Stonehenge is full of mystery.  Massive stacked rocks that are clearly rough cut, and stacked to form a circle of precision.  Each of the boulders used to make the pillars and caps weigh between five and ten tons, and were placed here long before cranes and pulleys were invented, and since they don’t know the […]

Olmecs, Toltecs and Aztecs, oh my! Everybody thinks that life was so hard back in ancient Mexico. There was the unforgiving jungle, murderous rituals and no cable television.  But they had beer, so how hard could it really have been? New Holland‘s El Mole Ocho isn’t a recreation of a historical brew like Dogfish Head’s […]

Here is the obstructed view I had of the stage at Mulate’s a New Orleans institution for Cajun food and fare.  I am in New Orleans for a national convention of planners and to give a presentation.  My presentation was completed on Sunday, so Monday and Tuesday are devoted to conference sessions, and well, getting […]

Don might be the one spending the week in New Orleans (I hope he takes lots of pictures, ’cause I don’t think he’ll remember much), but that doesn’t mean I can’t get a little taste of black magic up here in New Jersey.  In this case I’m talking about the Voodoo Brewing Company’s bodacious oak […]

The other night I went out to a little Italian Bistro in of all places Clarkston, Washington.  For those of you that know Clarkston you know that comparing it to Venice, Italy is like comparing apples to race cars.  You can’t get farther away from the spirit of Italy than the small town of Clarkston, […]

Are you kidding me?  This is the best I can do?  Its pretty DARN good?  WTF?  Well let me tell you a little about my week, and perhaps you will cut me a little slack for this somewhat uninspired post.  OK, first I started my week by driving for about 8 hours through a spring […]

Okay, it’s confession time.  There are some beers that I’ll drink even though they go against most everything I believe in when it comes to beer.  Leinenkugel’s Summer Shandy is a great example, as it combines an uninspired wheat beer (not my favorite style) with lemonade (don’t fruit the beer!) to create a summertime treat […]

What happened?  IPAs used to be cool.  Their strong, bitter, in your face style was for the serious beer drinker.  Someone who wanted to wake up after a night out smelling of cigarettes and not sure who, or what was in the bed beside them.  What happened?…Indeed.  See we are becoming a nation of watered […]

You know, over at Thank Heaven for Beer they periodically post a picture and ask what kind of beer do these guys drink, and judging from this picture of the band Warrant back in the 80’s (their hair band heyday) I’d say Miller Lite.  See there is a bottle of Bacardi Black rum on the […]

In some ways, Milwaukee is the spiritual home of the Beer & Whiskey Brothers. You see, our parents were born and raised there, and they love the place so much they retired there.  Don and I have scores of cousins and aunts and uncles in those parts as well, and there’s something about the place […]

You know I love these stupid places.  I’ve seen the worlds largest buffalo somewhere in North Dakota…walked right under his testicles!  I’ve also made a pilgrimage to the worlds largest six pack  in LaCrosse, Wisconsin.  I have a picture of my wife and oldest son in a stroller, maybe that is why I can’t get him off […]

When my brother sent me this bottle of Brooklyn Brewery’s Black Chocolate Stout I was thinking, I hope I don’t have to eat my words.  You see back when we started this blog Jim’s first ever post was about a Sam Adams Chocolate Bock, and he said it wasn’t that good.  Then, being the wise […]

Man there was a lot going on in this beer!  It was perhaps one of the most interesting brews I have ever drank, and that perhaps isn’t saying too much, because I’m still relatively new to this whole beer review thing.  For example my Brother Jim has swilled down many more pints in his day […]

Normally one would think being brought to your senses by an enormous furry beast like the sasquatch would be a rude awakening indeed, possibly involving a ripped tent and a soiled sleeping bag.  But in my case, it was a very pleasant experience.  Of course the beast I refer to was from a bottle, it […]

I don’t really understand why Lagunitas decided to name their excellent ale the “Hairy Eyeball.”  See the phrase giving someone the Hairy Eyeball is used to indicate skepticism, or disapproval.  Well this beer was very good, and was so from the first sniff to the last drink, and everywhere in between.  So why the name? […]