Lucky Buddha Beer

I wanted it.  I saw the bottle on the Facebook page of one of our favorite beer sellers and I wanted it immediately.  That being said, there is absolutely no excuse for whatever review is about to happen here.  I ignored all of my finely crafted beer knowledge and instinct that should have said "Stop! Don't do it!" when I set eyes on that green bottle, but I didn't.  So I apologize for what is about to happen.

Beer: Lucky Buddha Beer

Brewery: Lucky Drink Co.
Style: European Pale Lager
ABV: 4.8%

Glass: Boston Lager glass

Appearance: Pale and very clear, with a finger's worth of surprisingly fluffy white head.  

Aroma: Brings to min your average American-style lager, with prevalent adjunct grain smell.

Body & Texture: Light bodied and prickly with hard carbonation.  

Taste:  Surprisingly, I managed to snag one when the shipment first came in, so this isn't incredibly skunked.  Adjunct grain flavors are at the forefront with a mellowing sweetness to follow.  

Overall: You're going to want the bottle.  How could you not, that happy Buddha laughing and holding your beer for you?  Unless you can get a bottle right off the truck, then don't do it.  Anything that comes in not only a green bottle but a novelty bottle is bound to be something that skunks and spoils.  I'm not a huge fan of ye olde adjunct grain beers, but if that's your cup of tea you may as well try and find one of these when it comes in to your local beer store, get some variety in that fridge.

Jelly Belly Draft Beer Flavor Jelly Beans

Our friends at NuFuture Magazine bring us a lot of awesome stuff,  but a few days ago they brought us something extra interesting - Draft Beer Flavor Jelly Beans.  I'm a little suspicious of anything "draft beer" flavored, as that brings to mind cheap beer in a dirty bar, but I figured hey, we love beer here, might as well give it a shot.

These pretty golden and shiny beans certainly are nice to look at, but let's see how they taste.  Opening the bag, they smell a little like vinegar and yeast.  Nothing encouraging besides the shiny colors thus far, but I managed to overcome the significantly less than pleasing aroma.  The flavor is not, as I initially expected, mouth ejectingly wretched.  They're sweeter than I had initially predicted, more like a lighter craft beer than the bitter adjunct vomitus flavor of a commercial American-style lager.  While they aren't super sweet, they also managed to pack in a little bit of wheat and yeast flavor, and I've got to say I'm pretty impressed.  

As a kid, I knew that Jelly Belly could make any flavor I could imagine, and as an adult I'm discovering that that assessment was spot on.  Draft beer might not be my favorite beer flavor, but I feel like if Jelly Belly was able to spark up the interest in the world of beer-flavored jelly bean consumption, then they could do quite well with beans flavored like favorite craft beers.  I can see a few Dogfish Head and Rogue brews turning into very successful bean treats!

Main Street Grille and Brewing Company

Sunday beer adventures seem to be becoming a normal for us at the blog, so we took to the road to check out the Main Street Grill and Brewing company today!  I was able to hit their table at the Cleveland Winter Beer Fest a few months ago, and I've been looking forward to going out ever since we met their brew guys!

Garrettsville is a cute little town, and we pulled up around 2 to find easy parking and a short walk to the dark wood tavern-styled building on the corner that has housed the Main Street Grille and Brewing Company since 2007.

The interior is cozy and based on a rustic tavern-style decor and architecture.  Their bar room features high set tables as well as bar high tables, and an awesome view of their gorgeous fermenter setup - I'm jealous!  We had a full flight of all of their current beers, I ordered a Caesar salad (I know, but I have to set off the calories from all of this beer somehow!) and the Dobie went with the tried and true burger.  The dinner menu prices are a little bit high compared to the lunch specials, but the food was great and well worth it if you're taking a brewery day trip!

I loved the glasses that MSG uses for their tasting flights - if I had to call them anything, I would call them mini pilsner glasses.  Samples are reasonably priced, and I would absolutely recommend grabbing a full flight when you visit.  They offer a wide variety of styles to appeal to any beer drinker, from the casual drinker to the crazy beer lover.  

