I expect a ratification!

Brewery: 21st Amendment Brewery
Location: San Fransisco, CA
Name: Brew Free! Or Die
Type: American IPA
ABV: 7.0%
Such an apt rally cry for the American craft brewer. Or any nationality craft brewer really. I would give up drinking beer entirely if my only choices came from the "Big 3." That being said, I'd like to introduce you to a completely competent, yet disappointingly pedestrian American IPA. First things first, this box of cans is adorned with an illustration of Mount Rushmore, which by itself is pretty cool. However, I'm pretty sure Lincoln is throwing a left hook. Kudos to the artist. In any case, BFOD (I'm lazy) is an eye catching beer. A generous foamy white heads sits atop 12 ounces of warm orange-y liquid which also flaunts a slight haze to it. The head fizzles rather quickly but lingers as you drink. Healthy malt and a fair amount of hops fill the nose. The craziest thing I came away with is that there was a hint of apple juice in the bouquet! I smelled it several times before I could name the scent but once I did, it was all I could smell. The taste was pretty good. You have a nice offering of malt backed up by a not-at-all-obtrusive hop flavor that tilted toward the citrus side. I had to remind myself that I was drinking an IPA and not some sort of Belgian as it had some hints of spice to it. The finish was warm and bready. Taste buds were in tact as this is a pretty mild IPA. It's a good beer to use as a "Craft Beer 101" for your friends who swear by swill. Overall it was pretty tasty. A beer like BFOD would do well to cut through the sweltering heat of a summer day in Southeastern Virginia.

E pluribus drinkus.

Party's over...oops outta time!

Brewery: Old Dominion Brewing Co.
Location: Dover, DE
Name: Dominion Millennium Ale
Type: Barleywine
ABV: 10.5%
There are times in which the day at work forces you to turn to a release. With the most zen-like frustration I have ever experienced I reached into my fridge after getting home from a particularly lovely (not at all written with any sort of sarcastic tone) day at work and fished out this gem of an ale. I thought I had consumed this weeks ago and had forgot to write about it. Nay, friends. I had not. So anxious to get some malt based beverage in my mouth was I that I had pried off a twist off cap. I wasn't concerned. I almost poured this beer with my eyes closed so I wouldn't tarnish its glory with my burning eyes. What I experienced was liquid therapy. A rich, copper-meets-cedar color beckoned to me. I swear I saw a little foam hand rise from the ecru colored head and gave me a thumbs up, almost as if to say "It's OK, man. You're gonna love this." I didn't care that it was 94 degrees outside and I was consciously jumping into a beer best suited for temperatures of a much colder nature, I was going to punch this beer with my mouth. But I had to smell it first. The nose...oh, the nose. Sweet and sticky malt seemed to be mortal combat with the tart notes of dark fruit; I have no idea who the victor was. My favorite of the Stooges, Boozy, was also making a background appearance. The taste was exquisite. Carmel wrapped malt tumbled with toffee and tang. The familiar warmth of alcohol mixed with the faintest flavours (damn you, English spelling!) of vanilla and (I promise) light leather made me think that I may have been drinking an overly carbonated, incredibly chilled bourbon. Folks, it's that good. The air conditioner was on but dammit, this beer made me want to be sitting outside in December wishing I could see my breath and silently thanking the Beer Gods for this magnificent offering. It was dispatched with zeal and efficiency. Not wasting a moment of the pleasure as the velvety liquid splashed across my tongue. Each drink delivering more malt and tart plum flavor (and more alcohol) into my gullet which reminded made me think: You can have a crap day but all it's going to do is amplify the euphoria one experiences when they drink a beer as soon as they get home.

Also, this is a 5 mug beer. I'm just way too lazy to fetch my thumb drive that has the mugs on it. The witty caption? "I drank this while doing the Kessel Run in less than 12 parsecs."

Keep it down!

Fine! I'm giving in to all of the clamoring and demanding I have received from my faithful readers. An update will be coming soon. I apologize for the lack of posts as things have kind of fallen from their normal routine. But fear not! New posts and polls are coming. In the mean time...

Have you had a beer that was new to you or particularly delicious and want to recommend it to me?

Answer in the comments section if the spirit moves you!