Chicago, Day I - Three Floyds

So today turned into a hajj of sorts. Ever since my "craft brew enlightenment" if you will, I have been a fan of Three Floyds, even if I've only had a handful of their beers. This brewery, touted as one of the best in the country, crafts some aggressive brews such as Dreadnought, Behemoth, and the highly coveted Dark Lord, along with standards such as Robert the Bruce, Pride and Joy Mild, and their flagship Alpha King.

So how has FFF as it's know in the craft beer world become my Mecca of sorts? Well, Mecca used to be Pottsville, PA, the home of Yuengling (been there, done that - twice) was unseated by the boys named Floyd after my first encounter with Alpha King, such a solid American Pale Ale that it changed my take on the style. From there I was so interested in this brewery that I HAD to get to it's home in Munster, IN.

So after a quick search for a hotel, my Sales Manager and I trekked the two or so miles to the brewpub (coincidentally attached to the brewery) for dinner and a few brews. After a pint of AK and the Royale with Cheese, I started hitting the big ones. I started with a pint of the Tatooed Monk, a dark hefeweizen, quite like a dunkelweizen, only not as roasty, only a hint of black patent hidden behind the fresh hefe quality. Next up was the Blackheart English IPA. Served in a half pint due to it's high alcohol (9%-ish, according to the bartender), this golden elixir had the perfect balance of English malt and hops to make it a fantastic DIPA. Such a tasty brew. I capped the night off with a snifter of the Behemoth, an aggressively hopped barley wine with a ton of malt balance and the alcohol to go with it. Thankfully, said Sales Manager was kind enough to be DD.

I left with a small arsenal of bottles and bombers, the price of which I won't comment on here. It was a fantastic experience, well worth the monetary expense. Hell, it was my birthday present to myself. If you're in the Chicago area, stop by. You won't be disappointed.

Cheers,

Dave

One Night in Ft. Wayne

. . . on our way to Chicago, and we had a few calls to make in Ft. Wayne. After a fantastic lunch of "hot dogs" and chili and dumplings at Tony Packo's of M*A*S*H fame, we rolled into Ft. Wayne late in the afternoon. After securing lodging for the evening, we took a quick trip downtown to Mad Anthony Brewery for dinner. Great joint. I had what they call an "unwrap", which was basically a tortilla-like shell covered in delicious toppings (I opted for the Hawaiian). Great idea and a tasty treat, to say the least. Along with dinner, I partook in a sampler of their brews and a couple pints, their American Red and Imperial Porter. While what constituted the sampler was pretty standard, both the red and Impy Porter were super tasty. The Red was more of an IPA, only red, and the Porter was absolutely fantastic. They are currently barrel-aging the Porter to be ready in six months, making me want to schedule a return trip just for it. Overall, a great start to what should be an exceptional beer week, including stops at Three Floyds Brewing, Flossmoor Station Brewpub, and The Map Room in Chicago.

Stay tuned for some more jealousy.

Cheers,

Dave

The District Part Deux

Well, technically Frederick, MD. After the work day, I headed north on I-270 for the 4+ hour trip home. Now that time estimate doesn't account for traffic. So after battling Friday DC traffic to Frederick, I was rather hungry. Luckily, Frederick is the home of two brew pubs, Barley and Hops and Brewer's Alley (and some other breweries, like Flying Dog). I chose to have dinner at the former. Now I have almost stopped in here what must be a half dozen or times or so. When I would be working in Frederick, I stayed directly across the street, but for some unknown reason decided to patronize the Houlihan's directly in front of the hotel than the brewpub across the street. So this time through, I decided to finally try it.

The brewpub is classic American decor - a wide open, warehouse-esque room with beer-related paraphernalia throughout. I took a seat at the corner of the bar and ordered a sampler and an order of wings. The sampler was 6 brews, 2 oz. each, which was nice because you could drink it and still have a pint and not be 5 beers in, but it only gave you a few sips to judge the beer. Now I've rated beer from less, so I was cool with it. I must say that I was pleasantly surprised with the quality of the beers. The Annapolis Rocks Pale Ale was the best offering (great malt and hop balance) and the Tuscadora Red was solid (caramel and chocolate notes). The service was fantastic - definitely top notch. You could tell that the regulars were there as much for Chelsea's service as the food and beer. The food was pretty standard, but then again I did only have the the wings, so don't take my word for it.

I would definitely recommend stopping in for a pint when in the area. Nothing off the charts, but a great little local brewpub with some good offerings.

Cheers,

Dave