Gallagher's Brewing Company Walnut Street Stout

This was the second beer I homebrewed back towards the end of January. There were a few samplings throughout the early spring that didn't taste too well so I figured I'd let it sit for a little more and taste it then. Well, there's barely a difference. This is a very disapointing attempt at a stout on my part. To start, it has no head. It pours with a very slight head which quickly fades away within 5 seconds. The smell is all crappy malt with a slight hint of the sweet brown sugar I brewed it with. The taste is all malt with no hops (even though I dry hopped) and a slight taste of sweetness and coffee. It finishes with nothing though leaveing much to be desired. Overall, this beer sucks and I hope to unload it on whoever comes by my apartment so I don't have to drink anymore. It was a big step back from my successful first home brew (Pilsner) and leaves the Gallagher Brewing Co. in need of a really good third brew. Will it happen? Only time will tell.

Victory Storm King Stout

Just had this one out of a 12oz bottle at Texas-Arizona in Hoboken. On a side note, you have to try that place out if you're a beer lover. They now have 100s of beers in bottles and a ton of taps - great selection. Victory usually brews a solid beer and this one wasn't bad. I was expecting one of those chocolatey coffee stouts, but it actually had a very minimal taste of chocolate or anything sweet in it. The head was really nice (as you can see from the picture) and the smell was mostly roasted malt. It had a nice expresso taste to start and then finished very bitter due to it being 9.1 percent alcohol which is pretty high for a stout. You could definitely taste the alcohol in the aftertaste. It was definitely more hoppy than I expected and that part of it I really liked. At first sip I really loved the bittery finish, but by the end it started to become a little much (although it also didn't help that I had to chug the last third or so to make my train). Overall, its a well made stout with some good expresso flavor and lots of hops, but I wouldn't recommend it if you're looking for a sweeter chocolatey stout.

Peak Organic IPA

Wow! This is a really surprisingly good IPA. The smell is entirely citrus, unlike any other IPA I've had. The citrus is also very big in the taste as are the delicious hops which really make this beer. I'm not usually a fan of organic beers, but this one is really really good, especially in the summer with its citrusy goodness.

Yards Brewing Company Love Stout

Drinking this one on tap at Steakhouse 85 in New Brunswick after a round of golf at the Rutgers Golf Course. This is the first Yards beer that I've had after hearing some great things about the Philadelphia brewery and I'm pretty impressed. Love Stout had a nice thick foamy head on it that is staying there while I drink it. It has a chocolately coffee taste and is really smooth. Not bitter at all which is surprising for a stout. I think the sweet taste covers up the bitterness and gives a nice aftertaste. This is a great stout that I highly recommend and I look forward to trying more Yards beers. Drink up, its Saturday!

Guinness @ The Downtown

The band - Daddy Pop is good (not as good as Daddy NoBux though), but the Guinness is an epic disaster. Of course its served in a nice Guinness tulip glass, but the bartender took no time to prepare it for me. He threw the tap handle down and said screw it I'm busy. Well, the beer tastes like a screw it brew. Its got too much head and its wayyyy too bitter, and I love bitter beers. Downtown, you fail!!!!!

Guinness @ Dublin House

Its the second installment of the search for the perfect pint and we find ourselves in Red Bank, NJ at the Dublin House. I am actually at the outdoor bar called The Temple and the beers are flowing. As for the Guinness, the bartender poured it to the harp on a tilt before sitting it down for over a minute and topping it off. Great pour. As you can tell, the beer looks amazing, strong but not overbearing head sitting on top of that cooly dark goodness. The taste is just as delightful as the pour, bitter yet smooth and easy to drink. This is really close to a perfect pint and, although I'm sad to say it, knocks Tierneys off the top spot. A great pour, taste and my elbow was way high. Congrats Dublin House, you're currently in the lead.

Stone IPA

At the request of former Seton Hall Prep classmate Joe Scala, I picked up a 22oz bottle of Stone IPA. I poured it into a pint glass (as seen above) and right away was struck by its beautiful orangey color. On top of that it also has a very pleasing aroma of delicious hops and a slight citrus. As for the taste, its not crazily hoppy like most of my favorite IPAs, but it has enough hops to satisfy my hopheaded need and is smooth enough to have more than one. Its a great summer IPA because its not too heavy and overly hoppy, but it still has a nice kick to it. Overall, its very balanced IPA that's easy to drink, but doesn't blow you away.

Land Shark Lager

Greetings from the greatest place on Earth - parking lot before a Jimmy Buffett concert. Yes, that is me in the picture (aka the King of Fin Land). I am down in Camden once again, but this time I am surrounded by Parrotheads instead of hippies - my kind of people. Its hot as hell again, but nothing could ruin a Buffett show, as long as he doesn't fall off the stage.

