Under 6% Tasting

This tasting came about because I really started to get into Session IPAs and it was right before the start of summer which is the best time for Session-like beers. They were starting to pop up all over and I figured hey lets do a night where we try them all. Well after purchasing all the sessions I could get my hands on, I realized there wouldn't be enough beer for the tasting crowd.  Therefore I made a decision..hey lets throw in a bunch of other low percent beers and I made 6% the cut off point. We ended up with 48 beers ranging from Session IPAs, to Wheats, to Pale Ales, to Pilsners and a couple single randoms like an Amber, Pale Lager and Wit. All of them are pictured below:

I would like to discuss each category as I review the results.  To begin, the Session IPAs. There were some great ones here. Fat Heads Sunshine Daydream, Pizza Port S.I.P.A., Firestone Easy Jack, Stone Go To, Carton Brewing Boat Session were the top 5 for Sessions in no particular order. The other 7, Drakes Alpha, Southern Tier Farmers Tan, Troegs Scratch #143, Great Divide Lasso, Flying Dog Easy IPA, Founders All Day, and Goose Island Endless IPA were all very drinkable but we agreed just didn't match up when it came to hoppiness and full body flavor you want from a Session IPA.
As for the Pale Ales only a few here stood out.  Local growler of Community Beerworks The Frank was real nice, Maine Mo was great, Half Acre Daisy Cutter and Southern Tier Live were the best of the crop.  The others were ranging from pretty good to just not very good at all.
The Wheats had a hands down winner and that was Three Floyds Gumballhead. Half Acre Akari Shogun and Bells Oberon were a close second.  The rest were all just typical wheats that didn't blow anyone away.
The Pilsners were a small crop and sadly none stood out to us but I would say the best out of the small crop was Firestone Pivo Pils.
As for the complete other random ones, Otter Creek Citra Mantra which is consider a Pale Lager was real good. The rest didn't impress me at all.
It was hard doing this tasting after the extremely successful IPA tasting, but it was still a blast with lots of good people and a lot of people left seeking out more of the Session-like beers to drink during the summer.

IPA Tasting

Quite possibly one of, if not the, best night of drinking of my entire life.  The timing was perfect.  We had just came back from a trip to San Diego with some Pizza Port and Alpine brews.  My friend was in Chicago just days before the tasting so he was able to snab some Three Floyds, Pipeworks, Surly, and Half Acre beers.  And on a whim I quickly visited Cleveland to get growlers Fat Heads IBUsive and Columbus Bohdi.  We had quite the turnout for this one, especially since everyone saw the line up leading into it.  It was an incredible 6 hours of drinking, one I never will forget (although I did kind of slowly black out towards the end..so that part may always be forgotten). Take a look below at all the wonderful beers in the lineup:

Now unlike my other tastings, there were only a very small handful of beers that were unsatisfying. Let me discuss the big stand outs thought.  Alpine Pure Hoppiness was a shock because we had it on tap in San Diego and preferred Nelson and Duet much more..but something happened to this bottle and it was out of this world good! The aroma hit you from feet away and the whole room were pure enjoyment as they sipped on it making it the clear winner.
Another big standout was shockingly enough Surly Abrasive.  Now it is rated 100 on Beer Advocate, but it was a few months old so I expected it to lose a lot of its luster. It didn't...it was incredible. It's brothers...Furious and Overrated! were good..but didn't come close to Abrasive.
Another shocker, well not for me since I have had it, was Pipeworks Derketo.  It is a Belgian IPA which most would think isn't too great.  They are wrong..it drinks like a great regular IPA, very hoppy and has a lightness to it even though it is around 10%. The other Pipeworks however were all pretty underwhelming which was sad since used to be so much better.  I personally think they are pumping out too many different styles and not focusing on making just a few quality beers like they were at the beginning.
Three Floyds unfortunately while pumped up by me just couldn't make a big splash due to the two beers offered, Artic Panzer Wolf and Dreadnaught since they both tasted VERY alcoholic.  Half Acre's Vallejo was real tasty and liked by most however.  Good representation of Chicago beers.
Along with the Alpine beers, Pizza Port made a good splash for San Diego beers.  The S.I.P.A. session was a big hit, especially since sessions were just starting to pop up all over.  And Swami's IPA was also really tasty.
Our typical Ohio beers did great also. Fat Heads IBUSive growler was top 5 and a huge hit.  Headhunter IPA and Sunshine Daydream Session were also popular.  Brew Kettle White Rajah did well.  And Columbus Bohdi growler was a big hit, while the Columbus IPA was just average.
As for the rest, they were mostly our typical local beers. Ghandi Bot was probably top 5 as usual...it is so good and rarely found around here.  Ithaca Flower Power, Ballast Point Sculpin, Lagunitas Sucks, Stone Enjoy By, Great Lakes Rye of the Tiger, Bear Republic Apex and others were all staples around here and while very enjoyable just couldn't compete!
Such a great night of drinking that I could write about for hours since IPAs are my passion and I thought our lineup couldn't of gotten much better with the resources I am given.  The only way to even possibly make it better was maybe to throw in a can of Heady and some Hill Farmstead growlers...but hey wasn't need and it was a GREAT night!

