Life On Tap

Care of Jeff and Chris at Bottle Makes Three, Dan finally samples The Slow Pour Pils from Bierstadt Lagerhaus earlier during the pandemic.

Bierstadt Lagerhaus The Slow Pour Pils

STYLE: German PilsnerINGREDIENTS: German Pilsner and Acidulated Malt; Hallertau Mittelfruh hopsABV: 5.1%IBU: 20AVAILABILITY: 16-Ounce cans, Crowlers, Draft (Year-Round)Stats above taken from the brewery’s can/website and/or Untappd.

Appearance

Clear, golden yellow in color with a small white head using the slow pour method.

Aroma

Luscious bread and grain notes from the malt with a floral bouquet from the hops.

Taste

Bready malt continues with a gentle, bitter kiss from the hops.

Mouthfeel

Creamy mouthfeel but dry and crisp on the finish after gliding across the tongue with a smooth level of carbonation.

Overall

This beer was/is well worth the wait to try and to pour. I would say this is one, if not the most true to style on offer in the United States. If you make it to Denver, this needs to be a stop for you. Pairing-wise, German beer hall food would slay with this and the full array of styles on offer.

Thank you so much to Jeff and Chris for sharing this one!.

Cheers and remember:

Life’s a tap…drink up ’til it’s dry.

All music on this show came to us from the now defunct Music Alley.Intro: “Meet Me At The Bar” by The Beer Drinking FoolsOuttro: “Bubblegum and Beer” by The Supersuckers

Dan samples a Black IPA named for the West Virginia legend of Mothman earlier during the pandemic care of friend Charles.

Greenbrier Valley Brewing Company Mothman

STYLE: Black IPAINGREDIENTS: Caramunich, German 2-Row, and Black Wheat; Columbus and Amarillo hopsABV: 6.7%IBU: 71AVAILABILITY: 12-Ounce cans, Draft (Year-Round)Stats above taken from the brewery’s can/website and/or Untappd.

Appearance

Tan head over a burgeoning on black in color for the brew.

Aroma

Roasted/toasted malt blending with citrus from the hops and hint of chocolate.

Taste

The blend of roast and citrus continues from the nose with added pine from the hops and espresso/bitter chocolate coming through on the aftertaste.

Mouthfeel

A little bit of weight on the mouthfeel, with the soft carbonation providing just enough dryness to keep on going back to the beer.

Overall

We do not see Black IPAs enough in the ether. I know these can be polarizing for some people, but I tend to thoroughly enjoy each one I come across. Pairing-wise, I was feeling poultry with strong flavor like blackened or Cajun chicken.

Thank you so much to Charles at Brilliant Stream for sharing this one!.

Cheers and remember:

Life’s a tap…drink up ’til it’s dry.

All music on this show came to us from the now defunct Music Alley.Intro: “Meet Me At The Bar” by The Beer Drinking FoolsOuttro: “Bubblegum and Beer” by The Supersuckers

Dan witnesses a battle of honey versus ginger via Ardent Honey Ginger care of friend @RVABeermeister earlier during the pandemic.

Ardent Craft Ales Honey Ginger

STYLE: Spiced/Herbed BeerINGREDIENTS: Locally-sourced honey with hand-peeled gingerABV: 7.8%IBU: 18AVAILABILITY: 12-Ounce cans, Draft (Summer Seasonal)Stats above taken from the brewery’s can and Untappd.

Appearance

Clear, deep amber in hue, with a half-inch, almost beige head.

Aroma

Honey is interspersed with the grain bill with the ginger popping in the background.

Taste

Battle of honey versus ginger, with the former cleaning up on the finish. The malt definitely rounds out the flavor post-battle.

Mouthfeel

Refreshing on the palate, lighter on the carbonation.

Overall

A tasty seasonal which drinks fairly easy indeed…do be careful though! I would love to see this with many dishes, but a little bit of heat from a Szechuan-style dish would be really neat to pair.

Thank you so much to Sterling aka @RVABeermeister for sharing this one!.

Cheers and remember:

Life’s a tap…drink up ’til it’s dry.

All music on this show came to us from the now defunct Music Alley.Intro: “Meet Me At The Bar” by The Beer Drinking FoolsOuttro: “Bubblegum and Beer” by The Supersuckers

Earlier during the pandemic, Dan quaffs Hardywood’s Richmond Lager while craving stadium hot dogs care of friend @RVABeermeister.

