I Like The Beer

I guess I’ll tell you about some new brews I acquired. Whenever I leave the Charlotte area, I always make sure to grab some beer that I can’t normally get around here. That’s especially true when I go to D.C., because there just seems to be a better variety for some reason.

I picked up some fine brews at the local beer supply store, and I tried to stay local. However, I did find two kinds that were from far away lands in the U.S. of A.

Brew Free or Die IPA from 21st Amendment Brewery (which sounds like it should be local to our Nation’s Capital but it’s not) is one of my favorites.  I can’t find it anywhere around here, but I always seem to find it when I go up there. It’s in a can, but it’s a fine IPA. I dig it. I may not open this one right now though. I think I may save it for a few weeks to share with George if he’s interested.

The Hop Pursuit from Full Sail in Oregon is one I’ve never seen before, but with a name like that it was just begging me to buy it. As of this writing I haven’t cracked open the bottle, but you can bet your ass it will happen soon. I’ve tried other stuff from Full Sail, so I’m sure this will be good.

Next up is one that’s actually kinda local to the D.C. area, in nearby Baltimore.

Heavy Seas makes one of my all-time favorite beers, Loose Cannon IPA, and I can usually get in here locally. However, some of their other varieties haven’t made it this far south yet. That’s why I picked up the mystery pack, better known as the Sunken Sampler. I’ll let you know what’s in it in the near future.

Two more “local to the D.C. area” brews are up next.

Little Miss Sunshine picked up a peach-flavored beer called Festina Peche from Delaware-based Dogfish Head Craft Brewery. She was pretty happy to get some, and since the brewery is pretty close to DC it’s easy to find their stuff.

The Chesapeake Pale Ale is brewed in nearby Williamsburg, VA, and it’s pretty much your basic pale ale. I was actually surprised by how good it was, especially since it was priced a little less than your normal craft brews. My only regret is that I brought home just one six pack. I’ll have to pick up some more next time I go.

And yes, there’s more.

More stuff from Heavy Seas, this time in the form of a Belgian style IPA called the Dubbel Cannon. It’s good, but not quite as good as the Loose Cannon. It’s a little more yeasty than I like, but the hops profile is really nice. I don’t think I could drink more than two at a time though.

The Eight Point IPA from Devils Backbone Brewing Company in Lexington, VA is the other one in the photo. Wow, I mean, wow. Super bitter hoppy goodness, and once again I’m sorry I didn’t bring home more. I guess I already have a shopping list for my next trip.

In other news, I think that beer may actually be in my blood, and not just because I drink it. I’ve been doing a little research on my family history since I got back in town. I’m no genealogist, but I’ve always been pretty knowledgeable about my family’s origins. However, I recently noticed a connection to Virginia brewer and one of my ancestors. I’m still gathering some of the information, but it makes for an interesting story. I’ve always thought that my family history was pretty cool, and now that it may be intertwined with beer it might be even better.

I’ll probably get into that next week.