Fat Heads Brewery - Pittsburgh, PA/Cleveland, OH

 

I visited both Fat Heads locations, Pittsburgh and Cleveland so I will just review both at once.  Their Headhunter IPA has won quite a few IPA contests.  We never really had it, so I decided to head down to Pitt to see what all the hype was about...and I can agree why it wins contests..it's PHENOMENAL.
Pittsburgh:
-The Fat Heads Saloon is located on East Carson which is a great strip of bars in downtown Pitt.  We stayed at the Double Tree which offers a free shuttle so it worked out beautifully.  After our beer buying trip around town we headed back to Fat Heads. It's a big place with a very nice bar.  Early in the day it's pretty dead, but at night its PACKED. 
-At lunch I had tried the Headhunter which was outstanding.  I also tried a Ballast Point Sculpin because I had heard how great it was and we didn't get it in Buffalo.
-Fat Heads has a great beer menu with lots to choose from. Not only do they have about 10 beers of their own, they also have about 20-25 guest taps.
-The food was okay, servings were WAY too much food but I guess that's why it's called FAT Heads.
-Upstairs is merchandise and beer where you can create your own six pack. There's only about 4 coolers full of beer and let me tell you it isn't cheap. A six pack of sculpin was about 40$..ouch.
-On my next trip to Pittsburgh we went back and enjoyed their delicious beer once again. However this time around we got to experience Sunshine Daydream and this was a fantastic beer. A session IPA, at only 5%. I've had session beers and this one kills them all.
-If you're looking to buy their beer they only sell the Headhunter and Blueberry in bottles, the rest you can get growlers filled, however it MUST be a Fat Heads growler (they will take your non-Fat Heads growler however and replace it with theirs for free). But you can purchase their bottled beer at Fat Heads or simply walk up East Carson and buy a case at the beer store down the street.
-Street parking only. Check them out...www.fatheadspittsburgh.com/

Cleveland:
-Fat Heads in Cleveland was probably double maybe even triple the size of the Pitt location. It has a massive bar, a small merchandise stand at the entrance and lots of seating.
-This location offers a 8 beer sampler, whereas the Pitt location does not offer any type of sampler.
-Just like in Pitt they had many of their own beers and also tons of guest taps.  
-As for the beer, once again I had Headhunter, but also got to try the IBUsive which was part of the reason for our trip. The IBUsive was no shocker...AMAZING! Brought home two growlers and 3 cases of Headhunter.
-This location also had much more merchandise for sale than the Pitt location.
-This location had LOTS of parking in a massive lot.
-This location felt much more like a restaurant/brewery than the location in Pitt which felt more just like a brewery/bar with some dinner tables set up. Check them out..www.fatheadscleveland.com

Pictures from Pitt location:

Cleveland Pictures

And all the goodies

Pittsburg, PA

Within the past 8 months I have visited Pittsburgh twice.  On both trips I hit up many breweries in Pittsburgh, neighboring cities and on the road back. The next few posts will cover all of these stops starting with those closest to Pittsburgh. But first I wanted to mention some non-brewery things within Pittsburgh.
-First off, we were unaware but you cannot walk into a beer store in Pittsburgh and buy a 6 pack, you have to buy a case. The only place to find six packs or singles is in a bar and the prices are usually doubled in those locations. On both trips we went to a place called McBrooms...we called ahead and they even held cases of Sculpin for us, great store with a great selection.
-Another interesting thing is you cannot fill a growler unless it is a growler with the name of THAT brewery on it. For example, if you walk into Fat Heads it must be a Fat Heads growler if you want to fill it.
-Beer store we stopped at was called House of 1000 Beers. Wasn't what I pictured but they have a very good beer selection.  They also have about 10 beers on tap to drink while you shop. (They get away selling singles and 6 packs because they technically are a bar).

-Food places included Fat Heads(read my Fat Heads review for details),
D's Six Pax & Dogz (awesome hot dogs and beer menu, they also have a great beer selection in the back for purchase, but pricey),
Piper's Pub (across the street from Fat Head's, they have great food and even better beer menu),
Beermuda Triangle (dive place, but have TONS of beer on tap just about everything and the food wasn't bad)

Primanti Bros (famous for their sandwiches, I honestly wasn't blown away but hey you gotta check it out if you're in Pitt, plus the bar side of the restaurant has a lot of beer),

-As for late night, East Carson Street is awesome. Fat Heads, Pipers Pub, and lots of other cool bars with awesome taps. However my favorite place was hands down Charlie Murdoch's Dueling Piano Bar, if you were into live music it is a TON of fun. We got their early and got seats at the front of the bar at the stage. Basically two guys perform lots of songs on the piano, then the whole band comes out and they rotate instruments and do about six songs, then the process is repeated all night. The beer is limited which sucks, and forewarning you CAN smoke inside, but other than that it is a BLAST.