365 different beers from 365 different breweries in 365 days with random musings on beer, food, music, sports, dogs and anything else interesting along the way
The beer of the day is Greenville Pale Ale from Twin Lakes Brewing Company in Greenville, Delaware. I had it onsite at the brewery during a day of tomfoolery and beer in Delaware back in January. The brewery tour given by Ken--and I would be remiss if I didn't mention his enthusiastic and incredibly helpful wife Kathy--was one of the best tours I've ever been on. The brewery is a tiny operation on a historic property in Delaware, but the tour last about two hours and I wasn't bored for a moment on it.
Honestly if it lasted any longer, I'm pretty sure Mr. Blog Named Brew would have scrubbed in and started operating the canning line!
And you have to love a tour that include an ever flowing supply of beer samples.
The Greenville Pale Ale poured a light shade of copper with a wispy off white head that quickly disappeared.
The smell is nice and light with some mildly fruity hops. It drinks with a nice, full mouthfeel. It's brewed with whole flower Cascade hops and American two-row barley malt. It has a good balance between the malts and hops and the finish leaves you with a great pine hoppiness. This is an incredibly easy to drink beer. If you ever encounter it, I recommend you try it.
Beer stats
Style: American pale ale
ABV: 5.5%
IBUs: 52
Rating: Good
Day #431 Greenville Pale Ale / Twin Lakes Brewing Company, Greenville, DE
Previously from this brewery: My take on Ceasar Rodney Golden Ale
Happy day before Valentine's Day! Or, the day most guys finally realize, "Shit, I better start to think about getting my wife/girlfriend something for tomorrow." Look, I agree with people who say that Valentine's Day is a made-up holiday to sell cards and chocolate and horrendously over priced flowers. It is, and there's no denying that fact. However, the sentiment IS important, and in fact so important that you shouldn't wait for one day per year to show your appreciation. If you care about someone, you should tell them this more often than you probably do, and make sure to do nice things for each other more frequently than you might otherwise consider. Hopefully you're spending your tomorrow with someone very special to you. I certainly will be!
So, to set the stage for tomorrow, I recommend relaxing tonight with a beer. Today's review is the Greenville Pale Ale from Twin Lakes in Delaware. This beer is a clear, golden amber color with a persistent white head. The aroma is a fragrant mix of citrus and hops, and when you take a sip, there's a good bit of bitterness right up front, with light pine and a lemony citrus. You also get a nice, dry, even finish. This isn't an overpowering beer, because there's enough malt to balance things out. Easy drinking, and best drank FOR FREE on their tour.
Gary is INDEED my nizzle
What's this? FREE? Yes, Twin Lakes has an awesome tour on the weekends, where you get to snack on cheese and honey, taste some free samples, and learn about the brewery and their process. Truly the highlight of the tour was when our guide called up the tasting room to have more pitchers brought down so we can fill up mid-tour.... multiple times. Now that's some awesome customer service you don't find on your average brewery tour! Much like my trip to Real Ale Brewing, this is a tour you experience from the heart of the brewery, not some observation area removed from the equipment. You're stepping over hoses, ducking under pipes, and meandering through tanks for the entire trip. However, well worth it - and not just because of the free flowing beer (although that certainly doesn't hurt).
I'm pretty much in the equipment at this point on the tour
They've ramped up their canning efforts, so readers in the greater Philly area should be seeing more of this beer on shelves in 2013. If Ken and Kathy are working the tasting room/tour, you'll be in good hands!
Thing to Think About Today:
Last Valentine's Day, I dropped maybe the greatest sex mix song of all time, Let's Get It On by the legendary Marvin Gaye. Hard to follow that one, but in the spirit of Valentine's Day and everyone's romantic plans, allow me to present Sexual Healing, perhaps the second greatest sex mix song of all time. Happy pre-Valentine's Day, my lovelies.
Beer #275 Caesar Rodney Golden Ale / Twin Lakes Brewing Company, Greenville, DE
Today is a hustle day, so I'm diving right into the beer. For your reading pleasure, may I present the Caesar Rodney Golden Ale from Twin Lakes Brewing Company. This beer was on draft at Whole Foods, so I brought home a growler. In the glass you see a dark gold color with a fluffy white head. The aroma is light, with grain and grass. The taste is an earthy mix of grain and malt, with notes of bread and some light citrus and a dry finish. This beer is easy drinking, with an agreeable 5.5% ABV. I'm thinking this might be a good call at an early season tailgate.
Hail, Caesar!
Unless you live in Delaware, and possibly even if you do live in Delaware, you may not be aware of who this beer is named for. I can help. Caesar Rodney was a lawyer, politician, and military officer in the late 1700's. He served as President of Delaware (sort of like Governor), and was a signer of the Declaration of Independence. The state quarter for Delaware has a man on a horse on the back - that's Caesar Rodney. Now you know.
Thing to Think About Today:
To continue with the theme I started yesterday, let's take a moment to think about another great football movie, Varsity Blues. This movie tells the story of high school football in Texas, where the game is more of a religion than a sport. A win-at-all-costs coach is forced to turn to his backup quarterback Jonathan Moxon, played by James Van Der Beek, after his star QB gets injured - because he made the kid play hurt. Mox must now deal with his new found fame, his utter lack of respect for the coach, and Ali Larter wearing nothing but whipped cream in order to still come out ahead in the end.
