Ale and Beer

Powder Keg Brewing Company

Brewpub
Date and time reviewed: Sat, 10 Sep 2016 11:37:04 EDT

Overall Score: 86.7
Selection: 4 | Service: 4.5 | Atmosphere: 4.5 | Food: 4.0

Reviewer: Curmudgeon

Cruising around the Colorado plains Iwaiting for the 2016 GABF to begin in early October) wife Persimmon and I decided to take a day trip to Longmont and Boulder.

Since we’re on the road, living out of our Jeep for a year (but taking a “time-out” with #2 son and needing to offer him privacy from his invading parents!) we have nothing but time and freedom to just “go.”

Longmont is the home of Oskar Blues as evidenced by the “Grub-burgers” restaurant as you enter town and as a result, over-shadows the other breweries in town.

We sampled and moved on toward Boulder, looking to check off the Best Hippie Town in Every State, thanks to Thrillist.

But we were diverted our goal suddenly. Literally.

Driving down State Route 119, I happened to glance to my left and saw what appeared to be a small town main street with old buildings, just the kind of “back street” Persimmon and I swore not to pass up on this adventure. So, fish-tailing across 2 lanes of highway and crossing the median (where the sign said I should not), careening out into on-coming 65 mph traffic, I managed to safely make it to the stop-light (the only one in town…a very good sign!) and park under a mighty big oak across from the Gunbarrel Import Auto Sales. (Gunbarrel apparently is the catch-phrase here as there was a Gunbarrel Feed Shop, restaurant and pet care center.)

Welcome to Niwot, or as our Samantha-voiced Garmin called it, “idiot.”

We walked up on side of the 2-block old town and when we were about to cross the street, what do you suppose we see but the Powder Keg Brewing Company.

A huge corner lot, this building appears to be recently built or renovated yet fits in well with the other architecture, a turn-of-the-century feel.

9 beers on tap, a nice selection with 2 IPA’s, a Saison, an Oatmeal Stout, 2 coffee stouts and a seasonal; Coconut Telegraph Russian Imperial at 14%.

Just one word for that one; WOW!

Full of vanilla and coconut in a typical Russian Imperial base, a bit bitter but the 80 IBU rating is completely over-whelmed by the many layers. This beer is the work of a master. Hard to brew by itself, to get the incredible flavors of vanilla, coconut, chocolate and fruits to stand out requires many, many mistake batches.

But this….this was…magnificent.

I asked the bartender how much remained; he went into the cooler to “shake the keg”, returned and replied, “it’s almost full.” Good. I suspected as much (everybody will be drinking the IPA’s) and returned the next day (an hour’s drive.)

My only complaint? They only pour 5 ounces and charge $6. That’s a bit spendy. And I do resent this new idea of “high alcohol, less beer, charge more.” I’ve been drinking beer for some time now and, as a responsible adult, know my limits. So please, don’t presume to be establishing this policy for my safety.

Dinner in Boulder was approaching so didn’t have time to sample the other beers but we will – after we kick the Telegraph keg.

To quote Sinatra, set ’em up, Joe.

Link to this Review at beermapping.com

Source:Powder Keg Brewing Company

Reviewer: Curmudgeon

Salina, Kansas – population around 50,000 lies almost dead center in what Kansas folk call the Northwest corridor.

To me, it’s dead center, period.

But on a cool morning driving East from Hayes, wife Persimmon & I got hungry and Salina was the next city with, we discovered a brewpub!

With that’s good enough for us.

We stopped and found the Blue Skye Brewing company and “eats”, the Best Place for Lunch in Salina, according the towns-people.

Downtown Salina is only about 4 blocks long so not sure just how many lunch places there are but Blue Skye indeed, had very good food.

Wish I could say the same for their beer.

I had the Number 6 Oktoberfest (not sure what was wrong with numbers 1 thru 5…or mebbe this was just their sixth attempt) — anyway, more a Maertzen than an Autumn pumpkin, it was nicely spiced but weak and lacked a certain punch a beer geek would expect from a Fall beer offering. The other brews available (3 only) were typical; IPA, Irish Red, faux Guinness stout. But this was Salina and to expect a full compliment of beer ranging from light to heavy and dark was probably asking for too much

The thai pizza however was delicious and that made up for the lack of beer selection.

Still, all in all, as beer goes in Kansas — this was not bad.

We’ve had much worse in larger metropolitan cities.

