Stout)
Troegs SUnshine Pils (Pilsner)
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MAY 2022
It was a small gathering but we got to see some of our friends that haven’t been in a while. Also, we were able to do a small giveaway via trivia with one question pertaining to the beer list and the other a relatively easy question related to our off flavor education series we recently finished. Congrats to Jeff and Harold who were our winners. To top it off we were also gifted some great Blue Moon beer glasses. I even got some pictures this time.
Destihl Hawaii Five Ale (Fruit)
Straub Signature Series Summer Splash (Fruit)
Anderson Valley Nitro Crema Cerveza (Cream Ale)
Smithwicks Guiness Red Ale (Irish)
Hop Valley Bubble Stash (IPA)
Toppling Goliath (TIPA)
APRIL 2022
Thanks to everyone that came out and we hope those that won our Canadian craft beer giveaway enjoyed the beers. We had so much fun that I forgot to get a picture of it despite setting a reminder.
Shiner Strawberry Blonde (Fruit)
Sweetwater Brewing Company Blue (Fruit)
Rhinegeist Brewery Blizzberry (Fruit)
Logyard Brewing Branch Manager (Imperial DIPA)
Rusty Rail Pooka Irish Cream Golden Stout (White Stout)
Terrapin Moo-Hoo Chocolate Milk Stout (Milk Stout)
MARCH 2022
Another tasting in the books. We weaved our way through a selection of various cream ales during the first half and then jumped ship to various other beer styles in the second half. We didn’t do our usual half time but did mention that the next North Hills Homebrew Fest has a tentative date currently for near the end of August. Nikki was away for this tasting so we thank Eric for helping announce and pour beers. Look we even captured a photo this time too! Our bonus beer taste test focused on paper/oxidized off flavors in beer. Trans-2-nonenal when present tastes like you are chewing paper to make a spitwad. So, remember back to being a kid and what the taste in your mouth was when chewing on paper. That is what this off flavor tastes like. It doesn’t take much for the flavor to be detected. Unlike other off flavors in beer that are detected at the parts per billion concentration range this off flavor is so sensitive to our palate that it can be detected at the parts per trillion range (orders of magnitude more sensitive).
Greene King Wexford Irish Style Creme Ale (Nitro Cream Ale)
Great Lakes Conway’s Irish Ale (Irish Red Ale)
Lexington Tangerine Cream Ale (Cream Ale)
Ithaca Sour Tart Cherry (Sour)
Bell’s Hopslam (DIPA)
Saranac Smores Porter (Porter)
Bonus Beer (trans-2-nonenal taste test)
FEBRUARY 2022
It was an interesting match up this month where the first half had some traditional styles and a yam beer that wasn’t too bad. The second half though was all about those IPA’s. We would like to welcome our new friends Becky and Nate to the group and thanks to Nate for participating in our halftime Q&A.
Anderson Valley Boont (Amber Ale)
Bell’s Best Brown (Brown Ale)
Platform Yammy Yammy (Yam Beer)
Deschutes CHasin’ Freshies (IPA)
Troegs Blizzard of Hops (IPA)
Rusty Rail Fog Monster (NEIPA)
Bonus Beer (dimethyl sulfide taste test)
JANUARY 2022
We had a small group but got to try some interesting beers which made for some good conversation. As per usual I forgot to capture our fun with a photo despite setting a reminder alarm. I guess it just means we had too much fun.
Wild Ohio Brewing Mango Tea (Tea Beer)
Flying Fish Brewing Salt and Ski (Sour - Fruited Gose)
Rhinegeist Brewery Cloud Harvest 06 (Hazy IPA)
Lawson’s Finest Liquids Little Sip (IPA)
New Holland Brewing Dragon’s Milk White (Bourbon Barrel Aged White Stout)
Lexington Brewing Kentucky (Bourbon Barrel Peppermint Porter)
Bonus Beer (acetaldehyde taste test)
DECEMBER 2021
What a great night. We had fun with all of our regular attendees and made a new friend, Anita, traveling through from out of town who entertained us with a fun story at half time. We even tried spiked a beer with diacetyl and had an non-spiked control as part of our beer educational series.
Aslin Old Town Lager (Lager)
New Holland Cabin Fever (Brown Ale)
Bavik
Aslin Power Moves (IPA)
Straub Winter Warmer (Winter Warmer)
Rusty Rail Snow Flyer (Hazelnut Chocolate Porter)
Bonus Beer (diacetyl taste test)
NOVEMBER 2021
We had a few more of our past regulars stop by and I even managed to snap a photo to document it this time (thanks to cell phone alarms). It was such a great time and we all got to learn about the malting and kilning process of barley as well as try a variety of malted barley paired with the nights beers. We hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving holiday and we will see you at the next beer tasting in December. Cheers!
