Category Archives: Beer Locales

Places to enjoy and experience the Beer.

DC Brau … A mighty fine Washington, DC Brewery

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In December of 2011 I was fortunate enough to be visiting some friends in Washington DC who have the same “hankering” for good beer.  My friend Brian decided to tote me around to a few places I hadn’t been in DC, one of which is DC Brau.

I was pleasantly surprised … and not about the beer.  I had already had a six-pack or two so I knew what to expect.  I was surprised about how compact it was.  They really pack a lot of great things into a space under a Post Office.  Make the trek over and you’ll see what I mean.  They have a very comfortable tasting area.  The selection of beers they have is good (the beer is really good … give “The Public” a try!)  The day I was there they had a guy making brats/sausages–I wish I’d had one!  They smelled great.

Although the owners didn’t give the tour, they were serving up the beer (one of them is in the photo above).  This is kind of an upscale clientele hangout place though.  That’s not bad … just want you to know what to expect.  You’ll probably hear some pretty interesting conversations.  Maybe even some about the art in the place!

   

If you are in DC it is worth a trip over.  They are doing some great things with their beers.  They just celebrated their one-year anniversary.  You can tell by the wood casks above that they are not afraid to branch out into some experimental stuff too.  My hat’s off to them — I wish them the best (I’ll be back again … I want to try “The Corruption!”).

Beer Mentor

 

Fullsteam Brewery — I love that place!

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Back in December I had the chance to go MTB riding in the Raleigh-Durham area … it also afforded me the opportunity to visit one of my new favorite breweries–Fullsteam Brewery.  After being photo-bombed by the owner at the World Beer Festival I knew I had to visit this place in Durham.  Wow!  Well worth the trip … check this place out …

   

They embrace the weird here … I guess that’s why I like them.  You won’t find any menu … but if you want something to eat, just head out to the food cart (or two) outside.  They are in a ‘renewing’ neighborhood–a very nice experience.  I showed up on Saturday for two reasons.  1) To take the tour (see below) and 2) to drink the Hogwash–their own hickory-smoked porter.  Well, dang, they were out of the porter (I’ve had it … it’s good), so I had the Working Man’s Lunch and the Carver Sweet Potato (oh, and Maybe the Rocket Science IPA).

 

These beers were a good warmup for the tour … given, not surprisingly, by the owner.  These guys are definitely passionate about their beer, they all seem to enjoy themselves, and the tour was well done, well documented and presented.

    

Even better, they served samples through out … and it was free.  You just show up at the right time on the right weekend (first Sunday of every month … reserve your spot on-line … only 25 people get a spot!)

They are a pretty small operation really (a somewhat limited selection) but all of their beers were very good (plus, if you look close at the tap picture above  you will see they also have guest local beers).   Interestingly, one of the things that limits them is this combined mash-tun/kettle setup … first one like it I had seen … I think the owner mentioned that they may be changing this setup somewhat.

 

You could tell that they really liked experimenting — they had their hombrew setup in the brewery … all the extra kegs, different brew materials–I mean, who thinks to brew with Sweet Potatoes?  Again … this place is great!

No photo-bombing in the following photo! Haha.  Thanks, Sean, for the great tour!

Beer Mentor

The Birch Bar (Norfolk, VA) – A Great place to Drink Great Beers!

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Back in December I was in Norfolk for a couple of weeks and I just happened to find this place – The Birch … how did I find it?  A sheet of paper with the name and the words “good beer” was tacked to the wall in my classroom.  Obviously I will be the judge of whether it has good beer or not.  haha.  So, I did what any self-respecting beermentor would do … I looked it up on the internet.  It received great reviews for beer geekness so I headed on down there!  Pretty unassuming entry way …

 

Once you get inside though … look out!  What a great list of beers they had on tap … check this out …

  

A Japanese Witbier? An Italian IPA? Craziness!  And this was a rotating list.  The young couple (I think are the owners) were very passionate about their selection, what they served, how they presented it, etc.  They really put some effort into gathering an astonishing selection of eclectic and unique brews.  This place is deserving of its rating and well worth a trip.  Now I will tell you not to go there if you think you are going to have a sit down dinner.  The have a very small selection of bar foods — but that’s not the point of this place.  This place is a place to drink Great beer … here are a couple of examples of bottles that the owner brought out .. fantome and kukumerla.  Both art house and worth trying just see the different brews being made around the world.

 

How was the presentation you ask?  No need to ask … always the right glasses for the right beers.  My wallet was quite a bit lighter when I left here the 3 – 4 times I made it over to this place.  I didn’t mind.  It would be very difficult to match the selection they had on tap and in the cooler (and you never knew what he might have lurking in the back … all you had to do was ask!)

 

Give it a go!

Beer Mentor

#39: The Brick Store Pub (#106)

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Another stop on my way through Atlanta — the Brick Store Pub. This is my 39th stop on the Growler List (#106 on their list).

I snuck in here on 27 Nov 2011. Just a quick stop through — fantastic selection of beers! Not only great beers but served in the appropriate glasses … no wonder this is a highly rated stop on Beer Advocate.  It was very difficult to hold myself to just one (ok two)–but I had to hit the road … very cool pub and worth a stop (actually, it’s worth a detour or a planned trip).

Enjoy!

Beer Mentor

#38: 5 seasons brewing (#122)

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Went to 5 Seasons Brewing in Atlanta on the 27th of November, 2011 … I was on my way to the East Coast for some training … and since it was on the way!  haha.  This is listed as location number 122 on All About Beers growler list (see previous post)–it is #38 on the list for me.  This location is the original — I think there are now 3 “5 Seasons Brewing” locations in Atlanta.

As I stated, I was passing through — you can see that my car actually fit in their parking garage!  Sweet …

Once out of the parking garage, you have a nice view of the interesting entrance into the “Brewery.”

