344. New Belgium Coconut Curry Hefeweizen

The beer itself tastes pretty good, aside from the fact that I get ZERO COCONUT FLAVOR.  

There's some good spice, and it goes down nice and smooth. But when you put coconut in the title, that's what I want. I'll enjoy this one, but never drink it again. 

343. BrewDog Hardcore IPA

Wow.

Flavor, and lots of it. It's thick, not something to drink fast. It's a small drinker, that leaves a great flavor on my lips and in its aftertaste. Not something I would drink a lot of, but I could enjoy one a day. 

342. BrewDog 5a.m. Saint

A very delicious and flavorful red ale. Nice and smooth with no bitter and a sweet aftertaste. Really enjoyable.

341. Ommegang Hennepin

Sticking with my current obsession with this New York Belgian Brewery, this beer is recommended by my buddy Ryan Miller who says it's currently one of his favorite beers. 

And it is good. Smooth and easy to drink, goes down very light and simple. Simple is a good way to describe it, because there isn't a whole lot of flavor to this one, but the subtle Grains of Paradise taste is just enough to make it enjoyable and not overally complex. Definitely an above average Saison beer. 

340. Ommegang Gnomegang

After trying Ommegang's delicious Quadrupel last night, I felt like I needed to try another one of their beers. The fact that this is a co-brew with a Belgian brewery really interested me. 

Sadly, it's just ok in my opinion. Lots of flavor, but it might be too much. The more and more I drink it, the more I accept it's flavors, but I'm still enjoying it very much. It's not bad, it is drinkable, but I won't be going out of my way to drink it again. 

339. Triton Barrel Aged Sour Bin Belgian Pale Ale

With my newfound enjoyment of Sour Ales, I'm really enjoying this!  Smooth and easy to drink, wonderful sour flavor. Really nice!

338. Triton 500 Monks Belgian Strong Ale

It's good, but nothing special. Less flavor than I expected. It is smooth and goes down fine, just not a lot to it. 

337. Triton Nobody's F'Alt

Part Alt, Part Oktoberfest?

I gave it a try, but I didn't really care for the flavors. It has a lot of flavor to it, but I just don't care for them. They don't appeal to my pallet. 

336. Triton Gingerbread Brown Ale

I didn't like it at first sip, but as the flavor sinks in, it gets a lot better. The lingering aftertaste is a little odd, but not bad.

I could see myself enjoying this around the holidays with some gingerbread cookies. 

335. Four Horseman Irish Stout

One of the better stouts I've ever hard. Nice and smooth. Enjoyable. Some bitter, but not terrible. 

334. Ommegang Three Philosophers

Ryan Miller texted me earlier to let me know he bought himself a Quadrupel today. This inspired me to get one for myself. I can only think of one other Quad that I've ever had. 

Miller and I are also keeping an eye on this brewery because of their "Game of Thrones" inspired beers. 

333. Goose Island Lolita

Delicious.

Wonderfully strong aromas. 

Deliciously sour taste. 

So smooth. So worth it. 

I love it. 

And like a true Lolita, this beer is orgasmic!!!

Officially ONE THIRD of the way to my goal!!!!!!

332. Kentucky Pumpkin Barrel Ale

Much like New Belguim's Pumpkick, the pumpkin is very subtle - and I like that. You get a perfect amount of pumpkin up front and then that wonderful bourbon taste finishes it off. Nice and smooth, I really enjoy it. 

331. Flying Dog Snake Dog IPA

This is probably one of the IPAs that originally made me think I didn't like them. Not a fan of this beer, too bitter for me. 

330. Mad Anthony Brewing Company IPA

Full bodied and lots of bitterness. Not the flavor I tend to enjoy. From the moment it hits my tongue, it excites no other sense on my tongue but bitterness. Not something I want to drink again. Far too bitter with no good flavors behind it. 

329. Three Floyd's Munsterfest

Delicious beer. Smooth going down, with some amazing flavors all around. Complex, with multiple delicious flavors. It leaves my mouth with a dry taste, which only makes me want to drink more.

One of the best I've ever hard from Three Floyd's. Delicious. 

