On The Road to Brews

08/01/2026

01/08/2024

Sadly, another solo road trip. # missing Jeff ( too)

Got to Portland, Maine made a stop at Bunker Brewery. Had all the check boxes. Industrial park, taste room in the brewering space, outdoor seating, no a/c. We'll that's a negative. But they are keeping it real.. got to the counter.. asked to order a flight. Tender, shook his head, no flights we do 8 oz hours. Scratching my head, i asked if this was a maine. East coast thing, with no flights. He simply said that flights are a waste of time and energy. I asked what does one due when passing thru and wants to sample. He shrugged shoulders. And said. We do the 8oz. As much as I like beer, trying 4-5 8oz beers just is not a good idea. Oh well, their loss.. He did allow me to try a couple. But meh. Kinda hung up on the reason for no flights. I want to blast their beer, but only really had one. Seems odd no flights for tasting... What do i know? I've only been to 300 breweries..

26/07/2024

While this is "On the Road to Brews", neither of us are in the road today. I live in Western New York, and a staple in the brewing industry is Rohrbach's. I am able to frequent their location in the suburbs, and not only is the service typically very good, but they have an outdoor patio for these beautiful summer nights. The beers are typically very enjoyable, with one of their signatures being their Scotch Ale. It is one of the better I have ever had, and enjoy it as often as possible. However, tonight was not aScotch Ale night. I deviated from my usual IPA selection during the summer, and opted for their newest wheat… Which it turns out is more similar to a hazy IPA than anything. It is called Bright Burn, it is the beer pictured, and it is one of the more tasty wheat beers I have ever had the pleasure of drinking. It has only been out for three weeks, so I was excited to be the first to rate it on Untappd. I would be remiss if I didn't mention some thing about the food here. While the beer is in the spotlight, they do have a few good dishes… Each of which might need a little work. We have been through most of their appetizers and really didn't find anything that tickled our fancy, so we are sticking to their sandwiches for the most part. We tried their beef-on-weck for the first time, and while it was delicious, the bottom bun needs some work. By dousing it with as much au jus as they did, it was a mushy, pasty mess once we had the opportunity to dig in. It was definitely a knife and fork job because of this, but again, quite tasty. Their sweet potato fries, which come in waffle form, are not to be messed with, and were probably the best part of the meal, especially dipped in the honey. The Cubano sandwich was also quite good, but the amount of mustard on the sandwich really took away from experiencing all of the different flavors. Lastly, I am a huge fan of German potato salad, and while this one was good, there was definitely an ingredient that threw us off. Not sure if it was the oregano or caraway or something else, but there was a dominant flavor unlike most german's. We will of course be back and try to update the latest food and drink offerings.

19/07/2024

Jeff here...missing Mike a lot...but we are leading separate lives right now. I am in Des Moines, Iowa for my son's volleyball tournament, and surprised how the city is exceeding what low expectations I had of it. I am lucky enough to be staying downtown, and within walking distance to a lot. We had some time between tournament matches today, so we are exploring a bit, including this Iowa Tap Room. As you can see, the taps are plentiful and impressive. The bar is epic, Mike behind the bar is a great host, and his favorite IPA is now my favorite here. Lula Sun for Miles out of Iowa is one of the better hazy's I have had. Great stop in a great city. Make sure to make this a destination if you are around this area!!!

08/07/2024

Jeff had crossed the pond without Mike, but the fun continues. After a day of exploring the sights on Big Bus London, I am winding down at a Tapas Bar called Salt Yard. I highly recommend. It is a short walk into SoHo from the main drag, the service is great, charcuterie amazing, and the hand crafted cocktails are delicious from a lot of love and care in their making. An amaretto sour and an old fashioned with grapefruit bitters are pictured, and we will be back as much as possible. Cheers!!

08/07/2024

Roadside Attraction.. !! In the immortal words of general ackbar.. "It's a trap".. where is wiley coyote, when you need him...

30/06/2024

Mike n' Jeff have been on separate work trips for a bit, and missing each other dearly. However, the fun doesn't stop. Jeff here in Orlando for my son's nationals volleyball tournament and visiting Disney Springs. While others shopped, another Mike friend and I visited The Polite Pig to start. We both had the Ravenous Pig Brewing Acadia Fog Hazy IPA. Very tasty with a strong presence of the Motueka hops. Next stop was Raglan Road Irish Pub. I was thrilled to find they could make a Blacksmith (B&T with Smithwicks and Guiness), so that was the only choice there. Last stop was The Edison, where they have a "Coldfashioned" cocktail made with our favorite Soldier Horse bourbon, cold brew, cinnamon, black walnut, and more. One of the best cocktails I have ever had!!! Gotta go eat the mammoth pub pretzel I ordered for dinner, but highly recommend these great places when in DS.

