MEMOIRS OF AN ORDINARY WOMAN: Breweries 2016

Sunday, January 1, 2017

Breweries 2016

1. 7 Locks Brewery- MD- this place is just a big, old warehouse that is welcoming and conducive to trying out good beers. There are games available to keep you busy and to keep you there.
2. Avery Brewery- CO- this place had about 30 different types of beer. I was with friends who are not craft beer drinkers so I could not spend the amount of time I would have liked to spend here. I would have preferred to spend the afternoon there and just try one beer after another. I did try four different IPA’s and each one was distinctly unique from the other.
3. Ellicott City- MD- this place has the atmosphere of a local pub. There are about five or six beers on tap. It’s neighborhood atmosphere makes this place an enjoyable experience/
4. Evolution- MD- I should have gone to the tasting room to try tasty beers. Instead, I went to the restaurant where everyone was too busy to talk about their very tasty beers
5. High Altitude- WY- Whenever I go to a brewery, I look for the IPAs first. Much to my surprise, my waiter whispered that the IPA isn’t the best he’s ever had. I appreciated his honesty. I didn’t order an IPA but I did like what I had.
6. Peabody- MD- I went in to this brewery with the intent of drinking their beer only to discover that I ordered four samples of beer from a different brewery. I don’t know what their beer tastes like but I liked the atmosphere of this place and I plan to go back.
7. Ulellee- Tampa, FL- it appears to me that this place only offers their own beer so that they can claim to be a craft brewery. They do not seem to have any real interest in their beers as they all tasted the same to me.
8. Rail Road Brewery- PA- I went here for my birthday dinner. The place is huge and very, very nice. It’s in a small town and it looks as if the owners want to make this a large venue place. There is a huge room on the second floor. It could accommodate a wedding. I would love to go here for a yearly beer festival of some sort. With all this space, I would certainly meet other beer kooks.
9. Dunkin- FL- we went here on a Saturday night and the place was packed. Because of the crowd, I couldn’t get a sampler. But I did have an oatmeal stout and it was delicious.
10. Madison Brewery- VT- I went here three years ago and didn’t realize it was a brewery. I went back there twice this spring and still enjoyed it. I had an ale and it was perfect for a cool, spring night. My beer slipped out of my hand and splattered a little. I went to clean up my mess and a waitress came running over to intervene on my behalf. And then, there was another waiter right behind her and he had a fresh pour for me. Now, that is great service.
11. Ironhill Brewery- DE- I always like to come to this brew pub. They have standards that never let me down. And then there are seasonal beers to try as well. I particularly like their Vanilla Porter and go out of my way to drop by on a regular basis to get my fill of the porter.
12. J. Wells Brewery- CO- set in a little warehouse kiosk, this pub serves only beers. So don’t come hungry. There is no ambience to this place but my $6 bar bill explained why no money went in to decorating this small, low-key place.
13. BRU Bolder- CO- “I’m really proud of our beers.” I love to hear a waiter tell me that. We sat at the bar of this very small place and chatted up the server. I liked everything I drank.
14. Asher Brewery- CO- Good beers and a friendly atmosphere. It’s a really small place, just a few bar stools up front. But there is a game room in the back that could occupy your time if youwanted to spend a few hours here.
15. Ship Bottom brewery- NJ- this place is small. The brewery and the tasting room were one in the same. We had to start with a brewing tour before we could be served. This apparently is state law. Then we had to struggle to find a seat and had to read from a glaring blackboard to see what was offered. There were no descriptions of the beer so we had ordered blindly. I ordered two IPAs and could not distinguish one from the other. The atmosphere was noisy, crowded and hectic. I just wanted to drink my beer and get out of there.
16. Kalispell Brewing-MT- this is a very small, friendly place. I went there mid-afternoon, when most people are still at work. But there were a few people at the bar.
17. The Great Northern Brewing Company, MT- there is a restaurant on teh second floor but it was the corner bar on the first floor that captured my attention. This is where the beer kooks congraggted to drink beer and compare notes. It wasn’t long before I was sharing my selection of beers with complete strangers. The man sitting beside me preferred sours and I preferred my IPAs so we encouraged the other to break out and try something different. This is where the locals popped in to fill their growlers and offer suggestions of favorites. This is where the bartender told us what was up next on the brewing schedule. As I said, this is where the beer kooks hung.
18. Backslope Brewing, MT- there is nothing fancy to this place. It’s a bar/restaurant and there is a large selection of beers to try. It’s got a great location which made it a busy place in the late afternoon as people who were headed home from work but just wanted to have a quick beer or two. It must do a great business on weekends because this is the only place that has a sign which lays out the state law on consumption.
19. Flathead Lake Brewing, MT- it was a rainy day when we ventured in to the place so it was a comfortable place to escape. I think we tried 8 beers and my favorite was a ginger beer.
20. Glacier Brewery- MT
21. Dock Street Brewery, Philadelphia- I stopped in for a beer just because of the name of the beer: pathological logger. It is a beer named after Donald Trump. The beer is an ale and it’s only called the lager as a point of irony. I’ve been to this brewery many times and will continue to go here to enjoy the beers and atmosphere.
22. Boxcar- West Chester- I went here with my niece on a Sunday afternoon in the midst of football season and the place was empty. It should have been hopping. The beer is great and reasonable. I liked my food. Good service and plenty of room for plenty of people.
23. Casca Brewery- Berwyn, PA- I had a cask porter that I liked. Twelve beers are on tap. I didn’t notice a lot of difference from one beer to the other. There was no IPA so I was a little lost on choices.
24. Bethlehem Brewery- I was rushed through this visit because it was on the tail end of a funeral. No one was in the mood to be here. But I liked this place. It has a nice variety of beers. There are several events to engage all sort of drinkers. The bartenders were friendly. The food was good. It’s in an accessible location. Go check it out.
25. Sterling Pig- PA