Good on ya, Salina

Link to this Review at beermapping.com

Source:Blue Skye Brewery and Eats

Wibby Brewing

Brewery
Date and time reviewed: Sat, 10 Sep 2016 11:03:29 EDT

Overall Score: 50.0
Selection: 1.5 | Service: 3.75 | Atmosphere: 2.25 | Food: N/A

Reviewer: Curmudgeon

After a wonderful, brief visit to 300 Suns Brewing in Longmont, wife Persimmon and I decided to go across the tracks…literally…to visit Wibby Brewing.

It was still early and we anticipated getting into Boulder for dinner.

Wibby Brewing looks to located in a one-time garage since it sits right next to the railroad in warehouse acreage just a few feet from a residential area.

The experience at 300 Suns were incredible and, although we try not to judge, we were hoping for a similar time at Wibby.

I do not believe in hope. It is as useful as guilt. I have not changed my mind.

Wibby describes itself as brewing nothing but lagers, those beers harder to cook since they need to ferment in colder termps for the yeast to work.

For that I applaud the folks at Wibby…but unfortunately I can not do the same for their beers.

Although it was special to see a Dunkel on tap as a year-round brew, the Wibtoberfest, the Helles, the IBL’s…all were overly-hopped to the point of being un-drinkable. Wife Persimmon is especially sensitive to the hop aroma which she describes as dry straw.

I’ve stated many times, I am not a fan of palate-scorching beers; those 100+ IBU brews that, for whatever asinine reason so many people praise and raise way too many steins. Too much of anything is, as the Great God Carlin once said, “bad for ya.”

I’m fully aware of being in the minority here but riddle me this, Batman; if you only want the taste of hops in beer, what’s the point then of using adjuncts to make vanilla, chocolate, coconut, raisin, date, fig and other beers? Take it one step further and don’t you come to the conclusion that all beers would then taste the same? One just more hopped than the other? And isn’t that the reason craft beer exploded? So our Frigadere’s were stocked with Falstaff and Hamms and Olympia?

And Bud?

Wibby, as other breweries, must – MUST – carve out a niche for itself in the microbrew arena but it seems that so many try to be 300 pound tackles instead of 190 pound quarter-backs.

In Wibby’s case, I think it’s a “hut – hut” fumble.

Link to this Review at beermapping.com

Source:Wibby Brewing

Rodenburg

Brewery
Date and time reviewed: Sun, 23 Oct 2016 14:59:03 EDT

Overall Score: 96.7
Selection: 4.75 | Service: 5 | Atmosphere: 4.75 | Food: N/A

Reviewer: JosB

Award winning brewery, although not very popular on the highly hyped sites like RateBeer and BeerAdvocate. They brew the best bockbeer in the Netherlands, in the Lekkerste Bokbier van Nederland competition, they were awarded several years in the high medal scores for their IJsselbock and B(r)ock in de Keel. Multiple awards winning in Brussels Beer Challenge, International Craft Beer Cup (Japan), and various other serious competitions for other beers, including their collaboration brew with Cervejaria Bamberg from Brasil, for the ALTernative, a Rauch-Sticke. (yes, a very subtly smoked version of the stronger version of the Düsseldorf Alt beer style).

Link to this Review at beermapping.com

Source:Rodenburg

Der Vogelbräu – Karlsruhe

Brewpub
Date and time reviewed: Sun, 23 Oct 2016 15:14:40 EDT

Overall Score: 100.0
Selection: 5 | Service: 5 | Atmosphere: 5 | Food: N/A

Reviewer: JosB

One of the very early pioneers in the German brewpub scene. I think I visited this place first time in the early 1990s. Very good quality beers, and good food. Good atmosphere. After opening this original, other brewpubs were opened in ab old cinema in Ettlingen, and in Durlach. There also is a connection to Ballhaus Watzke in Leipzig. Although Voglebräu sticks to the Reinheitsgebot, they also venture out with dry hopping (long thought to be illegal for the Reinheitsgebot), and also barrel aging. In Durlach there is also a distillery.
Also worth visiting: the next door Irish pub – their stout is also produced by Vogelbräu.

Link to this Review at beermapping.com

Source:Der Vogelbräu – Karlsruhe

An interactive map showing 16 historical pubs at risk and one rescued site

Historic England’s annual list of threatened historical sites has revealed that the sites of 16 former pubs are still at risk, but one has been taken off the at-risk register.

Source:An interactive map showing 16 historical pubs at risk and one rescued site

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Powder Keg Brewing Company

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Blue Skye Brewery and Eats

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An interactive map showing 16 historical pubs at risk and one rescued site

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