Sweetwater H.A.Z.Y. IPA (NEIPA)
Victory Summer Hazy Love (NEIPA)
Rivertowne Rudolph’s Red (Imperial Red Ale)
Stone Arrogant Bastard Ale (Strong Ale)
Anderson Valley Thribble Currant (Wild Ale)
Bell’s Expedition Stout (Stout)
Tom’s Unapologetic Malt Forward Ale (bonus beer)
OCTOBER 2021
Such a great night with the core group of people that continue to support our monthly gatherings. Keeping the tradition going we had another two bonus beers and learned about malted vs unmalted grain as one of the beers at Patrick’s featured both in the beer that we got to try. We love it when we can share some fun beer facts with our friends about the beers get to try. Sadly we did not get any photos of the tasting event as we lost track of time having too much fun (going to have to set reminders next time).
Tasting List
Great Lakes Nosferatu (Imperial Red IPA)
Troegs Hop Cyclone (Hazy DIPA)
Allagash White (Belgian Style Wheat)
Rusty Rail Agro Naut (IPA)
Bell’s Rind over Matter (Wheat)
Flying Dog The Fear (Pumpkin)
Last Minute Replacement Beer (?)
Gotsta Gose (Bonus Beer #1 that won the homebrew and chill contest in Greensburg)
Tom’s Rat Rod Red (Strawberry Wheat featured at Ambridge crush and brew event)
Tom’s Rat Rod Paradise (Pineapple, Orange, and Banana NEIPA that won the IPA category at North Hills Homebrew Fest)
SEPTEMBER 2021
Another one in the books and we had three bonus beers. It was a wild and crazy night and we got to learn a little bit about off flavors in beer. The off flavor of the night was diacetyl (buttery popcorn flavor that develops from the fermentation process). We are also terrible at taking pictures and always forget to document the fun times.
Tasting List
New Trail Brewing Company Lazy River (Pilsner)
Straub Oktoberfest (Oktoberfest)
Rusty Rail Brewing Company Alone in the Woods (Black Lager)
Sam Adams Porch Rocker (Radler)
Ellicottville Pumpkin Latte (Pumpkin)
Flying Dog The Fear (Pumpkin)
Steve and Adam’s Smoked Cherry Ale (bonus beer #1)
Flying Dog The Fear (Pumpkin)
Tom’s Rat Rod Red (Strawberry Wheat)
Tom’s Rat Rod Paradise (Pineapple, Orange, and Banana NEIPA)
AUGUST 2021
Wow! It has been such a long time since our last official beer tasting event at Patrick’s Pub. We did a couple of small unofficial gatherings in June and July and it was so great to see everyone again after such a long time. We even had quite a few new people attend and it was great to meet everyone. We ran into a couple of hiccups early on with some keg swapping but we were able to steer the ship back on course and raffle away some door prizes (beer glasses, a shirt, vanity plate, and even some custom coasters that Tom made from a tree that fell down in his front yard during a wind storm). If you don’t want to miss out on all the fun be sure to get your tickets and come on out to our next event.
Tasting List
Peter Straub Signature Brews Tight Lines Ale (Kolsch)
Sly Fox Brewing Company Helles Golden Lager (Helles Lager)
Victory Brewing Company Brotherly Love Hazy IPA (NEIPA)
Troegs Independent Brewing Nimble Giant (DIPA)
Rusty Rail Brewing Company Tasting Colors-Tart Blueberry & Key Lime (Fruit beer)
Destihl Brewery Wild Sour Series: Key Lime Pie Gose (Sour-Fruited Gose)
February 2020
Woops! We were so busy talking to all of you and pretty excited about the beer selection that we forgot to take pictures and capture all of the enjoyment had by all. Congrats to Norm, Ron, Erika and Pat for guessing correctly or coming the closest to the answers to our trivia questions and winning stickers that were graciously donated to our group from our last beer outing by Abjuration Brewing Co. Don’t forget our next outing is Saturday March 7th at Cobblehaus from 1-3pm. Also, our next beer tasting will be March 24th and is scheduled to be a distributor takeover so be sure to get your tickets early.
Tasting List
Stevens Point Brewery JP’s Casper White Stout (Golden Stout)
Platform Holiday Donut Cookie (Holiday Ale)
Springhouse JOOP (IPA)
Oskar Blues Can O Bliss (DIPA)
Victory Heavy Drop Sour (Sour NEIPA)
Troegs Mad Elf (Belgian Strong Ale)
January 2020
Thanks everyone for coming out to our first beer tasting of 2020 and Nikki and Tom’s first tasting as your new hosts. Thanks to Lynda for telling us about Hollow Oaks Brewhaha this March from 5-8pm (ten breweries, five courses of food, prizes and silent auction). Be sure to check it out as they have a lot of great breweries lined up. Congratulations to Bubba for winning our tasting history trivia question and taking home the Rusty Rail Blue Collar Blonde T-shirt that paired with the actual beer from the tasting. We hope you had a fun time and will join us again as Nikki and I have some fun things planned throughout the rest of the year which were largely a result from the answers to your survey questions. So be on the lookout for our brewery outings on our Facebook page that we will announce during our tasting events as well as other new and exciting things. Cheers!
