I heard a fact today that Montana has the highest per capita beer consumption in the U.S.  While I’ve never been there, it seems to make sense from what I’ve heard.  It sounds like a great place to fish, hunt, camp and just be in the wilderness (also it sounds like there isn’t much to do other than those things). Beer pairs very nicely with all of those activities. Today’s beer review for my 50…

It’s a rainy day here in the Northwest (what’s new?) and I’m dreaming of being somewhere warm. While I might be stuck here today, I can at least pretend to be somewhere warm in Florida by drinking a beer from Cigar City Brewing. Cigar City is a craft brewery located in Tampa, Florida and they were kind enough to send me a sample of a few of their beers to represent Florida in my 50…

I’m sitting here in my office listening to the glorious sound of an I.P.A. I brewed this weekend fermenting while sipping on a great tasting beer and writing about it. I love Mondays. Today I decided to check out Boulevard Brewing’s Long Strange Tripel to represent Missouri in my 50 beer challenge which I happened to pick up on a trip out to Chicago a couple of weeks ago. While I’ve never been to Missouri,…

I’ve spent a little time in New Mexico years back (since that’s where my father in law lives), but I’ve yet to try any New Mexican beers. In my time there, I wouldn’t have thought that it would be a great craft beer producing state, but I was wrong.  While they don’t have a lot of big name breweries, they do have a few smaller players who are creating some great brews. Since their distribution…

I absolutely love fresh cherries, however most cherry flavored foods and drinks taste nothing like the real deal.  While I generally am open to trying cherry flavored drinks, I’m usually left a bit disappointed as it generally turns out tasting like cough syrup.  I decided though to leave all preconceived notions at the door and try Founders Cerise to represent Michigan in my 50 beer challenge. What makes this beer interesting to me is the cherries they…

Maybe it’s just the marketer in me, but I get excited to hear about breweries who have been around for 25 years who launch a new beer that just a short time later becomes one of their consistant top sellers. It goes to show that established breweries can still push the limits of brewing some great beers. This is the case for today’s beer on my 50 beer challenge from Summit Brewing out of St.…

I’ve drivin through Wyoming a few times in my life and learned that if there is any way to avoid doing it again in the future, then I’m probably making the right decision. I’m sure there are some great places in Wyoming, but I just remember seeing signs that didn’t lie which said stuff like “Nothing, next 112 miles.” Luckily there is a pretty great brewery located in Jackson, Wyoming called Snake River Brewing that…

Today I kept things on the west coast and checked out Saison Rue from The Bruery to represent California in my 50 beer challenge.  Time is closing in and I need to make up a few days I missed in my challenge so hopefully I’ll be able to start reviewing a few beers a day. In the mean time, Saison Rue deserves a day all to itself. While The Bruery is still a fairly young…

It’s been a while since I’ve reviewed a beer that I would consider a true hop explosion, which is how we usually roll here in the northwest. Today I decided to take my 50 beer challenge to the state of Idaho to try Laughing Dog Brewing’s Alpha Dog Imperial IPA to see if it stacked up to other Northwest hop bombs. First of all, Alpha Dog is definitely not for the faint of heart as…

It’s Monday and that means it’s time for a beer. Well, pretty much any day is a great time for beer, but it gives me an excuse right? Today I’m taking my 50 beer challenge to the state of Kentucky, where I tried Lexington Brewing’s Kentucky Bourbon Barrel Ale. Lexington Brewing only makes 3 beers, Kentucky Ale, Kentucky Light, and Kentucky Bourbon Barrel Ale and they were kind enough to send me a few bottles…