Day 120-Beer 120 Boundary Ale, Moosehead Breweries, Saint John, New Brunswick

It was a wet cold damp and misty day, so I thought a maritime beer would be appropriate. It poured a clear copper colour with lots of slightly of white head that eventually settled to leave some nice lacing across the surface and the stuck to the side of the glass. The label stated that it is made with four hops and seven malts. Its aroma was caramel and roasted malt with hints of hops. The taste has a little bit of sweetness up front from the malts with a hint of hop bitterness, not bad for a bigger brewery ale. 3.6 out of 5

Day 119-Beer 119 Racer 5 India Pale Ale, Bear Republic Brewing Co. Cloverdale California

Hopefully my beer blues are over. Even though this one is a BEAR, I'm a little bullish on it. It poured a hazy golden/orange colour with nice head and left very nice lacing and lots of effervescent carbonation bubbles. The aroma was citrus, grapefruit, hops and a hint of sweet malts. The taste was hops right up front that settled into a well balanced taste of bitter hops, grapefruit and malts that then left with a nice hops finish. Overall a clean crisp well balance drinkable IPA 3.9 out of 5. If you enjoy IPA's you might want to RACE out and get one.

Day 118-Beer 118 Panic Attack, Holy Mackeral Brewing, Ft Lauderdale, florida

I might have a panic attack after this one, two not so good beers in a row, last night's was a bust and this one isn't much better. The label stated a Belgian style beer, well I have never had a beer from Belgium that tasted like this one. The only thing good is the 10% ABV so I guess if you put away a 6 pack they might taste a lot better. It poured a hazy dark amber/copper colour ( I guess the hazy colour makes it like a Belgium Beer?) with a 1/2 inch of bubbly head that dissipated quickly and left a little lacing across the surface. The aroma was somewhat mixed with hints of sweet syrup, yeast, alcohol up front and something sour in the background. The taste was more like a malt liquor, lots of sweet malt, orange and caramel and alcohol. Not the greatest beer to drink quite syrupy and not a lot of carbonation. 2.9 out of 5

Day 117-Beer 117 Blue, Sweetwater Brewing Co. Atlanta Georgia

this company's motto is "Don't Float in the Mainstream" and they are correct with this one, it sinks and it gave me the blues. It poured a clear golden colour with almost no head, very little carbonation and not lacing to speak of. My daughter described the smell as a Tim Horton's Blueberry Muffin. Hints of blueberry and wheat and not much else. The taste was that of a bad wheat beer that they tried to cover up with blueberry juice and sugar. Like, I have said many a time, if you have to add fruit to a beer to make it taste good it probably shouldn't be drank, and this fits the bill. 2.6 out of 5

Day 116- Beer 116 Long Hammer IPA, Red Hook Brewery, Woodinville Washington and Porstmouth Oregon

Tonight's brew poured a hazy golden colour with a slightly off white head that left a nice spattering of sticky lacing. The aroma was citrus, hops and hints of a sweet malt. The taste surprisingly was not what I expected from the companies description. Yes it had some nice hop bitterness up front typical of an IPA but then it seemed to end with a caramel sweetness. Overall a nice crisp ale but nothing outstanding, 3.5 out of 5

Day 115-Beer115 Lions Winter Ale, Granville Island Brewery, British Columbia

Went out for lunch with some friends from my past working days to a restaurant on the Hamilton Pier. Tried a Lions Winter Ale.  The beer was on tap, it arrived with a nice off white head that left lots of lacing  across the surface and stuck to the glass through the entire pint. The colour was a dark amber/copper colour. It's aroma was chocolate up front with hints of vanilla. The flavour was dark chocolate up front which mellowed out of caramel and milk chocolate. Overall a good beer, a little too sweet, but it has a nice creamy feel to it,  3.6 out of 5

Day 114-Beer 114 Old Credit Pale Pilsner, Old Credit Brewing Co. Port Credit, Missisaga, Ontario Ca

A little bit of Canada ay.  Tonight's brew poured a clear, golden colour with a nice white head and leaves little lacing. Aroma is mild malts with a hint of noble hops. A nice pilsner with a bready malt which is balanced with a nice crisp hop bitterness. It is a nice crisp similar to most German pils, over all a good beer that is very drinkable, 3.7 out of 5