Hardywood Park Craft Brewery Richmond Lager

STYLE: American Pale LagerINGREDIENTS: Virginia-grown Cascade hops constitute 20% of the hop bill and a portion of the grain bill incorporates Virginia-grown and malted 2-row barleyABV: 5.0%AVAILABILITY: 16-Ounce cans, 12-Ounce Bottles, Draft (Year-Round)Stats above taken from the brewery’s can/website and Untappd.

Appearance

Clear, golden in hue with a white head.

Aroma

Citrus fruit and zest from the Cascade hops lead off with some mild grain behind it.

Taste

Subtle bready and grainy notes on the palate with some citrus hop flavor as well.

Mouthfeel

Spritzy carbonation, light mouthfeel, and somewhat dry.

Overall

Love the throwback label design for this. I definitely could swing back many of these…anywhere outside, but I was feeling a baseball game at the time. A couple of hot dogs would go great with these for sure.

Thank you so much to Sterling aka @RVABeermeister for sharing this one!.

Cheers and remember:

Life’s a tap…drink up ’til it’s dry.

All music on this show came to us from the now defunct Music Alley.Intro: “Meet Me At The Bar” by The Beer Drinking FoolsOuttro: “Bubblegum and Beer” by The Supersuckers

Dan finally gets to try a Kveik beer from Polyanna Brewing, In The Cards, earlier during the pandemic care of friend @DaveR.

Polyanna Brewing In The Cards

STYLE: Hazy American Pale AleINGREDIENTS: Double Dry Hopped with Citra and Cryo Loral hops and fermented with Kveik yeastABV: 5.5%IBU: 20SRM: 3AVAILABILITY: 16-Ounce cans, Draft (Year-Round)Stats above taken from the brewery’s can/website and Untappd.

Appearance

Hazy, yellow/golden with a sizeable, large-bubble head even with a gentle pour.

Aroma

Floral and herbal notes lead off with some citrus coming in later with a fresh lemon focus.

Taste

Lemon juice/zest mixed herbality from the hops with a tasty minerality.

Mouthfeel

Zippy mouthfeel from the carbonation and perhaps the yeast profile.

Overall

The bouquet on this is simply gorgeous and intoxicating. If you have not tried beers with Kveik yeast, snag a style you are familiar with to get an idea of what the yeast expression and esters bring to the table. I was feeling Chinese food at the time, with chicken and broccoli or garlic sauce or Kung Pao coming first to mind.

Thank you so much to @DaveR for sharing this one!.

Cheers and remember:

Life’s a tap…drink up ’til it’s dry.

All music on this show came to us from the now defunct Music Alley.Intro: “Meet Me At The Bar” by The Beer Drinking FoolsOuttro: “Bubblegum and Beer” by The Supersuckers

Allo aka @craftbeerconcierge hooks Dan up with a hazy pale from CA, Blooming Bliss, to enjoy earlier during the pandemic.

Barebottle Brewing Company Blooming Bliss

STYLE: Hazy Pale AleINGREDIENTS: Two-Row, spelt, white wheat, flaked wheat, rye malt, flaked rye; Strata, Citra, and HBC 586 hops with Eureka and Cashmere dry hopABV: 5.4%IBU: 48AVAILABILITY: 16-Ounce cans, Draft (Year-Round)Stats above taken from the brewery’s can/website and Untappd.

Appearance

Hazy, lighter to medium yellow in color with a huge, white, fluffy head.

Aroma

Tropical notes lead off, with passionfruit, mango, and overripe papaya with a little floral note reminiscent of honeysuckle.

Taste

Tropical notes continue mixed in with citrus and other fruit notes.

Mouthfeel

Very dry but with soft carbonation.

Overall

This is a happy hour beer, so you can go anywhere depending on your mood or palate preferences for sure. Fish/seafood for sure, but I was feeling shrimp scampi or gambas al ajillo at the time.

Thank you so much to Allo (The Craft Beer Concierge) for sharing this one!.

Cheers and remember:

Life’s a tap…drink up ’til it’s dry.

All music on this show came to us from the now defunct Music Alley.Intro: “Meet Me At The Bar” by The Beer Drinking FoolsOuttro: “Bubblegum and Beer” by The Supersuckers

Dan dreams of Neapolitan pizza while sipping Ardent Italian Pilsner care of @RVABeermiester earlier during the pandemic.

Ardent Craft Ales Italian Pilsner

STYLE: Italian PilsnerINGREDIENTS: Pilsner malt; Dry hopped with Yakima Chief’s Pacific Crest hops blendABV: 4.8%IBU: 26AVAILABILITY: 16-Ounce cans, Draft (Limited)Stats above taken from the brewery’s can and Untappd.

Appearance

Light to medium yellow, crystal clear hazy, with a fluffy, white head and some lacing.

