Carton Brewing Company Red Rye Returning

I also had this rye ale on tap at Brickwall during Bingo and really enjoyed it.  It was much darker in color than I expected, pouring a dark brown with a reddish tint rather than a true red color.  The aroma was very pleasant - typical rye scent but with some delicious hops coming through strong.  Taste was also very delightful, with some earthy piney hops up front before the spiciness of the rye kicked in leading to a strong, but not too strong, hoppy finish.  At this point I can't say that I don't like rye beers since I think I've said that in the last 3 rye beer reviews I did before saying how great the beer was.  I've come to enjoy these hoppy rye beers because the spiciness of the rye does well when combined with some delicious hops.  This rye ale also had a slight sweet taste to it that I couldn't get my head around, but tasted like it could be caramel.  A really nice beer from Carton Brewing Company, which is located in Atlantic Highlands, NJ.  I hope to get over there for a weekend tour very soon.

Magic Hat Vinyl

This American Amber/Red Lager is a spring seasonal for Magic Hat that I had on tap at Brickwall Tavern in Asbury Park.  As a side note, while there today they had Bingo which was being run by a fully dressed Leprechaun ... awesome.  As for the beer, it was a dark red/brown color with a small head on top.  The smell was mostly toasted malt, nothing great.  Taste was very toasty with some nodes of caramel mixed in a a very distant fruity flavor that I may have been imagining because I didn't taste it in every sip.  It also had some nuttiness to it that came and went just like the fruity flavor.  Finish had some hops that were mostly earthy, but gave a nice balance to the toasted malt.  It was a solid beer that was nicely balanced, but didn't blow me away at all.  Worth a try if you see it on tap and there's nothing else intriguing.

Kane Brewing Company Imperial IPA

Oh hello there! We stopped into Kane Brewing Company on Saturday for their regular 12-5 tasting hours and got to try out their newest beer - an Imperial IPA. It checks in at around 8% abv, a boost up from their regular Head High IPA which is around 6%. It poured a burnt orangey brown, but looked a little bit lighter than the Head High I think. It had a nice head and left some lacing in the small tasting glass. It looked the same when I poured it out of the growler I got to go today as well. Smell was VERY hoppy with some sweet scents that were a little more floral and earthy than the citrusy ones that I remember from the Head High. Taste was similar, hops at front, followed by some earthy nodes, before finishing with some over the top hoppiness that leaves a delicious finish. I also thought I there was some citrus flavor in there, but was definitely more floral and earthy. Since Head High has mostly grapefruit and other citrus flavors, I thought this Imperial IPA would be a beefed up version of it, but it definitely wasn't. The Imperial has its own distinct flavor to it and packs a ton of hops. I was surprised in a good way by this and really enjoyed it. Although I find Head High to be much more drinkable in the long haul, this was a very solid Imperial IPA that had a flavor that was more than just hoppy bitterness and made me want more. Another great beer from Kane.

Tequesta Brewing Company Review

Tequesta Brewing Company is located in Tequesta, FL which is on the southern east coast of Florida. Unfortunately I lost all of my reviews of the various beers at TBC because of a technical issue with my Blackberry, but I still am going to try to give some short descriptions of the beers that we sampled there last weekend based on what I remember. Overall, the place was great. We visited the brewery back in January 2011 on the weekend that it opened and it's great to see that the place is doing well over one year later. According to some people at the bar, they actually have more demand than they can fill, which is a good problem to have.

I wish I took some pictures of the bar and inside of the brewery, but even if I did they would have been lost so it doesn't matter. The brewery is located in a strip mall and has a cafe next door where you can order food and have it delivered over to the brewery if you're hungry. The brewery has a really nice long, straight bar on the right side of it that stretches down towards the back where the large vats and brewing equipment is set up. There's also a few tables set up on the left side of the brewery opposite the bar, and some couches back past the bar. It's a cool place to watch a game since they have a few TVs scattered around. As for the beers..

Gnarly Barley American Pale Ale - I already reviewed this one when I had it on tap at a restaurant in Juipter, FL, but I'll say again that it was delicious. Such a well balanced beer that packs some great hops. Definitely my favorite out of all the different ones I had.

