Another Beer Creation

Day #442 Hoppy Trails / Appalachian Brewing Company, Collegeville, PA
Previously from this brewery: Marci's take on the Jolly Scot

Is everyone all geeked up for the Oscars?  I suppose I'll watch some of the red carpet, just to mock those who made poor fashion choices, and I'll cobble together a list of movies I'll eventually get around to seeing through Netflix.  Not the most thrilling night of television, unfortunately.  But, some mindless tv will be a nice way to ease into the evening, after a busy yet productive weekend.  Did a ninja mission to State College yesterday, and meandered about Chester County doing some shopping after yoga class today.  Seeing how another five day work week is coming up, I think I'll be in bed long before the last Oscar is awarded tonight.

After drinking beers from around the globe (literally around the globe: check the ridiculous list of breweries we've had a beer from here on this page), I realized there's a brewery approximately 20 minutes from my house that wasn't sampled during the 366 challenge.  Whoops.  Sorry about that!  We fixed that a few weeks back when we stopped by Appalachian Brewing Company's Collegeville, PA location.  Hard to find from the street, the brewpub is massive inside, and well worth the time to visit.  As the picture below suggests, I shared a sampler with Marci, but then later ordered my own glass of their IPA, Hoppy Trails.  It poured with a clear, light copper hue, with a thin, persistent head.  The aroma is as expected: grapefruit and pine, the hallmarks of an IPA.  The taste is dry with a strong dose of pine, and bitter throughout.  You find the grapefruit citrus taste along with a malt backbone, and this beer is easy drinking and tasty.  Not as much oompfh as some West Coast or Colorado IPAs, but definitely something you can enjoy.

Tiny goodness

Appalachian started as a brewpub in Harrisburg, and  now has five locations throughout the state.  The closest to me, their Collegeville outpost, opened in May of 2011.

Thing to Think About Today:
Appalachian Brewing Company frequently goes by the acronym 'ABC', which makes tremendous sense in an alphabetical sort of way.  You know who else goes by the acronym 'ABC'?  The early 90's phenomenon Another Bad Creation!!! Look me in the eye and tell me Iesha doesn't bring a huge smile to your face when you hear it.  You can't, because it's an awesome song performed by nine year old kids headed full steam towards puberty.  Have a good night, dear friends!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZDPIK7Fz_g4

"Passed her a lollipop and a letter / told her, let's keep this a secret"

Day 430: ABCs of Beer (Appalachian Brewing Company, that is)

Is it weird that at age 37, I just want to spend tonight playing with my new iPhone? No? Excellent.

While I enjoy my new toy...er...I mean smart phone, you can read about my visit to Appalachian Brewing Company's outpost in Collegeville (Pennsylvania).  It was actually the first stop on my Chester County Beer Tour a few weekends ago.  I wrote about the second and third stops on the tour last week. I guess this review falls in the better late than never category.

Appalachian Brewing Company was started in Harrisburg and has locations in Gettysburg, Lititz and Camp Hill in addition to Collegeville. If you're visiting the Collegeville location, be warned it's not the easiest place to find, but it's worth it.  I started out with a sampler.

They came from here...

I didn't take notes on the entire sampler. I can tell you that I like most everything. What I didn't like was the IPA, which Mr. Blog Named Brew seemed to enjoy. After I finished the sampler, I ordered a full size Jolly Scot Scottish ale. It was my favorite of the beers in the sampler.

It poured a bright mahogany color with a wispy light tan head. I couldn't get a good read on the smell. Definitely malts...but I couldn't figure out the rest. The flavor was nutty, warm and reminiscent of biscuits. It had an almost bourbon-like flavor to it with hints of woodiness.  Good stuff.

Beer stats
Style: Scottish ale
ABV: 5.5%
IBUs: 18
Rating: Good

Previously reviewed from Appalachian
This beer is the first out the limo!