Tasting List
Straub Winter Bash (Lager)
Rusty Rail BLue Collar Blonde (Blonde)
Alpine Beer Co Rye’der on the Storm (Porter)
Against the Grain 35K (Stout)
Shiners Brewerspride (DIPA)
Victory Storm King (Imperial Stout)
December 2019
Wow, it has been a while since our last update. To catch you up on all that you have missed. Christine hosted her last beer tasting with A Little Beer Tasting Group and had a few things to say. “I can’t believe it’s been five years. I am so thankful for the friends I’ve made. You are all a blessing to me. 💕 Thank you all for the support over the years. The group would not have been possible without you. Thanks also for the amazing send off. I never expected such a thing and your thoughtfulness is much appreciated. While I am sad it’s time for this chapter to close, I am so excited for Nikki and Tom to take over. I know they will do a great job and I encourage them to make this their own. Thanks to Robert Ree for supporting me in this and always being there to help. I love you. Tom won another competition tonight ... one I named Christine’s Final Brew Off. It’s fitting a champion would carry our group into the new decade. I would like to thank everyone individually, but I hope you understand it’s too hard here. Finally, thanks to everyone who supported our fundraiser for The Paws Squad. Thanks to your generosity we will be sending $770 to the animal rescue. It’s much needed and much appreciated. You never met a group of volunteers more dedicated and compassionate. They’re doing great work and your money will be spent wisely. God bless you all! Merry Christmas and best wishes for a blessed new year! See you at the January tasting. It’s gonna be weird sitting on the other side!”
AUGUST 2019
It was a great time at our 5th annual Home Brew Challenge! Eight fantastic home brewers offered up their best brews in the hope of claiming victory. Would Tom four-peat as champion? Or would a rising star steal the throne? I’m embarrassed to say that I lost the official results. But what I do remember (and what the brewers could confirm) is listed below. No one scored less than a 3.0 (I think it was more like 3.26), and only two hundredths of a point separated first and second place. I would have paid money for any of them. The best thing about this challenge is the winning beer was four years in the making. According to the brewer, it started off tasting pretty bad and he almost threw it away. Oh, and before I forget, if you’d like to learn more about Ben’s craft beer can scented soy candles, visit his website for all the details. And without further adieu, the results are:
#1 - Jack’s Belgian Quad - 4.02
#2 - Eric’s Raspberry Sour - 4.00
#3 - Nikki’s Pineapple IPA
#4 - Andy’s English Bitter
#5 - Tom’s Watermelon
#6 - Kirk’s New England Hazy Double IPA
#7 - Steve’s Red Tea Ale
#8 - Adam’s Jalapeno Lime Cream Ale
So you see, Tom was in fact dethroned. And there was a little rivalry between him and Jack. If you haven’t already heard, Jack invited Tom to participate in our 2nd annual Home Brew Challenge. Tom won and Jack finished in second place. This win was sweet revenge for Jack (my words, not his).
JULY 2019
It’s always a good time when we’re together! Thanks for listening to me talk about The Paws Squad, a little animal rescue in Logan, WV that desperately needs help saving the lives of the unwanted dogs and cats in this coal mining town. And thanks to Joe for providing the halftime entertainment, even though his buddies kind of forced it on him. We scrambled a bit when our last two beers kicked and we had to find replacements … thanks Brittany! Oh, and thanks to Eric and Nikki for sharing their homemade mead and to Steve and Adam for bringing us a bonus beer! That’s always a nice surprise!
Tasting List
Anderson Valley Cerveza Summer Ale Nitro
Dogfish Head Slightly Mighty
Victory Summer Love
Troeg’s Sunshine Pils
BrewDog Elvis Juice
East End Bigger Hop
Eric and Nikki’s Traditional Cuvee Mead - BONUS
Steve and Adam’s Black Sippy Ice Black IPA - BONUS
JUNE 2019
We had to wait till June to finally get out on the patio! Thank you Mother Nature for cooperating! It was nice to take in the fresh air on a nice almost-summer night. Thanks to Colonel Miller for agreeing to be the halftime entertainment. Maybe he’ll share one of his home brews with us sometime. We missed Brittany, but Cathy took good care of us.
Tasting List
Platform Seltzer Project Strawberry Lemonade
Straub Summer Splash
Ballast Point Lager
Sly Fox Pikeland Pils
New Belgium Citradelic
Great Lakes Erie Monster
MAY 2019
Neither wind nor rain nor lightning nor threat of tornado stays these beer snobs from the swift completion of a taster rack. The weather was rough but we survived, complete with our shelter-in-place plan of squeezing everyone into the women’s room. It’s a shame we couldn’t enjoy nice weather on the patio, but we had fun in the dining room all the same. Thanks to Frank for jumping in and turning the tables on me for Half Time. It was kind of nice being on the other side of the interview for a change. And a shout out to Ilene and the girls for coming for the first time. Remember ladies, what happens at the beer tasting stays at the beer tasting … unless it’s reported here. Sorry I didn’t get many pictures this time. I was slacking.