Day 113-Beer 113 Phin and Matt's Extraordinary Ale, Southern Tier Brewing Co. Lakewood NY

Extraordinarily bad brewed ale poured a hazy copper colour with some off white head that left a little lacing. The smell at first was somewhat sour so maybe I got a bad bottle, then some sweet malt aroma. The taste was watery with hints of hops up front and some sweet malts. Not a very good brew  3.1 out of 5

Day 112-Beer 112 Holy Mackerel Special Golden Ale, Holy Mackerel Brewing Company, Fort Lauderdale, Fla

Today's brew was a Belgian style beer that poured a hazy golden colour with very little head and lacing but somewhat good carbonation. It's aroma was that of fruit, citrus and Belgian yeast. The taste was unique, up front it had hints of something smokey, and like burnt sugar and followed by fruity sweetness of banana and honey. Overall, quite  drinkable  with it's 8.5%ABV, 3.5 out of 5

Day 111-Beer111 Heffe, Widmer Brothers Brewing, Portland Oregon

Tonight's brew poured a slightly hazy golden colour with lots of little floaties and very little head. It had a mild citrus smell (orange) with hints of banana and some herbal hops. Very mild tasting with just a touch of citrus. Not a great heffe but it was drinkable. 3.3 out of 5

Day 110-Beer 110 Stone Hammer Dark Ale, F&M Brewery Guelph Ontario

Ah back in Canada "ey" for Easter Dinner . Spent a great time and my younger brother's house with our entire Chopp family including both of my parents and my brothers and our families. Tonight's brew was donated to the cause by my brother Bill. Stone Hammer poured a clear dark brown colour. The aroma was toasted malts and molasses. The taste was toasted malts, dark coffee and hints of molasses and a slightly hoppy finish. Not bad for a dark ale but not the top of it's class 3.5 out of 5

Day 109-Beer 109 Roscoe's Amber Ale, Roscoes Hop House, Rochester NY

Well I don't know if it was sheer thirst after the long road trip home but this brew hit the spot. It poured a dark amber colour with a full head that left some nice lacing. The aroma was made up of malts and  hints of the honey they add.  The taste was similar, well balanced sweetness from the honey and the malts with no hop aftertaste. For it's type, amber ale, this is a very good one,  I'd give it a  4 out of 5 and definitely would  buy and drink a few more of these.

Day 108-Beer 108 Bischoff Pilsner, Bischoff Privat Brewhaus, Germany

I had this beer in the car in a rest stop south of Columbia on the road trip home.  It was hard to tell  but as best as I could it poured a pale yellow-golden color with white fizzy head. Head dissipates rather quickly. The aroma was slightly skunky which didn't impress me at all. Hidden in the skunky flavour as well was hints of a sweet malt but nothing outstanding. Overall very disappointing for a German pils. 3.1 out of 5

On the Road

Spent 30 hours travelling home to Canada, the rain was brutal for the first 11 hours and the pace was at a crawl so finally we gave up and pulled into a rest stop around 11 pm to have my beer and a nap. We slept for six hours and got up and it was still raining. Anyhow got home late last night and had my nightly beer before heading to bed. Tonight I am catching up on my right ups for Friday day 108, Sat day 109 and today day 110.

Day 107-Beer 107Anchor Steam Beer, Anchor Brewing Co. San Francisco, CA

Last beer in Florida for a while, will have to have tomorrow's beer on the road so I may not enter it tomorrow unless we hit a spot with wifi. Tonight's brew was listed as made in San Francisco since 1896. It poured a deep golden/honey color with a moderate two finger head that had good retention, that left some nice sticky lacing The smell was malt heavy and the taste was similar with a nice hops finish. This would be a great beer to sip on while barbequeing on a hot summer day. Overall a good beer 3.7 out of 5.