328. Black Sheep Brewery Monty Python's Holy Grail Ale

I had this a few years ago, but somehow it didn't make the First 152 List. So, it was the perfect excuse to have another one.

Great flavor from top to bottom.  Really delicious all around, I very much enjoy this beer. Someday, I'll buy a bunch of them and drink them while I watch the movie!

327. Victory Prima Pils

Great smell, bitter taste. Full flavored pilsner, taste lingers for a while before it subsides.

Tonight, I was watching last night's episode of "Brew Dogs" and they were in Philly, working with Victory Brewing, so I decided it was a good night to pull this beer out and try it. 

326. Kona Brewery Fire Rock

The final all-year Kona that I hadn't tried. Very bold, hoppy flavor up front and it finishes really smooth. But, there's just nothing special about it. It's not bad, but not memorable.

325. Sam Adams Tasman Red

Good flavor, nice hops, minor bitter, tastes great. The aftertaste is a little odd, but still an enjoyable beer.

324. New Albanian Brewing Hoosier Daddy

With Hoosier Hysteria going on tonight, I thought this would be the perfect beer for the night. And since my former boss - Kyle Gilliatt - is one of the biggest IU Basketball fans I know, I felt like it was only appropriate to use my Spot Mug. 

The beer is nice, smooth, and creamy going down with a very enticing aroma. Sadly, it finishes with a lot of bitterness that I'm just not a fan of. Doesn't seem to fit with how refreshing it starts. 

323. Rogue Ales Voodoo Doughnut Bacon Maple Ale

It smells AMAZING - it smells like a full plate if breakfast. With my eyes closed, I would swear a stack of pancakes were in front of me.

It tastes ok. The smell is wonderful, I just don't get any bacon flavor until the aftertaste. The maple is present throughout, and that's okay. I was nice to try, but nothing I will have to go out of my way to have again. 

322. Weihenstephaner Oktoberfestbier

Another smooth and delicious Oktoberfest bier. Drinks quick and easy, then leaves a nice lingering full flavor in my mouth. Very enjoyable. 

321. Urban Chestnut Zwickel

Very, very good German beer!  Nice and drinkable, with wonderful fruity flavors that accent each other well. Goes down good, and leaves a wonderful flavor. I enjoy this beer very much.

320. New Holland Ichabod

Josh Lough tried to convince me that this was better than New Belguim's Pumpkick. I don't think it's better, but it is a really good Pumpkin Beer. Good flavor, nice taste, just not as smooth as the Pumpkick. Possibly more flavor, definitely more bitterness. But the pumpkin is still very prominent (coming from a guy who doesn't like pumpkin, but deals with it for the love of beer).

319. Summit Brewing Sága IPA

Lots of great flavors, dances all over the tongue. This is one of the beers that is convincing me I like IPAs more than I thought I did. 

318. Three Wise Men Oktoberfest

Another Oktoberfest!  Nice, smooth, good flavor. Not as heavy as most others. Goes down great, just lacking flavor on the back end. Still, very enjoyable.

145. Three Floyds Robert the Bruce

This beer was on the original list, but Joe's Grille just added it, and I really like it, so I decided to have it tonight and add the photo. Three Floyd's beers are always bold - which them hit-or-miss with me, but I love this one from top to bottom, great flavor on the front and back.

317. Fountain Square Backyard Porter

It starts smooth, and goes down easy. The bitter is all on the back end and once it fades, there's a nice after taste. I've been disappointed with Fountain Square so far, so I'm happy Jeff and Audrey convinced me to try this. It's the best I've had from them.

316. Samuel Adams Tetravis

Bottle picked up by Jason in Boston earlier this year. It's a new Barrel Room Collection beer that I have not tried.

It's just okay. The New World Tripel still stands out as the only Barrel Room Collection that I like. The currant and the grapes just give it an odd flavor. It's smooth and goes down easy, but just tastes too grape-fruit like. 

315. Upland Oktoberfest

Good Oktoberfest bier. Enjoyable, smooth, nice flavors, nothing too overpowering. Yummy.