Tasting List
Harpoon/UFO Georgia Peach
Destihl Flanders Red
Lancaster Blue Trail
Foreign Objects Wet Gravity
New Belgium Fat Tire
Southern Tier Samoa This
APRIL 2019
It was a bittersweet tasting as we had a lot of fun but learned that two of us will be taking new jobs out of town. Best wishes to Jason and Matt as they begin their new journeys. Separately. They’re not a couple. Jason’s heading to Oregon and Matt to St. Louis, if I remember correctly. Matt dumped this sad news on us during halftime entertainment. :( We also learned he served in the Marines so he’s forgiven. As always, thanks for joining us! Couldn’t do this without you!
Tasting List
Marathon 26.2 Brew
Cigar City Maduro
Erie Railbender
Long Trail Vermont IPA
Rivertowne Hazy Morning
Founders Dankwood
MARCH 2019
It was only a few days after St. Patrick’s Day, but you crazy people still came out for our little beer tasting! Maureen totally cracked me up with her story about meeting Punxsutawney Phil at the St. Patrick’s Day parade. I’m still giggling. Thanks to Jason for providing the halftime entertainment. And thanks to Adam and Steve for bringing the very interesting home brew samples. We love sample home brews! You all kept Brittany on her toes. She was quite a blur running around to serve you. Thanks for the great job, Brit!
Tasting List
Sam Adams Cold Snap
Oskar Blues Mama’s Little Yella Pils
Spring House Lil Gruesome
Breckenridge Irish Nitro Stout
North Coast Old Rasputin Stout
Dogfish Head The Perfect Disguise
Adam and Steve’s Starcrunch White Stout - with 6 Starcrunch (BONUS)
Adam and Steve’s Starcrunch White Stout - with 12 Starcrunch (BONUS)
FEBRUARY 2019
February 19, 2019 marked the 51st anniversary of the first Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood television show. We celebrated with some Fred Rogers trivia sprinkled in between beer samples. We also celebrated the start of the fifth year of A Little Beer Tasting Group! What a fantastic four years! Thanks to you all for making our little group so special. It was nice getting to know Katie a little better during halftime. And thanks for allowing our impromptu guests talk about the upcoming Brewhaha, a fund raiser for Hollow Oak Land Trust. The event features 10 local craft breweries, locally sourced food and prizes. My apologies … I think I missed some of you in the photos.
Tasting List
Rivertowne Hali Kahiki Pineapple Ale
East End Snow Melt Winter Ale Nitro
North Country Jack Frost Winter Warmer
Anchor Our Special Ale (aka Christmas Ale 2018)
Erie Railbender Scottish Ale
Victory Hop Wallop IPA
JANUARY 2019
We closed out our fourth year of monthly beer tastings with the interesting line up below. “I’m not a hophead” Ian found a couple of beers he liked tonight. ';) Thanks to Tom for sending the bonus beer even though he wasn’t able to attend! If I’m not mistaken, this was one of the beers that made him a three-time Home Brew Challenge winner … except this time he used honey in the recipe. Thanks also to Chris for being the halftime entertainment. It was Eric’s birthday, so I hope we didn’t embarrass him too much by announcing it. Rob’s birthday was a couple of days later, followed by Hailey’s. Sorry for being in all the photos. The hubby is a little biased with the lens. Thanks always to you all for attending, and to Patrick’s and Brittany for the good service! See ya next month!
Tasting List
UFO Winter Blonde
Rogue Dead Guy
Penn St. Nikolaus Bock
Ellicottville Fog Lifter
Stone Woot Stout
Troegs Nugget Nectar
Tom’s Apple Pie Cream Ale (bonus)
DECEMBER 2018
We took the show on the road to Cobblehaus Brewing in Coraopolis and tasted a bunch of awesome beers! And our favorite Patrick’s waitress, Brittany, joined us as a guest! She even provided the halftime entertainment. Thanks to Scott and the crew from Cobblehaus for the hospitality and for running the show, and to Patrick’s for catering our event. Thanks also to Steve and Tom for bringing some bonus beers. Look for Tom’s beers on the Untappd app under Wrenchworks Brewing. And if you’re interested in learning more about First Sip Brew Box, visit firstsipbrewbox.com.
Tasting List
Cobblehaus Sammy B
Cobblehaus Berry Abyss
Cobblehaus Olde Towne Alt
Cobblehaus The Viking
Cobblehaus Wicked Denny
Cobblehaus Chasing Charlie
Cobblehaus Lucky Me
Cobblehaus Black Bear
Tom’s Wrenchworks Wheat Apiary (bonus)
Steve’s Christmas Ale (bonus)
NOVEMBER 2018
I seem to remember having a good time at this tasting, but honestly it’s been over a week ago since this event and so much has happened personally and professionally that I can’t recall much of it. I do remember Rob telling a story about how he messed with a telemarketer by faking a car crash and getting the person to hang up. Hope you liked the beers!