26/06/2024

Part 2. Sorry lots to say..

loved every minute of it. It's nice to see someone with so much passion and love for what he is doing and making it happen.
As i mentioned, it's more than the beers that make a g great brewery, well Forbes also did not disappoint, The building is a standalone, decent size lot that already has the fondation for a cool vibe, with Picnic tables and Fire pits, their calendar is full of events with Music, food etc. Very kid and dog friendly. If you find yourself in the area, be sure to stop by. It's definitely worth the trip. I wish MIke and Katlin nothing but success, I look forward to my future travels to bring back to this area in the future. sorry you missed this one..

26/06/2024

Mike  here...  solo trip.     For me,these trips are obviously mainly about the beer and my ever growing T-shirt collection. There is another side.. the Actual Brewery.  I find them just as important, well maybe not just as.. but still the Vibe, the setting.. the overall environment, i feel can be just as important to the overall visit.  Recently, I was on a work trip to Johnstown, PA .  and I had the absolute pleasure of being fortunate enough to be able to visit  a  former workmate who turned his lifelong passion into a career.  He calls it Forbes Trail Brewing, and his name is Mike Fahy.   Mike,along with his wife Katlin setup shop in  Stoystown, Pa.  Where is that you ask.. well,it's outside of Johnstown, if that does not help .   It's right down the road from where Flight 93, crashed from 9/11.   I came out here wanting to dawg and mock him.. For no real reason..  Just between friends.. But I am happy to say, I very much enjoyed my visit.  His location,although a little out in the middle of nowhere, for me.   I found his  beers to be  ttop-notch  I actually stayed long enough to try 2 flights and finish up with a pint at the end  Which is something I generally never do.  I found the Haze Lawdy Mama ( NEIPA) and Sip o' sSummer ( light Lager) to be two of my favorites.  But my favorite is a small batch he runs twice a year. Raspberry Jalapeno Wheat, Based on the name i was expecting there to be a bite, but it was extremely subtle.. I knew it was there, but it was so far from overpowering, just really complimented it.   I actually ended up having that in pint size as well.    Overall I had a hard time finding one I did not like,  however there was his amber Lager -  Lambertville Amber Lager, so. Sorry, was a hard pass for me.   That is the wonderful thing about beer.  One person loves it and the next person hates it.   I also had the pleasure of watching Mike and Katlin in action, walking around, paying attention to guests.  This place  had a really family feel to things.. We might as well have  been back at Mike's garage.  Luckily I was able to get a peek into the behind the scenes.   however,my nickel tour turned from 10 min into a 40 min discussion.  I  lov

23/05/2024

Great stop! Tasty Brews.. Friendly Staff. I am a little surprised by Boise, 2 wins 1 flop..(sorry voodoo) Not quite as refined, but keeping with the for Breweries.. Sorry. loose Screw, opening up a second location. Definitely stopping when I come back... I do love a colorful flight. Nothing bad to say about the beers, commerated with a t-shirt. Where is Jeff when I need him. I sadly focus more on the vibe, he's more on the taste. Good beer is good Beer. Bad beer is bad.. but so much cones down to preference.

23/05/2024

So. I am just going to say it. I'm not a fan. Of chain breweries. If you don't make the beer locally. Your not a Brewery. Not saying you can't support multiple taproom. Staff was friendly beer was Meh. I mean, what place am li even talking about. Oh, right, Voodoo. Sorry guys.. nice effort. It's just not my style. I might as well of had a six pack of pbr. I only mention it 16 beers on the wall, and only 5 are yours.. You might want to consider a nane change to voodoo BrewPub.

Do a little research.. Chains are bad... but that's just my 2 cents. Do some research. Looks can be deceiving...

22/05/2024

Mike here. Solo trip.. to Idaho

found this Gem.. of a brewery(pun intended) What a great place, it's a place that calls to the purist. Kegs, visible from the Bar. 16 beers on tap. Bartender Chris, who also signs the checks. And lives upstairs. Totally into the brewing lifestyle.. i really enjoyed Jabba the haze, Rye'd or Dye. I ended up trying all 16.. nothing but good things to say. For sure, a common taste element throughout. Prices are too good to pass up. 5.00 pint.. 10.00 for a 5 flight

Talking with Chris really just topped it all off. Amazing Story.. wish him and Crystal all the best. Totally on the list for a revist