Free State Brewery

Saturday we decided to take a trek out of Kansas City to Lawrence, the city of Kansas University.  I was able to head out with the guys on Erin’s cousin’s boat, while the ladies did a little shopping down the main street in Lawrence.

We stopped in at Free State Brewery, the local brewery on KU’s campus.  I was happy to find that they had 5oz samples of all their brews for a very reasonable price of $1.55 each.  Oh to be in college again.

I went with the full line of their ales, including (in the photo below from left to right):

Copperhead Pale Ale – very similar to a Sierra Nevada

Dirty Kanza RyePA – Part Brown Ale, Part IPA, Part Rye IPA.

Hop Jack Ale – A malty Pale Ale, not as high of hops count

Hoptic Nerve IPA – Very robust / bold hopping.  My favorite of the bunch.

To top things off, the food was actually really good as well – and very affordable.  If you happen to be on KU’s campus, definitely recommend hitting up this establishment.

Single & double wides in KC

Gotta get better at taking the beer photos…

Anyways, below are two great beers from Boulevard Brewing Co. in Kansas City.  For those in Cleveland, it is their version of Great Lakes, doing seasonal brews, as well as a number of staple beers.  You can find them in any grocery store, gas station or at Kauffman Stadium while watching the Royals.

The Single wide IPA is a pretty light IPA, without an abundance of hops, but still a solid IPA.  The Double wide is a nice take on an imperial IPA, with a significantly higher amount of hops than the single wide.

Draft day IPAs

With the draft now starting on Thursday, it coincides very nicely with our Thursday night bowling league up at Lizard.  Makes for a fun night of yelling at the TV, while throwing the ball with a little extra effort due to the frustration of Browns picks.

Not sure what to think of the Browns pick…  Love the name Barkevious, but really haven’t watched any tape on the guy to know how good he is.  For the 6th pick in the draft, he better be damn good – especially when leaving a potential shut down corner in Milliner on the board.

Beers for the Night:

Green Flash West Coast IPA (16oz draft) – West coast style IPA, and one of the best ones at that.  Very floral hops, with nice pine and citrus notes.  Very easy drinking, and thirst quenching after a long day.  Overall score 8/10

Stone Cali-Belique IPA (16oz draft) – Another west coast style IPA.  This one is a little lighter, and has a little more sweetness and malt flavors coming through.  Also think it has a little Belgian yeast in it, as it has just a hint of that Belgian twinge to it.  Another excellent IPA – Overall score 8/10

Bells Two-Hearted IPA (12oz bottle) – This has been one of my go-to IPAs for the past 5 years.  Great IPA balancing the dry-pine flavored hops, with nice citrus notes that also come through.  A little bit lighter than the other two IPAs for the night, it was a great one to end on.  Very drinkable, and always enjoyable.  Overall score 8/10.

Hitting half-way

Made it to the half way point on the Tour Thursday.  My reward – a little Igloo cooler, that might hold a 6 pack of cans.  Don’t get me wrong, I definitely like the cooler, and there is something to be said for a hard cooler that actually keeps beers cold.  It should be a good option for summer sand volleyball, which is starting up in less than 2 weeks.

Beers for the Night:

Troegenator – 16oz draft – Double Bock – At 8.2% ABV, this was an aggressive way to start.  A very flavorful bock beer, with a good amount of spice and plenty of malt flavors.  Can taste the alcohol, but doesn’t overpower.  Overall score 8/10.

Thirsty Dog Maibark – 16oz draft – Bock beer – Another malty, smooth bock beer.  Not overly spiced, and definitely not as strong as the Troegenator, but still comes in at 6/5% ABV.  A good option for a bock beer, especially if you aren’t looking for something a little more drinkable.  Overall score 7/10.

Brooklyn Pennant Ale – 16oz draft – English Pale Ale – There is something about english pale ales I really don’t care for.  They have a certain bitterness that makes the beer taste almost skunked to me.  I respect that it is a different flavor profile, just not the profile for me.  Overall score 5/10.

Alltech Kentucky Bourbon Barrel – 10oz draft – Bourbon Ale – I really do like this off draft.  Serious vanilla and caramel flavors hit right away, and then a nice smooth ale finish.  Wouldn’t be throwing back multiple of these – partially because of the 8.2% ABV, and partially because the flavor is a little gimmicky, and can get old after a little while.  Overall score 7/10.

