Wednesday, November 5, 2008

The Great Baraboo Fall Line-Up

Tonights taste testing is underway at the Boo and our guest blogger is Scottie too hottie from the Captain Morgan club. The 2 beers we'll be trying are the Energy Wheat and the Pumpkin Ale.

It was soo cool, when we walked in our Brewskie Sign was still on the table where we left it the last time we were here. And we're also excited to have our same rockstar waitress, the lovely Jessica!

First up,

THE ENERGY WHEAT.
This beer is 5%

Nick - "The Energy Wheat is a decent beer that resembles the typical wheat style taste, but with a hint of Ginseng." (the hint of Ginseng defines this brew as being a unique wheat beer)

Scottie Too Hottie - "This beer is a 7 out of 10, goes down smooth, but the after taste was where it lost the 3 points."

Dave - "Honestly I had a hard time putting my opinion to this brew. I have nothing to complain about, it goes down smooth. I knew it was the Ginseng that I was getting as the after taste, but how you do describe Ginseng flavor? The best I can say is if you like wheat and don't mind a little energy with it, you'll like it.

THE PUMPKIN ALE
This beer is a 6%

Nick - "I personally like the pumpkin, but I also enjoy spiced beers. I don't think it's a traditional pumpkin beer, it tastes like pumpkin pie with ginger spice."

Scottie Too Hottie - "I'm a tad bit biased, I dislike Pumpkin Pie, so what's worse then eating pumpkin pie would be drinking it."

Dave - "I wouldn't say I prefer spiced beers, but this wasn't bad. I DO like pumpkin pie (isn't pumpkin pie scent an afrodiseac for women???? [this is at least what Nick said, lol), but I thought it was ok. Honestly all, I couldn't focus because my mind was thinking about the Rasberry Wheat I was going to be having afterwards, LOL."

Thursday, October 9, 2008

The WAB (Woodward Avenue Brewery)

We just got here and are setting up for good ol' taste testing here as we celebrate the launch of "The Night Move!"

Rasberry Blonde - Definitely taste the Rasberry. A fruity style drink

Vanilla Porter - Thick, bitter, and a little chocolateeee

Heifweizen - A step above Gobel

Ruby Red - A typical red beer, good taste, clean finish. And would recommend the barbeque chicken sandwich with it.

Pumpkin Ale - A very tasty bevy, but honestly....tastes a bit more Christmasy...but wait, Brother Nick has something say. "I love the aftertaste"

Custom Blonde - Clean, lite, and awesome.

Pale Ale - Absolutely one of the most awful beers that I've had

Thursday, September 25, 2008

The Black Lotus Brewery

Bryon and I just got here, and met The Black Lotus' manager, Jason. The Samplers are being delivered and the taste testing will soon begin!!!

HEYYYYYY CHRIS RABIOR CAME OUT!!!!

The first drink up....The Pilsner. 5.0%

Bryon says it's a tasty, high quality version of Bud, with a clean finish. The taste goes in and out quickly and unfortunately...the sample glasses don't last long....a great everyday, all-purpose, all-American brew.

Next up..the Detroit Hip Hops (their IPA) 5.6%

OK, this ones going to take a bit to describe....

This brewskie was not what I expected. The first taste you recognize is black licorice. It took us a bit by surprise, but after a couple sips it became real smooth and creamy.

World Wide Wheat is next. 5.6%

This was a divide. Dave says "Not for me." Bryon says, "I like it. Subtle, Citrusy, and just a little bitter." (Dave doesn't agree, lol)

DetroitCity....we're stumped. I wouldn't probably order it because it tasted a wee bit watered down, but we would definitely say it's a sipper. Probably a perfect blend with some of the food here. (By the way, that should answer the question of whether they serve food here. Bryon says they're in the middle of remodeling their menu.

Just got confirmation on that menu thing. They're launching a new menu middle of October.

Red Tao Amber Lager 6%
This drink is a lighter version of Dos Equis Amber and seems to have a hint of lime.

Funkin A' Apricot Wheat 5.6%
This brew did not grew on us :) har har. Could have used a small amount of lemon or orange with it. Bryon says: "The apricot is extremely subtle. I was hoping for something a bit more dramatic. Typical fruit flavored brews, i.e. Rasberry Wheat's, usually have a strong representation of their namesake. This one didn't. "

We just learned a little bit of trivia. The reason why they call the jugs you can get filled "Growler" is because back in the day when you would come in to get your pail filled, they would drag it across the bar and it would make a "Growl" sound.

Enough with this learning, we must try the Monster Mash Pumpkin Ale 5.6%

Dude, that first sip changed flavors like 3 times in my mouth...crazy. This one lives up to the name sake says BRRRRRRYON. And since we have the unique privilege of trying one of the new dishes, the "Barbeque Chicken and Nachos" (AMMMAAAAZZING) this beer also is a great compliment to food.

Birthday Beer Cream Ale 5.0%

Bryon says: "Another smooth and subtle beer. Some initial zing in the middle of the tongue, finished real nice and clean."

And the end of the night here's the winners....

