Stout!

On a recent trip to Cincinnati, a friend recommended that we stop at Mt. Carmel brewery. This is a relatively recent brewery and it's still pretty small. Perfect time to visit. They just opened a small tasting room which is very comfortable. They have a number of taps (photos to follow) and offer some regular selections as well as seasonal and rotating taps. I bought a 12-pack of assorted beer and I've been pleased with all but one (post to follow). This, the stout, is my favorite. I saved this one in my fridge for as long as possible--about three weeks. It has a nice coffee nose and a hint of chocolate on the taste. It's not overdone but pretty darn near perfect, as far as I'm concerned. It you are ever in Ohio, look 'em up. And the staff was very friendly and helpful.

East coast IPA

I'm way back logged on entries to the blog, so I'll work backwards to try to catch up. This is a Heavy Seas Loose Cannon IPA. I've had this before but I don't think I was close to appreciating IPAs then, so I'll give it another go. I like this IPA. I think it has a nice citrus hoppy flavor that leaves an appropriately bitter taste in my mouth. I drank it out of the bottle, so I'm not sure how it pours. This is probably my favorite Heavy Seas, although their triple is pretty good, too.

IPA from New Glarus

This is a black IPA from New Glarus. As I understand it, New Glarus only recently started offering IPAs. This is the third I've tried and it's pretty good. I don't think it's quite as good as Big Black Van or Back in Black, but it's pretty good. I get a balanced citrus up front with a pine hops middle and a chocolatey / piney finish, with a little bit of heat.