 

Close up of the cooler:

Opening day

Was very glad to be able to attend opening day with my dad on Monday.  As this is a Beer blog, there are a few fun beer options at Progressive Field.  They now have two “My Dad’s Beer” stands (Sections 119 and 550), featuring $4 cans of retro style beers.  While they do rotate the selection, you are bound to find fine selections like Stroh’s (pictured below), Blatz, Shlitz, Gennessee, Rolling Rock and Hamms.  Maybe it is the accountant in me, but I would much rather have 2-12oz cans for $8 than a 16oz Summer Shandy or Yuengling for $9, or even a 16oz Miller / Bud / Labatt for $7.75.  Now I just need to start remembering to bring my koozie.

With the weather holding up, it was nice to see large crowds at the corner of E. 9th and Prospect (Pannini’s, Clevelander, etc.).  We ended up making it a small bar crawl night with a trip to Clevelander post-game, followed by Noodlecat.  I even fit a trip in to the Lakewood Lizard with Pitorak to catch the first half of the NCAA Championship game.

Beers for the Night (only last stop at Winking Lizard)

Ommegang BPA – 16oz draft; Belgian Style Pale Ale – Initial taste of nice floral / piney hops, with a citrus finish.  Also, you definitely get the taste and smell of the belgian yeast, which does make this beer a little more interesting than your typical IPA.  Overall a little light, which was appreciated after having a few drinks prior.  Overall score – 7/10.

Goose Island IPA – 16oz draft; IPA – Pretty typical IPA.  Not overly hoppy, or bitter.  Overall score 6/10

Happy birthday Maureen

Bored on a Sunday?  Head to Noodlecat for happy hour all day & night.  Featuring the always popular $ Black Label cans.  Also works well for hosting a grown up Birthday Party… they even let Maureen’s family bring in their own cake.

Good time had by all.

Barrio happy hour

Something about yesterday was just screaming Friday Happy Hour to me, so Erin and I decided to venture to Tremont shortly after work for a quick happy hour to cap off the long work week.  We haven’t been to Lolita in ages, so we stopped in at about 5:10 (10 minutes after opening), only to find the bar area completely full, and about 12 people waiting for bar stools.  So we then proceeded over to Dante in hope of another happy hour.  Unfortunately, same result – full bar, no seats really open for happy hour.  Plus, I think Dante must be the happy hour of choice for retirees, as the bar was full with primarily adults in their 50’s and 60’s, so also not the scene we were looking for.

After taking a look down the street, we decided to venture over to Barrio, unaware of any happy hour specials.  Well, I was pleasantly surprised to find out that not only do they have $1 off tacos – which are only $3 to begin with – but also 1/2 of Tequilla and Margaritas, and $1 off draft beers.  Having a craving for a nice IPA, I went with the Bear Republic Racer 5 IPA.  This is one of my favorite IPAs, that I have no idea why Winking Lizard has never carried.  Also nice that they give you some complimentary chips with a homemade sweet & smokey salsa.

As I mentioned, the base price for a taco is $3 ($2 during happy hour), which includes shell, protein, topping, salsa & sauce.  They have everything Happy Dog Style, where you fill out your own card to get customize your taco, however you would like it.  If that is too much to handle, they also have recommended tacos, which can simplify things.  You can also upgrade your tacos for a little more if you want (stoner style double shell with Chorizo & Cheese holding the soft taco to the hard taco for $1, or double meat for $1, etc.).

I went a little aggressive and did 4 different tacos, and won’t bore you with all the details, but know this – They were AMAZING.  Highlights were the Stoner Style or Green goddess Style shells (well worth the $1 upcharge), the jicama slaw, corn salsa and chipotle honey sauce.  Would definitely head back to try out a few other combinations.

Pictured above – Braised Beef Stoner Style Taco & Pulled Pork flour tortilla taco.  I also paired these up with their homemade Blood Orange Margarita, which was delicious and only ran around $3.50.

Pulling a Zaluski

The team of Striking Children had a rough start to the league season on Thursday.  Personally starting with a 104 is pretty rough (although did follow it up with a 148).  Combine that with Erin’s 88 & 90, and we were not going to be winning anything.  At least our averages will drop a little, and we can hopefully get some help from additional handicap pins going forward.

