Down to business

So I'm pretty excited about my first real post on here! I can't wait to really get this blog up and running, I think it' going to be pretty fun. With that being said, let's get into it. Today my boyfriend and I decided to go check out the Total Wine & More that just opened near my house because they're one of the very VERY few chain stores that carry Pliny the Elder, a double american IPA, by the Russian River Brewing Company. Turns out they're not stocked with them yet, but it was okay since they had free beer and wine tasting all day. We ended up just grabbing some good stuff from their craft beer mix and match section and it turned out pretty spectacularly!

The first beer we tried is a seasonal limited release from Redhook Breweries out of Washington state called "Wit." I like a lot of their other stuff and this one was pretty OK. Nothing phenomenal, but still a decent beer. This one only registered an 80 on the BeerAdvocate.com scale. (side note: for thos of you who aren't familiar, Beer Advocate is an awesome website and resource for checking out what beers are worth buying and which ones aren't!)

The next one is called "Wildeman" by Flying Dog Brewery in Frederick, MD which is a tiny town that I'm pretty sure is only inhabited by a close family friend of mine and this brewery. I haven't tried any of their brews before but I will definitely be trying them out more often! This was a great IPA, and definitely worth a trip to your local specialty beer superstore.

Alright, I'll have to admit that I was pretty skeptical about this one to begin with because, to be quite frank, it's a canned beer that's gonna set you back $3.50 PER CAN. I can head over to Trader Joe's and score myself a six pack of Simpler Times for that kind of money. This one is called "Sobrehumano" brewed by the Maui Brewing Co. out of, you guessed it, Maui. So aside from the fact that I'm not really into this whole craft beer in a can thing that seems to be so hip right now, this was a pretty decent beer. It looks kind of like apple cider too. BA only scored it a 75, but if you're feeling crazy go out and grab one.

Next up we've got a great beer from the ever reliable "Alleycat Amber" from Lost Coast Brewing Co in Eureka, CA. I enjoy just about everything that I've tried of theirs so I would encourage everyone to go out and grab something by them, you can even get a few on tap at Yard House!

Another brewery that never disappoints in Green Flash Brewing Company from San Diego, CA. They have a ton of awesome stuff and it's all worth trying at least once. I LOVE just about every one of their IPAs so maybe sample a few of those to begin with. The West Coast IPA that I had today was awesome, of course, and was just perfectly bitter.

Last, but not least, I give you the Racer 5 India Pale Ale. I love this beer I think I could drink it forever. Some IPAs tend to become overbearing or a little too heavy for me after a few glasses, but this one has a lighter taste, while still staying true to the classic IPA standards. This one is from Bear Republic Micro Brewery in Headsburg, CA. I'm not sure how their other stuff is, but I'm dying to try it!

Well I hope you all enjoyed the first official post on this blog! I'll be updating (hopefully) sometime this week with some stuff from the local breweries that I love in the Placentia and Anaheim areas. So stay tuned and as always please feel free to comment andlet me know what you'd like to see on the blog or anything else you've go to say.

Au revoir!