Day 106-Beer 106 Audible Ale, Red Hook Ale Brewery, Woodinville Washington

Tonight's brew poured a hazy light golden colour with very little head and almost no lacing yet it seemed well carbonated. the smell was sweet malt mixed with tangerine and hops. the taste was fairly sweet up front from the malts with a clean dry finish with lots of carbonation. Overall a lot better than a supper clup lager that I had last night but still not a great ale. 3.6 out of 5

Day 105-Beer 105 Supper Club Lager, Capital Brewery, Middleton, Wisconsin

"Wisconsin a state of mind" If this beer is any indication it's a little boring. It poured a clear pale golden colour, with a finger of white bubbly head with little retention and no lacing. The smell was nothing to write home about, hints of bready and sweet malts along with a slight wiff of hops. The taste was a very typical light american lager, not a lot of flavour but rather subtle amounts of caramel malts, sweet grains and just a hint of hops. Overall, clean and crisp, okay but nothing special 3.5 out of 5

Day 104Beer 104 Barrel Trolly Amber Ale, World Brews Rochester NY

tonight's brew poured a dark copper/amber colour with an off white bubbly head that dies quickly leaving almost no lace. The aroma is caramel malt and hints of honey. It's fairly light and is easy drinking. It is just okay for it's type 3.4 out of 5.

Day 103-Beer 103 420 Extra Pale Ale, Sweet Water Brewing Co.,Atlanta Georgia

And the wheels on the bus go round and round, " this kind of beer keeps the wheels on the bus going round and round". It poured a dark golden colour with good head that disapated quickly and left very spoty lacing. The aroma had hints of citrus, malts and herbal spices. The taste was quite lite with some sweet malt up front and then some citrus and a little hops bitterness. A nice easy drinking crisp beer that would be great on a hot summer day. 3.7 out of 5

Day 102- Beer 102 Red's Rye P.A., Founders Brewing, Grand Rapid Michigan

Oh Hoppedays are here again... Red's Rye poured a hazy dark orange/copper colour with off white head that left nice lacing that stuck to the sides of the glass. The aroma was grapefruit, tangerine and hops. The taste was grapefruit up front with a sweet malt hiding in the wings and some spicy flavour from the rye and hops. A fairly good IPA but there are ones that are much better. 3.7 out of 5

Day 101-Beer 101 Hopsecutioner India Pale Ale, Terrapin Beer Co. Athens Georgia

100 bottles of beer on the wall, and none of them will fall. Number 100 is an IPA from Georgia "Terapin hath recruited ye olde HOPSECUTIONER to execute the exact hop profilefor this KILLER ALE. YOU MAY LOSE YOUR HEAD OVER THIS ONE" It poured a golden copper colour with lots of head, good carbonation and lots of lacing that stuck to the sides of the glass. The aroma is sweet malt and citrus. The flavour was not a bitter or hoppy as I expected from the name but it was rather well balanced with hop bitterness and sweet malts that lingerin your mouth. A very drinkable IPA that is clean crisp and somewhat light in spite of it's 7.35 alchohol. A very good beer 4 out of 5. 100 down the hatch and 265 to go.

Day 100-Beer 100 Island Summer Ale, St John Brewers, St John Virgin Islands

99 bottles of beer on the wall, if one of those beers should happen to be drunk we'd need another bottle of beer for the wall. Tonight's brew poured a clear golden colour with adequate head and some lacing. The smell was a typical ale with hints of sweet citrus, wheat and yeast. Taste of wheat and citrus. A very light tasting brew that would go down very easily on a hot day on the beach especially if you were in the Virgin Islands. 3.5 out of 5

Day 99 Beer 99 Double Chocolate Stout, Wells and Young Brewing Co. Bedford England

Across the ocean in search of a better chocolate stout to the country known for some of its stouts, England. Chocolate malts and real dark chocolate are combined with a dark ale to make tonight's brew. It poured a dark, dark chocolate colour that allowed almost no light to pass through it. It produced lots of creamy dark milk chocolate heat that left nice sticky lacing across the surface and that clung to the glass as you drank it. The aroma was dark chocolate and roasted malts with hints of coffee, caramel and toffee. The taste mirrors the smell bitter dark chocolate, roasted malts, coffee with a hint of sweet toffee and vanilla. Overall a nice creamy feel and a well balanced light taste even with the 5.2%ABV. No comparison to last nights stout. This is what a stout should taste like, it was worth the trip to Bedford. Oh yeah, it comes is a 16.9 oz bottle so there is lots to enjoy. 4 out of 5.