Aroma

Herbal and earthy notes…kind of like a “New World” noble hop essence.

Taste

Earthy and herbal notes continue on the palate with a clean, refreshing finish.

Mouthfeel

Crisp, dry, and light mouthfeel and a good amount of “scrubbing bubbles” carbonation.

Overall

I could totally drink a ton of these, given the clean and refreshing nature. Food-wise (at the time), I was really feeling Neapolitan pizza with plenty of sausage, meatballs, or pepperoni depending on your preference.

Thank you so much to Sterling aka @RVABeermeister for sharing this one!.

Cheers and remember:

Life’s a tap…drink up ’til it’s dry.

All music on this show came to us from the now defunct Music Alley.Intro: “Meet Me At The Bar” by The Beer Drinking FoolsOuttro: “Bubblegum and Beer” by The Supersuckers

Dan effortlessly takes in Odd13 Brewing Codename: Superfan care of friends Jeff and Chris earlier during the pandemic.

Odd13 Brewing Codename: Superfan

STYLE: American IPAINGREDIENTS: Rahr 2-Row, Flaked Wheat, Weyermann Carafoam; Simcoe, Citra, Amarillo, Equinox hopsABV: 6.5%IBU: 80AVAILABILITY: 12-Ounce cans, Draft (Year Round)Stats above taken from the brewery’s can/website and Untappd.

Appearance

Light to medium yellow, hazy, with a tight-bubbled, white head.

Aroma

Mix of citrus, tropical, and something similar to pear or guanabana nectar.

Taste

Citrus notes lead with some other tropical juices hitting after.

Mouthfeel

Smooth, rolling across the tongue with spritzy carbonation.

Overall

Effortless to drink. Pretty flexible on the food pairing front, as the carbonation could lend itself from clothbound cheddars to chicken to fish/seafood.

Thank you so much to Jeff and Chris for sharing this one!.

Cheers and remember:

Life’s a tap…drink up ’til it’s dry.

All music on this show came to us from the now defunct Music Alley.Intro: “Meet Me At The Bar” by The Beer Drinking FoolsOuttro: “Bubblegum and Beer” by The Supersuckers

Dan samples a Pacific Northwest-style IPA, Steel Toe Brewing Size 7, care of friends Rick and Paige earlier during the pandemic.

Steel Toe Brewing Size 7

STYLE: Pacific Northwest-style IPAABV: 7.0%IBU: 77AVAILABILITY: 12-Ounce cans (6 Pack), 22-Ounce bottles, Draft (Year Round)Stats above taken from the brewery’s website.

Appearance

Orange burgeoning on burnt orange, with a nice, fluffy head.

Aroma

Old school, slightly sweeter smelling malt bill for a bit of throwback.

Taste

Balanced and dry, but a little more on the pine/resin hop forward.

Mouthfeel

Tight carbonation and solid body/mouthfeel.

Overall

This is a really great entry from a new brewery to me. I don’t see Pacific NW style IPAs often, so I really embraced this one for the flavor throwback. As I mentioned in the video, I had it with some chicken and waffles, which made for a pretty good pairing, though it would likely go with a host of different foods.

Thank you so much to Paige and Rick for sharing this one!.

Cheers and remember:

Life’s a tap…drink up ’til it’s dry.

All music on this show came to us from the now defunct Music Alley.Intro: “Meet Me At The Bar” by The Beer Drinking FoolsOuttro: “Bubblegum and Beer” by The Supersuckers

Earlier during the pandemic, Dan tastes this Helles of a collaboration from Fogbelt, Back of the Class, care of Allo The Craft Beer Concierge.

Fogbelt Brewing Company Back of the Class

STYLE: HellesINGREDIENTS: Pilsner malt, hopsABV: 4.8%IBU: 9AVAILABILITY: 16-Ounce can (Limited Release)Stats above taken from the brewery’s can.

Appearance

Clear, medium yellow/golden hue with effervescent carbonation.

Aroma

Biscuity note straight off the bat, with a hint of hops.

Taste

Dry, with continuation of the biscuit element and a gentle bit of hops.

Mouthfeel

Light and crisp on the palate with refreshing carbonation.

Overall

Too bad this isn’t available on the East Coast, though Fogbelt does have a Helles now. I would drink this with German food for sure, though you can use it with most any cuisine or just slam a few after work.

Thank you so much to Allo for sharing this one!.

Cheers and remember:

Life’s a tap…drink up ’til it’s dry.

All music on this show came to us from the now defunct Music Alley.Intro: “Meet Me At The Bar” by The Beer Drinking FoolsOuttro: “Bubblegum and Beer” by The Supersuckers