Tasting List
Yards Brawler
Smuttynose Old Brown Dog
Oskar Blues Hotbox Coffee Porter
New Holland El Mole Ocho
Boulder Cold Hop
Ballast Point Sculpin IPA
OCTOBER 2018
Thanks so much to everyone who came out to support our fundraiser to benefit The Paws Squad animal rescue! Thanks to your generosity, our little group raised over $600 for this small, no-kill rescue in West Virginia. Thanks also to Frank B. Fuhrer Wholesale for donating the beer so the entire ticket price could go to the charity. We tasted some really great beers and gave away a lot of prizes. And Tom even brought us a bonus beer! What a fantastic night!
Tasting List
Rhinegeist Cheetah Lager
Rhinegeist Wowie Fruited Ale
Southern Tier Cherry Cordial Imperial Stout
Southern Tier Nu Skool IPA
Neshaminy Creek Keep It on the DL IPA
Neshaminy Creek County Line IPA
Flying Dog Bloodline Imperial IPA
Flying Dog The Truth Imperial IPA
Tom’s Black Cherry Chocolate Ghost Pepper Smoked Porter (spicy & not spicy versions)
SEPTEMBER 2018
So, hey. Thanks for coming to our September tasting! It turned out to be a nice, warm night. We actually tasted more beers than what’s shown below as the tap gave us three different mixtures … Shmaltz Death, Shmaltz Slingshot and something in between. Thanks to Maureen for informing us about vote411.org, where you can learn where candidates running for office in your community stand on the issues. Be sure to check it out and don’t forget to register to vote, if you’re not already. The deadline to register is Tuesday, October 9. Sorry about the pictures. This is what happens when I let my husband control the camera … lots of photos of me. ;)
Tasting List
Dark Horse Scotty Karate Scotch Ale
Sam Adams Octoberfest
Shmaltz Slingshot Lager
Victory Home Grown Lager
Otter Creek Hoppy Lager
Dogfish Head Punkin
AUGUST 2018
Holy cow! Our fourth annual Home Brew Challenge was quite a smash! Thanks to all the brave home brewers who participated! Whether you finished in first or tenth place, we applaud you for your willingness to share your creations. No one is a loser. You all had the courage to open yourself to criticism. That said, whose money was on Tom making it a three-peat? Tom pulled off the nearly impossible and won this friendly competition with an IPA. He was bold. He was confident. And he is king. But it was his birthday, so you have to wonder if people ranked his beer higher because of that. ;) No, seriously, Tom brewed an awesome beer. We're wondering when he'll be talking to investors.
Thanks to Dennis and Sammy for sharing their First Sip Brew Box goodies with us. Be sure to visit their site for more information about their beer related items. And a shout out to Jamal who told us about his business 412 BBQ that offers "sauces, rubs N'at"! Thanks to Patrick's Pub for the prizes and the great food and friendly staff! Oh, and speaking of prizes, a special thank you to Frank for donating a basket of his homemade lemon cello, salsa and jerky for one of the first place prizes. Finally, thank you to everyone who donated to the Marines vs. Air Force basketball game fund raiser and also to the Beaver County Humane Society.
Tasting List
First Place - Tom's Pina Colada IPA - 4.04
Second Place - (tie) Matt's Breakfast Oatmeal Stout - 3.43
Second Place - (tie) Nikki and Erick's Milk & Honey IPA - 3.43
Fourth Place - (tie) Bubba's Lola Bunny Hoppy Blonde - 3.41
Fourth Place - (tie) Haley's Pineapple Honey Hefeweizen - 3.41
Sixth Place - Adam's Milkshake Pineapple IPA - 3.39
Seventh Place - Jack's Peanut Butter Brown Ale - 3.34
Eighth Place - Dennis's Black IPA - 3.26
Ninth Place - Steve's Marshmallow Cream Ale - 3.19
Tenth Place - Karly's Cherry Earl Grey Red - 2.52
JULY 2018
What a fun night! You guys always have a way of making a girl feel special. Thanks for the birthday wishes! Bubba and Haley couldn't make it tonight ... but we congratulated them on their engagement anyway. Thanks to John for getting up and telling us all about himself, even though it was his first time joining our little group. He's Canadian, eh?
Tasting List
Duquesne Pilsener
Brooklyn Summer Ale
Straub American Amber
Sweetwater 420
Stone Ripper IPA
Oskar Blues Pinner Throwback IPA
JUNE 2018
Tonight we held an advance screening of Adam and Steve's new TV show called Yinz Brewin'?, which airs on the Moon Township community access television station MCA-TV. How exciting! (If you remember, they also host a weekly podcast called Hop Nation USA.) We also filmed a few segments for a future episode. Thanks to Dennis for providing the halftime entertainment and telling us all about his company, First Sip Brew Box. Thanks to Shawn for throwing in the Chimay! Yum!