To go along with my delicious bier, I got a sandwich from a local food truck: Der Pretzel Wagen. I got the Greedo (they have a few "Star Wars" themed options!), which has Black Forest Ham, Hickory Smoked Turkey, Applewood Bacon, Cheddar Cheese, and Wasabi Horseradish all on a pretzel bun. It was spectacular!

314. Stone Brewery Götterdämmerung Anniversary IPA

It's thick. It's heavy. But it's smooth. The flavor is bold, but finishes smooth. Not my favorite, but I'm enjoying it.

313. Stone R&R Coconut IPA

It's good. Lacking in the coconut flavor, but still smooth. Minor coconut aftertaste, but nothing compared to Koko Brown. Might try it from a bottle in the future...

I had a second one at Ale Emporium a week later, to see if it was any better. It was not. 

312. Left Hand 400lb Monkey

It's delicious, it's good. I enjoy it, but I don't have to drink it every day. 

311. Six Point Brewery Resin

Complex flavor. Hard to pinpoint exactly what I'm tasting. More bitterness than I prefer complicates the ability to narrow it down. Finishes nice, after the confusion settles down. 

310. Bloomington Brewing Co. Ruby Bloom

Nice and smooth, goes down well. But, nothing special.

309. Bier Brewery Pumpkin Ale

I think Ryan Miller was talking to me about this over the weekend - and it's supposed to be a limited time thing, so I decided not to wait until I visited Bier Brewery with him to try it.

It's smooth, the pumpkin flavor is just right, and rivals the Pumpkick.  It comes in behind it, just because of the cranberry juice in the Pumpkick. But, I really enjoy the flavor, and think it's superior to many pumpkin ales. 

308. Figure Eight Offwidth IPA

It boasts an upfront bitterness, and that's no joke. It hits hard as I drink it. It also finishes bitter, but has a good lingering aftertaste.

307. Sun King Wee Mac

I know, for a fact, I've had this before. However, looking over the site I noticed it is not present. So, I'm documenting it.

306. Traveler Beer Company Jack-O Traveler Shandy

Overpowering Pumpkin Flavor, on the front and the back - which is probably good, if you like pumpkin more than I do. The lemon flavor adds a nice balance, and it goes down smoother than many pumpkin beers. Good, overall, but not something I will seek out. 

305. Upland Rad Red Amber Ale

Not sure why it's called an Amber Ale - it's pretty dark, with a slight red tint. No matter, it's smooth, minor hops and minor bitter. Normal flavor, nothing stands out.

Sun King Brewery Visit

In 2008, after a trip to London, I found myself jobless and forced to return to the service industry, getting a job at a local bar called The Spot - which years early had been P.S. O'Rourke's, a bar that I had a long history with.  In a sad twist of fate, I was present for the closing night of both of these bars.

I never would have known it then, but being offered that job by some friends would turn many people into my new family, and open me up to a whole world of people in my life.  At this time, returning to the Bar Scene, I became a viewer of shows like "The Thirsty Traveler" and "Three Sheets" - the second of which has led to my growing affinity for Zane Lamprey and the products he puts out. ("Drinking Made Easy", Monkey Rum, and I am a Kickstarter backer of his next project, "CHUG".)  Watching these shows and seeing the ever-expanding world of beer from around the world, and then around the United States caused me to begin an obsession.  I wanted to drink things that no one was drinking.  Maybe that made/makes me a "Hipster" in some fashion of the word - but I wanted to be knowledgeable.  I wanted to have a vast and expansive range of taste that no one could rival.  Thus, I began seeking out "Craft Beers".  And it started with the popular ones.  Goose Island was huge here in Midwest.  Bell's was well known and established.  On a trip to Saint Louis, I got to sample a number of beers from Schlafly.