From previous samples, I would have had to say that their very unique Ma Barker's Birch Beer was my favorite; surprising considering I'm not a huge fan of things that fall around the root beer family.  My sample today was a little too thickly syrupy for my tastes, though I do still really love the taste.  I've previously considered brewing with birch myself, as white birch soda is a popular favorite in my native central PA.  A really delicious and savory brew, I feel like a little more carbonation would really put it over the top and help to balance out the bitter sweetness of the birch flavor.

My absolute favorite of their brews was hands down the Main Street Joe.  A heavily aromatic and flavorful porter, this espresso brew is a winner.  The rich, deep, and warm espresso flavor pulls you in the same way that a steaming cup of Starbucks would.  The flavor follows, thick, rich, and deep like a perfectly roasted coffee bean.  If you head out to MSG and only want one beer, absolutely get this one.  Or the birch beer, because carbonation or no, that one is pretty unique and awesome too!

If you're on a brewery trip or just looking to add a lunch or dinner stop to a day trip and are passing through western Ohio, you've got to make the Main Street Grille and Brewing Company a part of your day.  You'll find a cozy and welcoming atmosphere, great food, and an awesome variety of top quality craft beer.  

Check out their website for more info, menus, and times - http://www.msg-brew.com/home.html

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Rust Belt Brewing Tap House

I have to apologize to my readers for my month of radio silence - my mother was diagnosed with endometrial cancer about four weeks ago and most of my time has been focused on helping her get through surgery and doctor's visits.  That being said, I have a lot of backed entries that I need to write, starting off with Rust Belt Brewing, who I definitely owe an awesome blog post!

The Dobie and I drove out to Rust Belt's brand new tap room about a month after they opened to kick back and try a few new brews.  In the past I've had some experience with Rust Belt's beers, here and there at my favorite beer tasting joints, and I had generally liked the few I was able to get my hands on.  I'm not  familiar with the Youngstown area, but once I was able to sort out the parking situation (difficult only because of the fact that we visited in a blizzard) then everything went quite smoothly!

The tap room was quite a bit larger than I expected.  Industrial decor graces a red brick and concrete building, the steel and cut metal interiors adding to the brewery's theme.  The space has the promise to be both a great night life spot and a nice quiet place to enjoy sampling some of Rust Belt's excellent brews.  Three levels, including a room that will be excellent for hosting live music, make up a very unique space that will round out your tasting experience and promise you a good time.

We were fortunate enough to get to try all four of Rust Belt's signature beers, the Coke Oven Stout, the Rusted River Irish Red Ale, the Old Man Hopper's India Pale Ale, and the Blast Furnace Blonde Ale.  A shocker for readers that have met me personally, my favorite of these four was the blonde!  I don't normally enjoy blonde ales - most of my experience with them has been thin, unexciting, and uninspiring to the palate.  Blast Furnace surprised me, with it's light biscuit to wheat aroma and light grainy flavor accented with hints of citrus notes.  Finally a blonde that fits the category without being a tired letdown!

My favorite beer of the day however goes to a smaller batch beer from Rust Belt's John Young Select series - the McPoyle's Milk Stout.  An attractive dark beer that is creamy and smooth and exceptionally easy to drink.  Sweet chocolate and toasted malt notes blend beautifully with a mild bitterness that leaves you craving more.  It might be a bit sweet for a more hardcore hop head who craves nothing but bone dry bitterness, but as a drinker who values a wide variety of tastes and styles with an open mind to creativity, I thought it was just great.  Thinking back, I think I'd actually like to buy a bomber or two and let it age a bit - for science!

I want to thank our bartender for being knowledgeable about the beers on tap, as well as about the brewery itself, and I'd also like to thank Rust Belt for the awesome RBR pint glasses!!!  Eastern Ohio and Western PA, take a day trip out to check out Rust Belt's tap room, then swing by their brewery to fill up a growler.  Let the beer speak for itself, Rust Belt is a promising young brewery with a bright future ahead.  I can't wait to go back and try more of the John Young Select series!