Tasting List
Rhinegeist Press Tart Berliner
Saranac Tropical Storm IPA
Sixpoint Resin IPA
Lancaster Milk Stout
Left Hand Chai Milk Stout Nitro
Chimay Peres Trappistes Grand Reserve
May 2018
It was a great night on the patio! And well worth the wait. Wasn't it great to be outside? I'd mentioned the rain reminded me of the time our old Pittsburgh Brewmasters tasting group had to run for our lives during a thunderstorm. Click here to watch the video. Thank you for being so patient as we "winged it" with seating arrangements. Thanks to Alex for being a sport and letting me interview him for halftime. And a shout out to Brittany for working her butt off. We had her running, that's for sure.
Tasting List
Saugatuck Paled It
Abita Strawberry Harvest
Oskar Blues Dale's Pale Ale
Straub Wild Boy
Oskar Blues Old Chubb
Hop Farm Nitro IPA
APRIL 2018
What a crazy April day! Who would have thought we'd have that cold weather and snow? Thank goodness we decided NOT to be on Patrick's patio! Regardless of the weather, we had a great time. Thanks to Dave for being the halftime entertainment. If you'd like to learn more about his campaign for the PA House of Representatives 44th District, visit his website. And don't forget to vote in the primary on May 15. I hope Ray forgives me for calling him out for talking over me. ;) I tease you because I like you.
Tasting List
Church Brew Works Irish Red
Flying Dog Lucky SOB
Bell's Oberon
New Belgium Fat Tire
Atwater Java Porter
Victory Storm King
MARCH 2018
Well that was fun! Another full house at our monthly beer tasting, and even though he couldn't join us, we really enjoyed the bonus beer Tom sent for us to enjoy. Thanks to Jack for the great introduction. See the videos below. Thanks also to Debbie for being the halftime entertainment. If you'd like to learn more about her new business, Creatively Healthy Living, please visit her website. Seems like I'm in a lot of the photos this month. Sorry. Thanks for coming out in the snowy weather! See you next month!
Tasting List
Founders Solid Gold
Pabst American Pale Ale
Arrogant Wussie
Boulder Irish Blessing
21st Amendment Fireside Chat
Oskar Blues IPA
Tom's Joosus 6 New England IPA (BONUS)
February 2018
It was so nice to see you all at our 3rd anniversary celebration! Thanks to Tim and Bob from 180 and Tapped for sharing their story and three of their beers with us. Please be sure to visit their website and follow their Facebook page. Bubba and Tom helped raise the festivities by bringing their home brews to share, and we ALWAYS love bonus beers! Steve and Adam told us about the new project they're working on ... a beer-themed television program at MCA-TV, Moon Township's community access channel. I had the honor and pleasure of being a guest on their podcast called Hop Nation USA (episode #47). Listen here. And, if you haven't been to Patrick's Pub since the addition opened, hurry over to see it! You won't be disappointed!
Tasting List
180 and Tapped Bunny Muscles Lager
180 and Tapped Citrus Circus Orange Cream Ale
180 and Tapped Overtime Irish Ale
New Holland Space Machine
Victory Prima Pils
Shmaltz Vulcan Ale
Bubba's Chocolate Cinnamon Stout (BONUS)
Tom's Golden Coffee Stout (BONUS)
JANUARY 2018
Happy New Year! Thanks for coming out on a freezing cold night to our Winter Into Spring themed tasting. I hope you enjoyed the beer selection. Sorry I scared you with the "last tasting" joke. Thanks to Ian for letting us ask him a few questions at halftime.
Tasting List
Devils Backbone Cran-Gose
Lexington Barrel Aged Peach Wheat
Sam Adams Winter Lager
Great Lakes Nosferatu
New Holland Hop Tronix
Avery The Maharaja
DECEMBER 2017
As we close out another year, I want to be sure to thank you all again for your support and friendship. It wouldn't be much of a group if you didn't attend our events. I hope you have a wonderful holiday season and look forward to what 2018 holds for all of us. Sorry there aren't a lot of photos from this tasting. I was having too good a time and totally forgot to snap some. Rob was proud to share the ones he took though. I just wish he had more variety. Thanks to Steve and Adam for telling us about themselves and their podcast, Hop Nation. Be sure to check it out at www.hopnationusa.com. Thanks also to the folks at Patrick's Pub for hosting our little group and for the excellent service. Lastly, I'll leave you with one final word ... VENEER!
Tasting List
Rusty Rail Wanderlust
Breckenridge Nitro Vanilla Porter
Great Lakes Ohio City Oatmeal Stout
Magic Hat Jinx Scotch Ale
Red Hook Long Hammer IPA
Rochefort 10
NOVEMBER 2017
It was so great to welcome Jocelyn from Yards Brewing to our little group this month! She brought some great beers and raffle prizes. And everyone went home with a Yards glass! I didn't know much about Yards beer before this. Pleased to say I enjoyed every one of them, but the Spruce was a little different. ;) Thanks to Bryan for the halftime entertainment. Funny, he came by himself but ran into someone he knows (Nancy). Nikki and Eric brought us some of their homemade mead to try as a bonus.