  

Since I was driving I had to limit myself to the sampler … nice selection of beers.  I sat at the bar–I really liked the way they had their bar set up — good looking taps.  All of the beers were fresh tasting with no off-flavors from infected lines.  That’s always a plus!

 

Of course, you can’t just drink the beer … you’ve got to sample the menu too!  I did and it, too, was very good.  I highly recommend this place if you are passing through Atlanta.  The staff were very nice, their menu items were very palatable (I had the alligator eggrolls and the Spaetlze), and the beer was excellent!  Of the five I sampled I really enjoyed both the Kilt Lifter Scotch Ale and the Hopgasm.

 

Enjoy,

Beer Mentor

Freetail Brewing … Reprise!

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My good friend Mike joined me for Thanksgiving week and we slid on over to Freetail Brewing (on my recommendation of course!)  I really enjoy this small batch brewery.  They usually have guest brews along with their own beers.

As you can see from the pictures they have a wide (strange) varieties of beers!  They aren’t afraid of interesting ingredients (prickly pear cactus) or different yeasts (ale, lager, wild, etc).

 My only complaint about this place is, because it is a micro-brewery in every sense of the word, they have a tendency to run out of their beers pretty quickly–you have to really pay attention to the chalk board to see what they have on tap.  However, they run out because they have good beer!  Worth a trip.

Enjoy,

Beer Mentor

Grant’s Farm … St Louis!

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In November of 2011 I flew to St Louis to visit some friends … of course, you know what that means–Tour the Anheuser-Busch Brewery!  Actually, we went to two A-B related activities: 1) Grant’s Farm, and 2) the Brewmasters Tour at the brewery.

First … Grant’s Farm. Words from their page:  The 281-acre ancestral home of the Busch family, located just south of the city of St. Louis, is home to more than 900 animals representing more than 100 different species. More than 24 million guests have visited this popular family attraction since it was opened it to the public in 1954.  The Farm takes its name from Ulysses S. Grant, the 18th President of the United States. In the 1850s, Grant founded and farmed a portion of the 281 acres.

This is a cool place to visit once (to see the Clydesdales for sure!) … and it’s free.  Oh, and you get two beers at the end of the tour … free.  You only have to pay for parking.  haha.  Here’s some photos from my “excursion.”

IMG_1630 Grant’s “homestead.”IMG_1632 Grant’s “Wagons.”  Probably not.IMG_1633 IMG_1634 Cool.

Here’s your free beer options!  The ladies were very nice and poured a nice mug!IMG_1636 IMG_1637

This is a trip worth making …

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And now … for some Clydesdales!  Really cool farm layout … such a beautiful area.IMG_1653 IMG_1655 IMG_1659 Yeah. I was there. haha.IMG_1661 Hey! I have some friends!IMG_1662 IMG_1663 IMG_1666 IMG_1669

 

Any beer geek who visits St Louis really needs to add this to your “to do” list … true American Beer/Brewing history.  Enjoy!  Beer Mentor

Freetail Brewing Company (San Antonio, Tx)

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You may have heard that there is a craft beer renaissance going on in Texas.

One of those breweries “participating” in this revival of craft brewing is Freetail Brewing Company in San Antonio.  They have an excellent reputation and A  ratings on BeerAdvocate.

The brewpub is in a shopping center on the north side of the city–They have a great layout and an even better selection of beers!

 

From the limited number of trips I’ve made there already it seems that they specialize in two types of beers … Wits and Sours.  They have others available (IPA, Amber, Etc), but they seem to produce several small batches of specialty beers (kind of like in-place gypsy brewers)–haha!

Here are the 10 I had at one tasting:

 

The first photo represents my sour tastings: 1) Prickly Pear Ate’ (Sour), 2) Rubio Fumando (smoked beer), 3) Chile Fumando (another smoked beer), 4) Ate’ (Sour), and 5) Bandito (Sour).  All of the sours are called “American Wild Ale” but they are definitely belgian-inspired/fermented.

The second photo represents my “wit/hop” tastings: 1) Hopothesis (double IPA), 2) Real Tail (witbier collaboration with Real Ale Brewing), 3) Spirulina Wit (obviously a wit), 4) Witicus (double witbier), and 5)  S.A.weet IPA (American IPA).

I’ve also eaten here twice–the food was excellent, the beer outstanding, and it is a good atmosphere.  I highly recommend a visit the next time you are in San Antonio!

Enjoy!

Beer Mentor

Southern Star Brewery (Conroe, Tx)

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On Saturday I drove over to Conroe, Texas (near Houston) to tour the Southern Star Brewery.  This is a small regional brewery that makes three commercially-available beers: Bombshell Blond, Buried Hatchet Stout, and Pine Belt Pale Ale.  They make a number of other beers but I think they are only available at the brewery.  An example of this was their Pro-Am collaboration Black IPA.

 

This is a great brewery, awesome people, and an excellent atmosphere.  You show up on a Saturday at 1pm, pay $5 for a pint glass and you get to drink free beer.  Their brewery location reminds of Heavy Seas in Baltimore (except a little bit smaller).  Tucked away in an industrial/commercial complex it’s quite the laid back atmosphere.  They have brats/burgers twice a month out back–and they let you tour around the brewery!  Here are a few pictures — they have the most interesting fermentors I’ve ever seen … and most of them all have interesting names too!

     

Another interesting thing about this brewery is that they can all of their beers.  Here’s their “canning machine” — two at a time!  Wow!  Look at the stack of beer cans ready to be filled!

 

They are producing about 3500 barrels a year with plans to push it up over 5000 this year (2011/2012).  If you are in the area, I highly recommend a stop in at Southern Star — Well worth the trip!

Enjoy!

Beer Mentor