The next year, it became big news in the industry, when Sun King Brewery opened up and started making beers in Indianapolis.  Of course, there were some other places to get non-Macrobrews.  My friend Heather and I occasionally drank at Rock Bottom on West 86th Street, but after a couple of bad experiences I stopped being willing to go there.  Suddenly, there was buzz about Sun King, Sun King, Sun King!  Via the wonders of social networking, I was able to hit a couple of bars where Sun King either had tasting parties, Tap Takeover Nights, or just when somewhere would finally carry one of their beers on tap.  They had some really bold flavors.  Perhaps some that were too strong for my pallet back then, because I found it hard to like many beers in their line up.  Osiris was so bitter (Now, this is my beer of choice from them), the Druid ESB was way too hoppy, the Sunlight was too creamy.  But, I drank them, because I wanted to be the guy who didn't drink Miller Lite.  I wanted to be the guy who everyone wanted to know what I was drinking, because it looked different, and didn't come in a bottle.  Then, at some point, in my anti-hipster way, as Sun King continued to get so popular, I decided that I was going to stop drinking it.  Not because there was anything wrong with it, but because suddenly everyone was drinking it, and now I wasn't special anymore.

So, one of those people I had previously spoke about, who has become a great friend and drinking buddy in my life, is Matt Merski.  I meet him through our mutual friend Steve, and truth be told: I just love Merski's company.  He's chill and mellow, and always looking to have fun.  I like to believe we have a great time together, and he has always taken care of me.  From visiting him at Chatham Tap to Ralston's Drafthouse, to the House Party at Inlow's and drinking on a boat together, Merski is some of the best company I've ever had.  Now, he finds himself employed at Sun King, and when he made the offer to give me a tour - I could not turn it down.  I had only ever stopped in their location once before, I believe in 2010, and I wasn't there long.  My friends and I got a couple of growlers and took off.  My memory isn't the best, but I don't remember the place looking as amazing as it did today.

Fortunately for Sun King - but unfortunately for me - they were slammed this afternoon during their tasting time.  Luckily, Merski was able to slip away for twenty minutes to give me the best tour he could.  Showing me their line, showing me their canning machine (I must return on a canning day, he says the process is amazing to watch), showing me their storage areas, the specialty area, which included brews from them that I had never heard of (and sadly will mostly likely never make my list...).  We talked about their cans, and I got to see the massive amounts waiting to be filled with liquid deliciousness.  The offices are some of the coolest I have ever seen, and anyone we ran into was super friendly.  It really seems like an awesome family of people to be working with - and I'm so happy and proud for Merski.  Someone so awesome deserves to be a part of such a successful organization. 

The Beer Scene in Indiana has exploded in the past few years, and I am continuing to attempt to stay on top of it.  This causes me to try a lot of beers, and the worst part is how many of them I am not a fan of.  I try my hardest to support Indiana Breweries, but many of them just do not make quality products - and I hate saying that.  Or, most breweries will land one really good beer, out of their entire line up, and then that's the only one from them that I will ever consider drinking.  I won't take this space to re-hash the ones I've disliked, they are noted throughout this blog, but many of them fall short of any true flavor, are unbearably bitter, or attempt to be too complex that everything makes my stomach turn.  Luckily, Sun King is solid.  Sun King knows what they are doing, and obviously put a great deal of time, energy, and effort into making sure that they have some unique flavors that are enjoyable.  (The only side note I want to add, is that I feel the same way about Big Woods Brewing in Nashville, Indiana, I find their whole line of beers to be above average).  Sun King was there in the beginning of my 1,000 beer journey and they helped open my eyes to what beer could be.  I will always hold a special place in my hear for Sun King, as I returned to dealing with beers on a daily basis, they were in their genesis and I got to stalk them on social media and watch them grow into something special that I think will survive for a long, long time.

51. Goose Island Christmas Ale

This beer was on the Original List of 152 Beers that I had drank before I started this journey.  But, I found this awesome picture from a holiday gathering I hosted on December 23rd, 2012 - while Megan was in town visiting from Colorado.  Jae brought over this bottle - a tradition that him I drink one of these together every year - and I thought I would share this pic of #51.

304. Goose Island Wrigleyville Cubby Blue

Also going through photos, I came across this beer which was neglected from the blog.  On April 25th, 2012, myself and Jeremy Inlow visited Chicago to hang out with my brother Scott and my friend Eddie Mueller while attending a Cubs game.  After the game, we walked down the street to the Goose Island Brewpub, and discovered this beer which they claim is only available at that brewpub.

It was a Blueberry Ale, and was very berry flavored.  Not a bad bad beer, but one that I only think I would ever drink after a Cubs game - and then only one, just for the correlation.