Tasting List
Yards Brawler English Mild Ale
Yards Philadelphia Pale Ale
Yards Poor Richard's Tavern Spruce
Yards Thomas Jefferson's Tavern Ale
Yards Rival IPA
Yards General Washington's Tavern Porter
Nicole and Eric's Mead (BONUS)
OCTOBER 2017
It was another fun time at Patrick's! What a great dynamic happening with this little group of ours! I love, as I'm sure everyone else does, that our home brewers want to share their creations with us. Thanks to Tom, Adam and Steve for bringing the bonus beers for us to sample. Well done, gentlemen! Jeff and Jason, our out-of-state visitors from FedEx, seemed to enjoy our company. Thanks to Jason for being a sport and allowing me to ask him a few questions during halftime. We were also happy to have Mark in the house! Mark is a sales rep for Vecenie Distributing who's acquired the Patrick's account since our friend Tony Knipling passed away. Mark's got some shoes to fill, but he's a great guy and I'm sure we'll be seeing more of him. And thanks to all of you for joining us every month. It wouldn't be possible without your continued interest and support. Hope to see you in November when we'll be joined by Jocelyn from Yards Brewing.
Tasting List
Jack's Hard Cider Nitro
Guinness 200th Anniversary Export Stout
Straub Oktoberfest Lager
Yards Pynk
Green Flash Soul Style IPA
New Belgium Voodoo Ranger
Tom's Marzan Style Oktoberfest (BONUS)
Adam and Steve's Berry Pepper Stout - Regular Version (BONUS)
Adam and Steve's Berry Pepper Stout - Hot Version (BONUS)
September 2017
We had a bit of a light crowd, but that didn't stop the fun! Thanks to Peg and Al for bringing your family and friends! Those of you who couldn't join us missed an interesting lineup of beers. Thanks to Tom for educating us on hops and for sharing his homegrown hops. Rob's still very excited about that. I hope Pam wasn't too sick after she actually ate one. She's pretty daring.
Tasting List
Southern Tier Three Citrus Peel Out Imperial Wheat
Rusty Rail Fool's Gold Imperial Peanut Butter Hefeweizen
Victory Headwaters Pale Ale
Hofbrau Oktoberfest
Erie Johnny Rails Pumpkin Ale
Butternuts Snapperhead IPA
AUGUST 2017
Wow! What a fun night! Our third annual Home Brew Challenge was a smashing success, if I do say so myself. Seven brewers submitted their finest recipes for the competition. And what a great variety of flavors! Although this is a friendly, non-scientific contest based on the tastes of the people in attendance, rivalries were strong. Jack worked hard to de-throne Tom as reigning 2016 champion. Last year, Jack placed second to Tom after inviting Tom to join the competition at the last minute. No good deed goes unpunished. And Nikki's sole desire was to rank higher than Eric. As I've said before, there are no losers in this challenge. It takes a lot of guts to put yourself out there like these folks did. And they all did great! Only 1.23 points separated first and last place. Check out the results below. And thanks to Dawn for providing the halftime entertainment, even though she didn't name me as her favorite co-worker. ;( I'll have to get on her about that. Also thanks to Jack and Tom for bringing bonus beers for us to sample! We always love that!
Tasting List (on a scale of 1 - 5)
First Place - Apple Pie Cream Ale (Tom) - 4.25
Runner Up - Bourbon Vanilla Stout (Nikki) - 4.02
Third - Burnt Honey Rum Raisin Stout (Eric) - 3.97
Fourth - Red Ale (Matt) - 3.58
Fifth - American Pale Ale (John) - 3.52
Sixth - Coffee Cream Ale (Adam) - 3.27
Seventh - Chocolate Chili Stout (Jack) - 3.02
BONUS BEER - Strawberry Ale (Jack)
BONUS BEER - Black Berry Cream Ale (Tom)
JULY 2017
It was so good to see so many new faces! Thanks for spreading the word about our little group. I hope you enjoyed lifting a few pints to celebrate the first Oscar Meyer wiener mobile rolling off the assembly line (1936). Thanks to Amy for providing the halftime entertainment. And, a special shout out to Rob for always helping to pour the beer. It was great seeing you all!
Tasting List
Sam Adams Cherry Wheat
Brooklyn Lager
New Holland White Hatter
Dark Horse Smells Like a Double Michigan Safety Meeting
Weyerbacher Merry Monks
Thirsty Dog Old Leg Humper
JUNE 2017
Wow! That was fun! Rob and I needed a fun time with good friends and you all met the challenge! Thanks for giving first-timers Cookie and Linn a warm welcome. Moe found them in the bar and invited them to join us (way to go Moe!). They seemed to have a good time, even though I pressured them into providing our halftime entertainment. ;) I must have been distracted by the great conversation. Seems I hardly took any pictures. WTH?