Beers for the Night:

Mad River Steelhead Scotch Porter (12oz bottle): Robust coffee porter, with some chocolate flavors as well.  Pretty bitter, with hints of smoke.  Drinkable and enjoyable if you are in the mood for a decent porter.  Overall score 7/10.

Victory Yakima Glory (12oz bottle):  Listed as a Black IPA, actually pours a hazy orange/red color.  Strong smell of fresh hops, and hops is the first taste you will experience.  Moves to a slight citrus and a little bit of a bready / malt finish.  Pretty well balanced beer.  Not as crisp / overhopped as some IPAs.  Good drinking beer, would definitely drink again.  Overall score 7/10.

Boulder Hazed and Infused (16oz draft): American Pale Ale.  Drinkable Pale Ale.  Similar to Sierra Nevada Pale ale, but with a little less hops presence.  Good beer – nothing to write home about.  Overall score 6/10.

Another World Tour?

Has Winking Lizard met their match?  A new bar concept has opened in Lakewood called World of Beer.  World of Beer features over 500 bottles and 50 draft beers, with a complete listing and directory of beers, and pretty much something for everyone.  However, like Winks and Buckeye Beer Engine, they don’t offer the staples of Budweiser, Miller Light or Coors light (they do have Labatts, Molson, Corona and a whole host of other familiar beers though).  They also have over 50 large HD-TVs, which makes it a better location to catch a game than any other bar in Lakewood.

The largest difference between World of Beer and other sports bars like Winking Lizard and Buckeye Beer engine is that World of Beer does not have their own kitchen, and does not serve any food.  Instead, they will provide you with a list of menus from local establishments (Dave’s Cosmic Subs, Jimmy Johns, Eddie & Eddie’s, Donatos – from our table, it seemed like Eddie and Eddie’s was the restaurant of choice, with a waitress from Eddie and Eddie’s constantly delivering food.) from which you can order and have food delivered.  Or, if those restaurants aren’t what you are looking for, you can order from somewhere else or just bring in your own food.  Kevin and I decided to go with ordering Angelos – what I consider to be the best pizza in Cleveland.

Like Winking Lizard, World of Beer has their own customer loyalty program.  For their program, you pay $15 and get a Loyalty card, which tracks the beers that you drink, and also get your first T-Shirt, which I could do without.  Also like the Winking Lizard tour, you get “points” for each different beer you drink, and can get rewards at certain milestones.  The main difference in the programs is that the World of Beer program is ongoing, so you can accumulate points for as long as you like over the course of many years.  Below are the different reward levels:

• 50 Different Beers = “50 Club” T-shirt
• 100 Different Beers = “100 Club” mug and T-shirt
• 250 Different Beers = Your name engraved on the wall of fame and “250 Club” Golf shirt
• 500 Different Beers = You are a beer god! We’ll hold a party at WOB in your honor, and we’ll throw in a $250 bar tab and $100 for food for you and your friends that day
• 750 Different Beers = 750 Club T-shirt and a WOB Schwag Bag (Koozies, Sunglasses, etc.)
• 1,000 Different Beers = A WOBtastic Party ($250 Bar Tab and $100 Food Tab) with 1000 Club Polo
• 1,500 Different Beers = 1500 Club T-Shirt, $100 Gift Card, $50 to spend at our on-line merchandise shop
• 2,000 Different Beers = PARTY ($250 Bar Tab and $100 Food Tab) with 2000 Club Polo

I have no idea how you would get to 2,000 beers, unless they really rotate beers that frequently, but good to see it is an option.  For me, I am a fan of the Lizard’s annual 100 beer reward program (50 gift, 100 jacket + invite to end of year party).

The other item I was a fan of was that Tuesday was “Loyalty Card Tuesday”, where you get 25% off bottles on Tuesdays when you show your rewards card.  The way I look at it, if I save about $1.00 – $1.50 per bottle, I’ll earn back the $15 spent on the loyalty card within my first 5 Tuesdays there.

Below is a picture of my first beer at the location, Unita Hop Notch (Rate 8/10).  I will probably just rate the beers & refrain from a full review unless something really jumps out at me.  I only feel like spending so much time blogging.  I also went with a Harpoon Rye IPA (7/10) and the Otter Creek Hop Session (6/10).