Honey Rye - I'm not really a fan of rye beers, but this one wasn't bad. It has a slight honey taste to it and some hops in the finish, but still had that same taste that all rye beers have which I don't like. Not bad, but not one of my favorites

Honey Rye in Oak Aged Barrel - I liked this one better than the regular Honey Rye that was on tap. Was a lot less carbonated and had a thicker mouthful to it. I also thought that it was a little hoppier and had a nicer honey base to it.

Hoppy Amber - I really like this one, had a strong smell to it of hops, caramel and some citrus. Taste was caramel malt and finished with some really delicious hops. Like the Gnarly Barley, it was really well balanced and easy to drink even though it had a lot of hops to it. Probably my second favorite.

Der Chancellor - This is one of the beers that TBC distributes to the local bars so I saw this one on tap at a bunch of places. It's a German Kolsch which isn't one of my favorite styles, but I actually enjoyed this one. It was bright yellow in color and had a malty yeast smell to it which made me think I wouldn't like it, but the taste was very nice. Mostly floral, bready and citrusy with some nice hops kicking in late. It's definitely a good beer for a Florida brewery to make because it'd be perfect for the summer since it's a bit lighter, but not too light and fruity.

Julio's Weizen (German Hefeweizen) - TBC rotates which hefeweizen beer they have on tap and calls them all Julio's Weizen, but the one I had was a typical German hefeweizen according to our bartender. It came out looking like a Blue Moon with an orangey golden color, citrusy aroma and an orange on the rim of the glass. The taste was pretty typical with orange and yeast being prominent in the taste, but it did have a bit of hoppiness to it that was unexpected. Again, not one of my favorite styles of beer, but the hops and balance of it made it quite enjoyable.

The other beer that TBC usually has is their Terminally Ale which is an American Brown Ale, but unfortunately they did not have any on the day that I went (which is why I got two kinds of the Honey Rye). I think that the most impressive part of their beers is that they are all really well balanced. None of them overpower you with either malt or hops, even the hoppier Gnarly Barley and Hoppy Amber Ale. While I would've liked to have an IPA or stout in the mix, I actually enjoyed the kolsch and hefeweizen beers that they had which is usually not the case for me. If you're ever in the Tequesta area I'd highly recommend checking out TBC, especially during Happy Hour where the beers are less than $4 which is a steal. Check them out at the link below. CHEERS!

Tequesta Brewing Company

Tequesta Brewing Company Video

A rainy day in Southern Florida means a trip to Tequesta Brewing Company

Born 2 Brew at Tequesta Brewing Company

Tequesta Brewing Company Gnarly Barley American Pale Ale

I was going to wait and review all Tequesta Brewing Company beers when I visit the brewery itself tomorrow in Tequesta, FL but this beer is so delicious that I couldn't stop myself from proclaiming its greatness. I had it on tap at Maxi's Lineup in Jupiter and it poured a delicious dark burnt orange with a really good head that didn't disappear at all. Smell was very hoppy and the taste was citrusy goodness with a bit of earthy hops in there. It really tasted like an IPA to me and had a good malt base to it that was just strong enough to balance out the hops but let them do their magic and create a delicious beer. This is by far the best beer I've had since I got in Florida and may be the best new beer I've had in 2012.

Inlet Brewing Company Monk in the Trunk Organic Amber Ale

Got a bottle of this at Captain Charlie's Reef Grill in Juno Beach, FL. It says that its from Inlet Brewing Company in Jupiter, FL, but then specifies this in fine print by saying its actually brewed by another brewery in South Carolina for Inlet Brewing. Kinda weak to have someone else brew your beer. The bottle design is pretty sick with a monk standing with a glass of beer in his hand in a field of wheat with the Jupiter light house behind him. It poured a dark amber with a nice head on top that lasted throughout. Smell was sweet malt and yeast like a Belgian Abbey style beer. Taste was sweet malt with some slight spices mixed in and a yeasty finish with some hops. It tasted like a typical Belgian beer with lots of yeast which aren't my favorite types of beer. Overall, an Ok beer with a cool label on the bottle. Nothing great though.