Obviously being at a Buffett tailgate, I'm drinking Land Shark Lager. I've been waiting for the perfect time to review this delicious beer and there's no better place than right here. Land Shark is by far my favorite beer to drink in the summer. Its easy to drink, refreshing and smooth, but it also tastes like a beer. Unlike some other Island style lagers, it doesn't taste skunked or like dirty Camden tap water. If you'd like to throw a lime in there go for it, but really it doesn't need it. Its the perfect beer to drink all summer long, or in the winter when you want to pretend its summer. That's all you'll hear from me today because a Buffett tailgate means Land Shark only. Fins up!

Guinness @ Tierney's Tavern in Montclair, NJ

Although in the past I've said that Firestone's Double Jack is my favorite beer and also called a few other brews "one of my favorites", this does not take into account the greatest beer of all - Guinness. To me, Guinness is in its own category above all other beers and it would be insulting to compare it to any other brews. That being said, I have decided to add a new feature to the blog - a review of the pints of Guinness that I have at different bars. As any self respecting Guinness drinker knows, pouring a good pint of Guinness takes a lot of experience, hard work and dedication. No two Guinness will ever taste the same because of the different factors that play into how the Guinness tastes after settling into that cozy pint glass. What temperature is the keg stored at? Are the tap lines clean? Was the Guinness poured correctly so that it settles perfectly? Was your elbow up high enough while drinking? (see link below for clarification on that) Any one of these factors being off can cause one of the most terrible tragedies in the world occurring - a bad Guinness. Really, this is a search for the "perfect pint of Guinness", which most people will tell you can only be found in Ireland. Hey, if enough of you keep reading this maybe I can throw some ads on here to pay for my trip there and let you all know...

For my first Guinness review, we come to Tierney's Tavern located on Valley Road in Montclair, NJ. This old Irish bar has been around forever and is the perfect spot to start off the search for the perfect pint. As you can see in the picture, the pour was near perfection, leaving a nice white head above the pool of dark goodness after settling. I closely watched the bartender and he properly poured the Guinness close to the harp on the glass, before letting it sit for a minute or so and then topping it off. The taste was also near perfection- bitter like it should be, but at the same time very smooth and refreshing on a warm summer night. The ambiance at Tierney's also helps this pint taste that much better, as you'd be hard pressed to find a better Irish bar in all of New Jersey. Since this is our first stop, Tierney's is the default leader, but this pint is going to be very tough to beat. The pour, taste and ambiance make Tierney's a very strong candidate for THE PERFECT PINT!

If your curious on how to pour the perfect Guinness, see the below link. After entering your age, select "How to Pour a Perfect Guinness Stout" and remember - keep that elbow up!

Pouring the perfect pint of Guinness

Sam Adams Summer Ale

This is one of my "must do's" for the summer - having a Sam Adams Summer Ale on the deck at Moby's in Highlands. Sam Summer isn't my favorite summer beer, but for some reason when drinking it on tap and out of a plastic cup while watching the boats go under the bridge by Sandy Hook it tastes absolutely delicious. It's very smooth and easy to drink, especially in the summer and has a great lemony taste to it. It's not overly lemony, but has just enough lemon flavor to make it a very refreshing summer brew to enjoy on the beach, by the bay or anywhere the sun is shining and the cooler is filled with ice.

Bud Heavy

I try not to review "mainsteam" beers, but when I saw this can I had no choice. A special thanks to Billy Cerruti for providing me with this great 12oz aluminum beauty. The beer itself isn't bad for throwing down all year round, but its especially great when sitting outside on a warm day listening to country music and discussing how the South can still win the Civil War. Overall, a solid beer to drink when having more than a few, and it tastes 10 times better in this patriotic can. God Bless America!!

Firestone Walker Double Jack IPA

This unbelievable Double IPA is by far the best IPA I have ever had and may be the best beer I've ever drank as well. It is in a league of its own. Today, I enjoyed it on tap in a pint glass, but I've also had it out of a 22oz bottle and either way it is absolutely delicious. Double Jack has a very strong smell of hops, but also a distinct scent of citrusy goodness, giving it a very unique and delightful aroma. At first sip it hits you with a ton of amazing hops, but then balances out the bitterness with delicious fruity nodes unlike any other beer I've ever had. The only way to describe it is literally - perfection. It definitely kicks you on your ass a bit (one pint of these and you already have your buzz going), but it never has that strong alcohol taste that some doubles have. I recommend it to anyone with a mouth and tastebuds because I'm not sure how anyone can't like this beer.

