Day 545: Old Forge Irish Draught

I'm off to see The National this evening in the remnants of the first tropical storm of the season. I have my Wellies but I imagine I'll be saying, "The Wellies. They do nothing."  Kind of like McBain...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OqfOxm_1BE0

So if I don't post this weekend, I went out with the rain-swollen tide even though the concert venue isn't anywhere near beachfront!

To celebrate my last moments of dry conditions, let's talk beer. The Irish Draught from Old Forge Brewing.

I had this at the Bainbridge Street Barrel House in Philadelphia. I also figured out what was bothering me about that place. It's like a Crate and Barrel catalog with amazing beer. There was something strangely sterile about it. That being written, don't let it deter you. The beer list is AMAZING.

The Irish Draught is an Irish red ale that was served on nitro. It poured a crisp bright brown with a thick off-white head. It was very creamy and smooth with a tea-like flavor and some honey. There was a good balance between the malts and hops. It actually reminded me a lot of an ESB.

Beer stats

Style: Irish red
ABV: 4%
IBUs: Unknown
Rating: Great

Previously reviewed from Old Forge
Mr.'s review of Endless Summer Ale, T-Rail Pale Ale

Beer 114: Old Forge Endless Summer Ale

It is 10pm on a Monday night.  Let's face facts -- no one is reading this.  And if I don't get my shit together at some point tomorrow morning, we are going to have a week full of 10pm-and-no-one-is-reading-this posts.

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Tonight I'm drinking an Old Forge Endless Summer Ale.  It pours a deep golden straw color with a very weak head.  It has a general beer smell - nothing notable.  It drinks with a mellowness but ends with a surprising amount of hop flavor.  There is a lot of wheat or grain flavor to this one. I don't know if it was the color of the packaging for the Endless Summer Ale, but I really wanted it to have a lemon zing to it.  No lemon zing.  Boo.

Having been totally underwhelmed by this beer, I checked out what the reviewers at beeradvocate.com had to say.  Not nice.

Gary reviewed another Old Forge offering here.  Also not nice. Plus I'm confused by the Old Forge in Danville thing.  If you are at all familiar with Pennsylvania geography, this will be perplexing.  Named for one city nowhere near the city of origin.  /scratches head

And on that surly note, I'm going to bed.

Cheers.

Beers From the Susquehanna River, or "I'm On a Boat"

Beer #88 T-Rail Pale Ale / Old Forge Brewing Company, Danville, PA

By and large, life won today.  I did not.  What can I say, life wins some days.  However, I intend to sucker punch life in the kidney tomorrow if it decides to give me any problems.  Consider this a warning.

You know what solves problems?  Beer.  Beer solves problems.  Tonight's beer is the T-Rail Pale Ale from Old Forge Brewing Company.  This 16oz can pours a clear amber color in the glass, and your nose picks up a light lemon and hop aroma. This is an easy drinking pale ale, with subtle bitterness and citrus flavors. It could definitely stand to have more backbone. More hops. For someone just getting their feet wet with IPAs or APAs, this is a good gateway beer; you can put a few back without working too hard.  However, for the hops lovers out there, this one won't quite hit the mark.

This being said, I love the fact Danville now has a brewery.  I grew up not too far down the road from Danville, so I feel a bit of a connection.  Plus, I'm a huge believer in supporting local businesses, which Old Forge believes in as well.  I frequently bitch and moan about the prime real estate on the main street of our town sitting idle, and I pray for the day a good Mexican restaurant moves in.  Instead, we get a steady stream of dry cleaners and nail salons while neighboring towns get great beer bars. Sigh....  The world needs more breweries.  Support your local brewery, people.

Thing to Think About Today
Let's be real.  If Old Forge Brewing Company wants to get more people to drink their T-Rail beer, they should think about offering free boat rides with T-Pain!!!!  So... yeah, this isn't safe for work, unless of course you work for T-Pain (unlikely) or your employer loves Saturday Night Live's Lonely Island and their profane yet hilarious music videos.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R7yfISlGLNU