Sam Adams Third Voyage Double IPA, Boston Beer Company, Boston, MA

The Sam Adams Third Voyage is a Double IPA made with cascade hops. Cascade hops are one of my favourite types of hops. The Third Voyage has 8% alcohol, which is not too high for a double or imperial IPA. When you drink it, it feels closer to a 6-7& beer. I know that is not saying too much. The hoppy taste is not overpowering. The cascade hops give the right amount of flavour. The cascade hops gives a very good mix of bitter and sweetness. This is probably one of the few beers by Sam Adams that uses cascade hops. They did a very good job with it. Its a very easy to drink double IPA. I enjoyed drinking this beer. I give it an A-.

Samuel Adams Tasmen Red IPA, Boston Beer Company, Boston, MA

Sam Adams Tasman Red is a Red IPA made by Sam Adams. It was in Sam Adams' Hopology Mix 12 Pack. The Tasman Red has 6.5% alcohol. The beer is a very interesting Red IPA as its brewed with Tasmania Hops. Something I've never had with a beer before. The Tasmanian Hops create a very interesting flavour, almost like a hoppy maple syrup taste. This is an excellent and unique beer. I commend Sam Adams from coming up with some very good experimental beers. I definitely recommend this beer to anyone that likes Red IPAs or even IPAs. I give it an A-.

Turbodog, Abita Brewing Company, Abita Springs, LA

The Abita Brewing Company's Turbodog is a decent Brown Ale, even though I'm not a huge fan of that type.  It has a molasses sweetness and pours out dark brown.  I drank it at a hotel bar somewhere on Bourbon St.

I'll recommend it, but to be honest I did a lot of smoking before this beer so my taste buds had been maltreated.  It was two days before Mardi Gras in New Orleans, so there was a lot of everything for us...but it was still important to try stuff made there or nearby.

Mission accomplished, B.

Bourbon Barrel Stout, Bluegrass Brewing Company, Louisville, KY

I had this great Bourbon Barrel Stout, from the Bluegrass Brewing Company at Eat Bar in Arlington, VA.  The food was very fancy and very fried, so ultimately nothing special when compared to the price.  You can see the menu and beer selection here.

I thought it was great, a smooth vanilla and chocolatey taste, with a sweet aftertaste as a plus.  You can also taste the whiskey.  Complex and flavorful, very great...A+.

Funniest thing was that the same night I (the Mexican) was drinking this beer and loving it.  But, unbeknownst to either of us the Indian was also drinking it and loving it (at a beer fest in a different city).  The next day we texted about it and we found out we had the same beer and felt the same way!

Obsidian Stout, Deschutes Brewery, Bend, OR

This beer from the Deschutes Brewery was my first drink at the Anvil Pub yesterday.  It was a great introduction to the place.

Its bitter, especially in the aftertaste.  But combined with the overall flavor it added a richer, wonderful mouthful.  The stout was delicious with a burnt, coffee taste... very bitter in a great way and thick going down.  We'll give it an A.

Iron Thistle Scotch Ale, Rahr & Sons Brewing Company, Fort Worth, TX

I tried this local Fort Worth beer at the Anvil Pub in the Deep Ellum neighborhood in Dallas...yesterday!  I always try and order a local beer because its nice to be able to try things when traveling that you would probably never be able to try otherwise.  But I remember hearing recently that beer is essentially bread and bread goes bad relatively quickly, so:

distance = time

bread + time = bad bread

beer = bread

beer + time = bad beer

I know that it really is simple to understand, but for those of us that like beer it is a good fact to keep in mind! Order local because it is fresher!

The Anvil was a pretty typical bar, but had a really good selection of great beers.  The Deep Ellum neighborhood is kind of a hipster area, if you need to categorize it.  But I found almost everything to be closed and not many businesses to begin with.  Basically it is a gentrified former industrial area (sandwiched between streets named after Cesar Chavez and Malcom X...which brings to mind a certain Chris Rock joke).

The Iron Thistle Scotch Ale was great and I ordered it based on the recommendation of the great, very informed and very helpful bartender...he even gave me some samples.  I unhesitatingly give this an A!

It was sweet and caramely and not what I expected, not knowing much about this type of beer.  It reminds me almost of Fat Tire in its sweetness, which hangs out on the front of the tongue.

This is a seasonal beer, so make sure to order it now if you can!

Firemans #4 Blonde Ale, Brewed by Real Ale Brewing Company, Blanco, Texas

This very nice beer pours out very golden and very clear. Definitely looks very blonde when poured from the bottle, with a lot of bubbles but not much head. I had never heard of the brewery before, Real Ale...and it is definitely very local. I bought it at a gas station close to the airport on a beer run.

I thought it was lightly sweet and almost caramel like, which reminds me of Fat Tire. But in color it is a lot lighter. I will give it an A- because I was pleasantly surprised and because it has a lot more flavor and taste than I would think based on how light it looks in the class.

365 Everyday Value Cola All Natural Soda, Whole Foods Market

I bought this can of pop at the Whole Foods Market by George Washington University, a very busy location I guess because of all the students. I wanted something sweet and picked this, which I had tried before.

Its flatter than Coke and I can't decide if it is like Mexican Coke, which would slightly make sense since it is made with cane sugar, B-.

Brooklyn Lager, the Brooklyn Brewery, Brooklyn, New York

A few weeks a go I had the Brooklyn Brewery Brooklyn Lager, which used to be a go to beer for me a few years ago, but I guess I got a little bored with it. But as I am sure you already, their lager is pretty great as are all their beers. I also used to live kind of a close walk to the brewery and enjoyed taking the tour there for the free and cheap beer (but it also burned me out on brewery tours since they are all the same).

I had always remembered the beer as being very piney, and it was very piney but I forgot how almost minty it was. I had not had one in a while and was surprised to find it light and very pleasant and refreshing. A!

Before I finish I wanted to point out that I had the beer during a loooong lunch at the Old Ebbitt Grill, which is a very nice old bar by the White House. It is classy but not too stuffy and a traditional D.C. bar and restaurant, but it also gets tourists (but not to the point of being obnoxious).

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Old Ebbitt is just a great place...the kind of place where the waiters and bartenders provide real professional service and treat their jobs as the important professions that they really are.