Stoudt's Double IPA

After having my softball game canceled due to rain, I decided to sit back with a Stoudt's Double IPA and enjoy the Yankees game. This gem is part of Stoudt's "Big Beers" series and at 10% alcohol it's definitely worthy of the name. It has a beautiful orangey color (see picture above) and a really interesting hoppy/citrusy aroma that is delightful to the nose. At first taste it's a bit overbearing in bitterness and when the maltiness kicks in late so does a slight taste of alcohol, but this should be expected from a double IPA. After a few more sips my taste buds adjusted to the strong taste and I thoroughly enjoyed the hops and citrusy nodes in this "big beer". Stoudt's did a great job of keeping this one balanced and very drinkable considering it has a high alcohol content and a ton of flavor coming from everywhere. I can't say it's my favorite double (that one will be reviewed sometime in the near future), but it definitely is worth a look for any of you serious hop heads.

Harpoon IPA

Up in Massachusetts for my cousin's high school grad party (shout out to Kate) and was treated to New England's own Harpoon IPA. I have had this fantastic IPA many times, but I have to review it because it is one of my favorites. It's one of a few IPAs that I can say is great for drinking at any event, at any time of year and it won't kick you completely on your ass. Its packed with some great hops, but isn't overbearing and is perfect for drinking during summer BBQing. The floral aroma and nodes give it a very enjoyable taste and make it very drinkable. I'd definitely recommend Harpoon IPA for those of you who haven't tried many IPAs yet and want to make the leap, or if your a IPA lover and want one you can drink all day or night. This round's on me, cheers guys!

Upland Brewing Co. Wheat Ale

Also bought this one off the guy from Indiana parked next to me. I'm really not a fan of wheat ales, but this one isn't bad. If you like wheat ales you'd probably like this one and I recommend giving it a look if you can find it. Overall, I had a great experience with the people next to us who were supporting Upland so if you're ever in Indiana, look it up and give it a shot.

Upland Brewing Co. Dragonfly IPA

I bought this one off the couple parked next to me who are from Indiana and follow Phish around the country selling Upland Brewing Co. beers. The label is pretty cool, but the beer itself lacks hops. It could stem from the fact that the Silent Pete IPA I had before this was really a double IPA and packed a ton of hops, but either way I was slightly disappointed that this lacked the hops I was looking for sorry Upland in Indiana but I'm going to have to say its not worth trying.

Laughing Dog Brewing Sneaky Pete Imperial IPA

Found this one as a single at Total Wine in West Orange. Great IPA. Packed with a ton of hops but not overbearing, even in this summer heat. It doesn't separate itself totally from some of the great IPAs I've had, but if you see it in the store its definitely worth a look. Plus the brewery is located in Idaho and when have you had a beer from Idaho?

Green Flash Brewing Co. Hop Head Red Ale

This one caught my eye in the store because of the huge HOP HEAD on the label. I proudly call myself a hop head and figured I had to give it a shot. One word - AMAZING. Tons of hops, but not too many to make it overly bitter and take away from the fact that it is a Red Ale and not an IPA. This is by far the best Red Ale I've ever had and probably in my top 10 of all time beers. I suggest you find this one immediately, I got it at Total Wine in West Orange. Green Flash Brewing Co. Is located in San Diego County, CA and I will definitely be checking out more of their beers. Good stuff.

On a side note, I just bought 2 beers from a guy dragging a cooler around the parking lot. Both are from a brewery in Indiana. Stay tuned for my reviews of them.

Leinenkugel Summer Shandy

Hello from scenic Camden and happy Friday! Its 85 degrees and sunny here with a 100% chance that ill be surrounded by hippies within an hour.
My first beer of the day is one that I usually wouldn't pick up at the store since I'm not big on lemony summer beers, but at the suggestion of my sister-in-law Mary Beth I bought a 12-pack of Leinenkugel Summer Shandy last night. Surprisingly, it is pretty damn good. They actually sell these in 12-packs of cans or bottles so of course I opted for the cans since rarely do you find these kind of beers in cans. The can keeps it a little fresher and it has a very crisp and refreshing taste, perfect for a hot day in the summer. It doesn't have that disgusting fake lemony taste that some summer beers have and it also has a good beer taste to it rather than bordering on being a Mikes Hard Lemonade. I'd definitely recommend it to try if you're going to be sitting outside on a hot summer day in the sun, especially for the ladies. Word of warning - this is a seasonal beer out only in the summer so it'll probably be hard to find once August rolls around, if not before that since seasonal beers usually come out a month or so before the actual season starts. Drink up!

Here it is!

After much brain storming, I finally came up with a name and design for this thing. Still not sure about the design, but it'll probably change multiple times anyway. First reviews on the blog should be here within a few hours- leaving for Phish concert in Camden within the hour and the cooler is packed with a few new beers that I'll be trying out. I also plan on throwing some posts on here about my home brewing experiences once I figure out what beer to make next. Comments and recommendations are always welcome. Cheers guys!