Day 98Beer 98 Chocolate Stout, Fort Collins Brewery, Fort Collins Colorado

Tonight's brew poured a dark chocolate colour with creamy milk chocolate head that left nice sticky lacing. The aroma was chocolate with some hints of coffee and carmel. The taste had a hint of chocolate with some hop bitterness but overall a little thin for a stout. 3.5 out of 5

Day 97-Beer 97 Optimator, Spaten-Franziskaner-Bräu Munich Germany

Tonight's brew is a malt liquor, dopplebock from Germany. It poured dark copper with adequate head and lacing. the smell was toffee, caramel and malt. The taste was toffee, caramel, coffee with a hint of hops. Although it was high in alcohol at 7.6% it wasn't strong tasting. 3.6 out of 5

Day 96-Beer 96 La Rossa Birra Moretti,

Off to Italy tonight for a La Rossa, a dopplebock, that poured a dark copper colour with lots of of white head that left very nice lacing, The aroma was cofee and caramel malts. The taste was sweet caramel malts and coffee. An okay beer 3.4 out of 5

Day 95-Beer 95 Blithering Idiot, Weyerbacher Brewing Co, Easton PA

Tonight's brew from Pennslyvania might make you a blithering idiot, at 11.1% ABV its listed as a barley wine ale and packs a pretty good punch much like malt liquor. It poured a hazy dark copper colour with an of white head that left some sticky lacing around the sides of the glass. The aroma is has hints of toffee, caramel, sweet brown sugar and alcohol. Flavor is big time malts, toffee, caramel, and molasses or brown sugar. A very heavy thick mouthfeel with low very little carbonation and if nothing else it will give you a buzz. 3.5 out of 5

Day 94-Beer 94 Circus Boy, Magic Hat Brewing Co, Burlington Vermont

Find Malt not Fault, tonight's beer is a hefeweizen. It pour a slightly hazy golden colour with some carbonation bubbles but not head and almost no lacing. The aroma was citrus and wheat. The taste matches the smell, very light, wheaty and a hint of citrus nothing outstanding. Overall smooth, very light, wery little carbonation, not the best wheat beer that I have had but it was drinkable, 3.4 out of 5

Day 93-Beer 93 Black IPA Shipyard Brewing Co. Portland Maine

Another great day in Florida and a not so great night at cards, got womped again. Tonight's brew poured like a stout but not as heavy. It was nice and dark almost black with creamy chocolate head that disipated fairly quickly but left some nice sticky lacing. The smell was hard to but a finger on it had the smell of a spice I think, is was corriander or pine resin, but I am not sure, other than that, it was a typical IPA that was okay but not fantastic. Good hops bitterness and some coffee and caramel flavours from the roasted malts, 3.7 out of 5

Day 92-Beer 92 Old Rasputin Russian Imperial Stout, North Coast Brewing Co. Fort Bragg CA

Think great marinades, half for the marinade half for the cook, this beer poured almost black with great creamy milk chocolate colour head that lasted a long time and left great lacing and lots of sticky leggs on the glass. At 9% ABV it has some kick and the aroma and flavour to match. The aroma was made up of dark chocolate, coffee and roasted malt with citrus hops. The flavour was sweet rosted malts, dark chocolate and dark roast coffee with just a hint of hop bitterness. The mouthful was thick and creamy, very well balanced. 4.1 out of 5.

Day 91-Beer 91 Dirt Wolf Double IPA, Victory Brewing Co. Downingtown PA

The end on our winter sojourn is nearing an end and soon we will be back home in Canada but for now it's 80degree weather and golf, oh well somebody has to do it. today's brew is a double IPA with 8.7% alcohol. It poured a hazy golden colour, maybe thats where the dirt comes in, with some white head that left a little bit of lacing. The smell was very floral with some citrus background. The taste is hard to describe, there is a definite hops bitterness but there is something very sweet ,tangerine like,that hits you first then a punch of lemon or grapefuit peel or maybe a grapefruit thats not quite ripe. Overall not bad except the strange after taste and it may be just the high alcohol content. 3.6 out of 5