Tasting List
Victory Cage Radler
Saranac Citra Pils
Voodoo Wynona's Big Brown Ale
Weyerbacher Blasphemy
Saugatuck Serrano Pepper Ale
Stone RuinTen with Orange Peel and Vanilla Bean
MAY 2017
I look back on this tasting and smile. You all know how to have a good time. Thanks to Nancy for sharing her story about her son Zac's bachelor party during halftime. Seven breweries in seven hours! And yes, they had a designated driver. A big welcome to first-timers Shelley, David and John! And how awesome is it that Tom brought us yet another bonus beer?!! He's spoiling us for sure!
Tasting List
Penn Brewery Tangerine Swirl
Smuttynose Lager
Shorts Bellaire Brown Ale
Troegs Crimson Pistil Hibiscus IPA
Helltown Idle Hands IPA
Thirsty Dog Scarlet O'Hoppy
Tom's Sweet Baby Juicus IPA
APRIL 2017
You guys rock! What a fun night! We had a bunch of first-timers ... Lisa, Frank, Darcy and Dwight. I hope you'll be back. Thanks to Darcy for being our halftime guest. We had a great lineup of beers, but I think the highlight was Tom bringing us not one, but TWO bonus beers! Thanks for your generosity, Tom! And one more plug for our friend Scott who opened Cobblehaus Brewing in Coraopolis a few weeks ago. I guess he won't be allowed to enter our home brew challenge anymore now that he's a professional. ;) If you haven't visited yet, be sure to do so soon.
Tasting List
Blue Point Blueberry Ale
Spoetzl Shiner Bock
Terrapin Wake-n-Bake
Erie Ol' Red Cease and Desist
Harpoon The Craic
Rusty Rail Rail Spike IPA
Tom's Heath Bar Brown Ale (bonus beer)
Tom's Maple Bacon Brown Ale (bonus beer)
MARCH 2017
I'm sure it was rough attending this tasting after the St. Patrick's Day hooligans. But didn't we have fun? A special thanks to Peg and Al for joining us at the last minute (and to Sean for dragging them in)! I hope you enjoyed hearing about Dayton and Dana's efforts to train George, a service dog, for a local military member with PTSD. Their goal is to eventually establish a nonprofit organization. If you'd like to help with the expenses, they've set up a Go Fund Me page. Also, you can follow George's progress on Facebook.
Tasting List
Fuller's London Pride
New Belgium Blue Paddle Pilsener
Wyndridge Farm Imperial Night Owl Stout
Erie Brewing Railbender Ale
Rivertowne Patrick's Poison
Victory Hop Devil Nitro
FEBRUARY 2017
Thanks for coming out to celebrate our 2nd anniversary! I hope you enjoyed visiting with Zach from Frank B. Fuhrer Wholesale. The prizes were awesome and we appreciate their support. Thanks also to the guys from Twisted Spoon Ale House for sharing their Mocktoberfest Harvest Rye Ale with us. It was an interesting twist on the more bitter ryes I'm used to. We can't wait until you find a location! And, thanks to Tom for the second bonus beer! That spicy goodness surprisingly tickled the taste buds. Cheers to two great years! Looking forward to sharing more fun times with you in year #3!
Tasting List
Great Lakes Dortmunder Gold Lager
Great Lakes Eliot Ness Amber Lager
Great Lakes Conway's Irish Ale
Great Lakes Edmund Fitzgerald Porter
Great Lakes Burning River Pale Ale
Sierra Nevada Beer Camp Golden IPA
Twisted Spoon Mocktoberfest Harvest Rye Ale (bonus beer)
Tom's Chocolate Habanero Smoked Porter (bonus beer)
JANUARY 2017
What a difference a few days makes. Last month I wrote how I was looking forward to a long vacation and this month I'm unemployed. Be careful what you wish for. I really enjoyed seeing you all. Being alone all day is tough sometimes and you helped me feel better. :) Thanks, and happy 30th birthday, to Eric who Nicole made me ambush for the halftime entertainment. Thanks also to Maria and Chris, George and David who joined us for the first time! Welcome! Don't forget that Cobblehaus Brewing Company will be opening very soon in Coraopolis. Thanks to founder/brewer Scott Mills for giving us the update. You'll notice there are no photos below. I'm not sure how my camera was on the "live" setting, but they all turned out to be 2-3 second videos. I wasn't able to post them here, but you can view them on the Facebook page.
Tasting List
Morland Old Speckled Hen
Church Brew Works Christmas Ale
Anchor Brewing Merry Christmas 2016
Boulevard Brewing The Calling IPA
Sly Fox 360 IPA
Lexington Brewing Rye Barrel IPA
Wow! We tasted a lot of beer!