American Craft Beer Week is May 16-22

May 13, 2011 ~ Ken Valley ~ Leave a comment

American Craft Beer Week is May 16-22, 2011. So this week, when you have a beer, enjoy one from one of America’s craft brewers!

It’s been a heck of a year for craft brewing, and thanks for letting me spend some of that time with you. Be sure to try some of the beer from breweries we’ve visited in the last year:

… and to some we were close to, but couldn’t get enough time to stop by …

Have a great week! Cheers!

Goose Island Pepe Nero

February 16, 2011 ~ Ken Valley ~ 2 Comments

The other day, I had the chance to try the new Vintage Ale from Goose Island, Pepe Nero.

It is considered a farmhouse ale, but is much darker than any I have seen of this style. When I first poured the beer, it was a dark brown-red color. It had a very strong scent to it, with a large burnt caramel aroma with a bit of Belgian-style sour scents mixed in.

The flavor was very interesting. It had a strong roasted chestnut flavor with just a hint of Belgian funkiness on the finish. It had a slight bit of tartness, but not too much to be overwhelming. The final impression reminded me of a lighter Belgian dubbel .

Did you try Pepe Nero? What was your impression of this new ale?

Goose Island Sofie

March 9, 2010April 16, 2010 ~ Ken Valley ~ Leave a comment

Sofie from Goose Island, made in Chicago, is a 80% Belgian style ale blended with 20% Belgian style ale aged in wine barrels with orange peel. At the start, it smells fruity, kind of like peach. It is very effervescent, and tastes very orange-y and peachy. It was served at 60 degrees, and had a slight Belgian yeast flavor. It was a very delicious beer, and is my favorite of the three Belgian-style Goose Island beers distributed in Iowa: Pere Jacques, Matilda, and Sofie.

From their website, it is for lovers of the saison style, and uses Amarillo hops, which may be the main reasons I enjoy this so much.

Have you tried Sofie? Which one is your favorite: Pere Jacques, Matilda, or Sofie?