Day 6 ~ Ballast Point Calico Amber Ale

What a crazy busy day!  This is going to be a quick blog because it's late and I'm tired!

Day # 6 left us a great surprise from Craft Beer Cellar in Brandon with Ballast Point's Calico Copper Amber Ale.  This rated pretty high on my rankings, I thought it was great and the color was a coppery red, very pretty.... I've decided beer is pretty :)

Ballast Point.....This is one reason I'm glad that on Day 2 I started to do a bit of research about these beers.  Even though I know it's not, at very first sight of a Ballast Point beer, I assumed it was from Tampa.  I mean, we have a Ballast Point, and I have friends that live on Ballast Point Blvd!  But, it actually refers to a number of geographical locations.

This particular Ballast Point started in an apartment at UCLA (I mean, college is for something, right?!  I think they've done well!)

Ballast Point's logo appears to have changed about 8 times since their existence began in 1996, different fonts, different colors but one thing has remained the same.  The picture in their logo is a sextant.  A sextant is a navigational tool used to measure a star's angle relative to the horizon.  For the guys at Ballast Point Brewing it's a constant reminder to keep on their journey, seeking new ideas, new flavors and new people with whom to share their beer and spirits.  Yes, I said Spirits....there's more to this spot than beer!

Ballast Point also has a line of distilled products.  How about some Three Sheets Rum (yum!) in regular, barrel aged and spiced (my favorite kind of rum, but I've never had this one)!  They also have gin, vodka, whiskey Liqueur, canned cocktails and mixers...holy line of product!  They have it all (except wine??!)

Let's talk about the beer though!  Calico Copper Amber Ale was excellent!  It was a bit hoppy, but it is an ale...and I thought it had great flavor.  Todd score this one a 4 and thought it was similar to an IPA.

Beer Advocate says it's an American Amber/Red Ale at 5.50% alcohol content.  They score this one an 86 which ranks "very good" for them.  The other reviews I read indicate it is hoppy with more of an IPA feel than an Amber, yet most people seemed to enjoy it.

If you want to venture into IPA this might be a good starting point?! :) I made that up, but hey--try it!  It's worth it!

Want to buy some?!  Well, guess where you can go?  Craft Beer Cellar in Brandon of course!  Have you checked out their website yet?  Here's the link:  https://www.craftbeercellar.com/brandon/

Want to sample a bit before you commit to purchasing?  Check out these local spots for a taste~ World of Beer Tampa (on Fowler) and The Flying Pig Taphouse on Central in St. Pete.

Here's the picture!!  See y'all tomorrow!

Day 5 ~ Estaminet Premium Pils

Happy Saturday!  It's the first Saturday in December and I really need to get a jump on shopping!

Today's selection was another Belgium selection, this time in the Pilsner family, Estaminet Premium Pils is a Euro Pale Lager.  Todd gave this one 4 starts but I only gave it about 2.75.  Untappd average was 3.11

Apparently I'm not a pilsner fan, it seemed watery to me but the color was a blonde and it just didn't have as much flavor as the rest of the beers we've tried so far.  That being said, the glass is empty! :)

So let's visit this a little further.... I learned that this beer made its US debut in 2011, and it debuted in TAMPA!  This beer is brewed by Palm Breweries and JJ Taylor Distributors was chosen because of Tampa's progressive outlook on beer and because JJ Taylor is one of the best specialty beer distributors in the company.  Go Tampa!

This beer is brewed with a Saaz Hops which is the main hops variety used in brewing Stella Artois.

Beer Advocate rates this the lowest so far that we've seen in our 5 days, at a 79.

An interesting story on their website in regard to the name of the beer....

In the 16th century the Catholic Spanish army marched into the Low Countries (Belgium, the Netherlands, Luxembourg and certain parts of Northern France) to do battle against advancing Protestantism. The Spanish soldiers, led by Alva, had a keen eye for inns offering a pleasant stay, with delicious drinks, tasty meals and a friendly atmosphere. The lively serving wenches were an added attraction. That’s why “esta minetta” (“there are girls”) became a code name for the preferred inns.

That made me giggle, I bet lively serving wenches weren't all that was in those Inns! :) 

Maybe I wasn't generous enough on my stars, I had wine earlier and maybe that clouded my judgement but it definitely wasn't as good as the first few!  We have 19 more days though!  I'm going with the best part of this being that it made it to the US through Tampa!

Here's the photo, I really like the label, it's distinguished looking to me.  

Want to try this one?  You know where to go to grab a bottle or two to bring home.  Want to try it out.... you can visit The Tap Room at the Hollander in St. Petersburg.

See y'all tomorrow!!!

Advent Beer Box ~ Day 2 Two Brothers Wobble India Pale Ale

December 2nd!

Day two brings us another nice selection from Craft Beer Cellar in Brandon.  Tonight we enjoyed Two Brothers Wobble IPA.

Todd's not a big fan of IPA's because they tend to be more on the 'hoppy' side.  Typical hops (the flowers of the plant Humulus Lupulus are primarily used as a stabilizing agent for beer and give beer a bitter, tangy flavor...here's a picture of compressed hops

.

Todd scored tonight's selection a 3.5 on our '5-star scale' simply because he's not a fan of IPA's.  He did say it was definitely drinkable but one was enough.

I thought it was pretty good but I'm also not sure if I could drink more than one (mind you I had three sips of this one!)

The color was pretty and the label, well....reminded me a bit of my office logo!  First I said it was a boring logo, until Todd reminded me that it should look faintly familiar!  Whooops!

Here's the bottle (a full 12 oz tonight!) and the glass from tonight:

Let's talk about the beer and the brewery!

Beer Advocate tells us tonight that this beer is Brewed by Two Brothers Brewing Company in Illinois.  It's an American IPA with 6.3% Alcohol content.  Beer Advocate score this one an 87.  A few of these could make you Wobble!!

A quick search of Two Brothers Brewing's Facebook page tells me they are a family owned and operated craft brewery in the western suburbs of Chicago.  Their story on their "About" page on Facebook is pretty cool.  Check it out!  

Per their website (www.twobrothersbrewing.com) They also brew a French Country Ale, A Prarie Path Ale that appears to be Gluten free (I think that's pretty cool!), Ebel's Weiss, and a few more...if I tell you all of them you won't go to their website!  One thing I thought sounded pretty good, Peppermint Bark Porter.  I'm not sure about a porter style, they tend to be really heavy, but um, peppermint bark....HELLO!

Want to try Wobble IPA local?  You can pick some up at Craft Beer Cellar in Brandon or you can head over to The Mermaid Tavern on Nebraska in Tampa.  Want to try Peppermint Bark Porter (I do!)  Head over to Brass Tap at Wiregrass Mall in Brandon or Palm Harbor House of Beer in Palm Harbor!  If you do, get me one to go!

Want to know how I know that?!  Come back tomorrow and I'll tell you!

Night Night!