Dave: The Monster Mash Pumpkin Ale :)
Bryon: The People Mover :)



Overall the Black Lotus is a great hang. They have fantastic music every Tuesday and Wednesday night, the beers overall are just above average, and it's a pretty socially conscious establishment...which is always an additional reason to support a local business. In addition to beer, the Lotus also serves Free Trade Organic Tea, shows and sells local art off their walls, has vegetarian options on their small, but tasty, food menu (we had their BBQ Chicken Nachos and Grilled Chicken Panini), and something really special about this restaurant...it's a true neighborhood business. While inside the Lotus you can order out sushi from Noble Fish (located a few doors down) and it will get delivered to your table, and you can also order pizza from Green Lantern Pizza and they will also deliver to the Lotus. The staff is very laid back and help create and support the Lotus' relaxed, yet somewhat sophisticated (without being stuffy) atmosphere. Their slogan "Think Global, Drink Local" is a great mantra for all local beer lovers.

Friday, September 19, 2008

The Great Baraboo Brewery

We just got to the Great Baraboo Brewery here on Utica rd, and are getting set up to start taste testing some of their beers. Nothing like starting out a Friday night the right way!!!! This place is packed inside and out, obviously a great place for food as well.

Well we just finished two drinks:
the Freedom and the Rasberry Wheat

Freedom has a hint of Grapefruit to it and it's a perfect chill and drink. The Rasberry however is just flat out amazing. Nick has already put in an order to take some with him when he leaves. By the way, did I say that the waitstaff is awesome here?????

We're now tasting the Hoppy Harvest which after first taste we both agreed that it tastes almost identical to the Freedom. However, after adding a lemon, the flavor changed completely. It almost tastes like an ISB just not as thick.

I have to say, The beers are actually running pretty smooth. Sure I like some over others, but over all, I could see myself drinking any one of these brews. The next one we had had a very familiar taste. I don't know why I didn't catch it right off the bat, but the Shark Tooth resembles a bit of the dutch beverage, Heineken.

Next up....Caribou Wheat.

Dang it, Why did they serve this with a lemon??? I had half of it and it was good. Not great, but smooth and good. We thought, if it came with a lemon, we ought to try it.....ruined it. Not that it was bad tasting. Actually it didn't taste like anything at all. This is a good drink, just don't add lemon.

Last but nots least, zeee porter...

The Porter here is a good Porter. It's one of those bevy's that you could drink a bit warm as well as chilled, so it's a perfect drink if you're looking for something to sip.

We have to say, Baraboo is a worthwhile brewery. Good drinks all around and a great staff. we weren't sure whether we were going to come here or go somewhere else, but I'm glad we made this decision. Thanks to our favorite server Jessica, and Emily for hanging out and giving us the Boo experience.

Now onto the pint of the night. We both decided that the Rasberry Wheat won tonight's trophy. So we're going to kick back and enjoy. Be safe DetroitCity!

Thursday, August 28, 2008

The Rochester Mills Brewery

Last night I had a very important meeting. There were important things to discuss, and we needed a place that was perfect for discussing important things. That important place, was the Rochester Mills at 310 Water Street in Downtown Rochester.

My associate in this meeting was Nick from DetroitCity.com. There were 13 topics we needed to discuss, so it was important that we remained focused and determined.

When we got there, we explained to our waitress, Jackie, our reason for being there. She obviously understood the seriousness of our meeting, and to our surprise, was prepared to offer us a more reasonable means of discussing the 13 topics. She recommended the "Sample Platter."


Ok, I guess the cats out of the bag, but these really are important things to discuss! I mean, have you ever gone to a brewery and blindly ordered a beer for your first time? I have, and the outcomes aren't always good! We're doing this for you people!!!

Heck, we did it for our neighbors that ended up sitting right next to us. If it wasn't for us finishing the first four, we wouldn't have been able to give them a good answer when they asked what we recommended.

I guess one day people will understand the sacrifices we make...lol

So here are the 13 topics along with our rating on a 10 scale:


1. Organic Amber Ale. Dave-9 Nick-8
2. Lazy Daze Amber. Dave-5 Nick-1
3. Black IPA. Dave-3 Nick-2
4. Harvest Lite. Dave-4 Nick-gross
5. Lazy Daze Lager. Dave-Tastes like Bud Light Nick-5
6. Water Street Wheat. Dave-Couldn't drink Nick-Couldn't Drink
7. Rochester Red. Dave-8 Nick-7.5
8. Pleszures Signature Pale Ale. Dave-7 Nick-6
9. Brickshot ESB. Dave-9 Nick-9
10. Cornerstone IPA. Dave-6 Nick-6
11. Paint Creek Porter. Dave-6 Nick-7
12. Sacrilicious Stout. Dave-7 Nick-9
13. Wit's Organic. Dave-7 Nick-6.5

Our neighbors, who were there celebrating a friends new job, made our time there a lot of fun. The brewery's a really cool place. It was slow last night, but on weekends, they usually bring in a band, and from my last experience there the place gets bumpin'.


When I've come in the past, I usually order the ESB. I'll for sure be trying the Organic Amber Ale next time as well now.