Destination Madison – Already Behind

It’s only day 2, and I just can’t keep up.  Drink beer or blog – those are my choices, and I choose beer.

So for those who care, let me just tell you where we’ve been, and not elaborate on how much tremendous fun we are having (or how horrible the traffic has been.)  We are heading into Madison tonight, but our day went something like this:

• Liquor Stop distributor in Highland, IN was our first stop for bottles of Three Floyd’s and other things we can’t get in PA (I also got a good deal on Chateau St. Jean CabSav – 2003)
• Piece in Chicago for awesome (AWESOME!) beer and pizza
• Lakefront in Milwaukee for a tour and tasting (where I got to be “Shirley” (of Laverne and…), and we got lots of free beer and a pint glass!); you can take your own tour at their site
• and now we are sitting at Tyranena, using the wi-fi and enjoying Scurvy IPA

Tonight we will end up in Madison, where there are many, many special release parties all over town, 105 breweries represented at the festival tomorrow, and more parties in town again tomorrow night.  Hooray for a town with fabulous public transportation!

I’ll write when I can, but don’t hold your breath!

Drinkin’ Hop Juice – Ought’a be Packin’

At the same time I wrote the title for this post, D said, “You know, we really should be packing for our trip!”

Ah…yes…we should, but we received a growler of Two Brother’s Hop Juice today, which means the world has stopped and I am enjoying a pint. 

This is a beautiful double IPA from a family owned and operated brewery just outside Chicago. The growler, which was fairly generic, had a nice foam in the neck, and poured with a head like that of an ice cream float. As I sip this ale, a thick lacing lines the sides of the glass.  The color is a beautiful amber-orange. The big, frothy head is deceiving, because the overall carbonation is actually light in the mouth.

The nose is pleasant and light – like the freshness of a forest after spring rains. I’m really enjoying the flavors of citrus, herb and and pine. It has the sweetness of brown sugar and a bit of resin and bitterness from the hops.

The website informs me this is a 2008 seasonal artisan release for February and is brewed to 9.9% AVB, 100.1 IBUs, and dry hopped with a pound of hops per barrel. I’m glad to be enjoying this extremely drinkable ale this from the comfort of my home, as I think I’ll be enjoying another pint while I pack!

If we can’t finish it tonight, we’ll have to find a friend willing to stop by the house to finish it for us…volunteers? Thanks, S-Man, for sending this our way!

Flossmoor Station Restaurant & Brewery (Flossmoor, IL)

It was extremely easy getting from Three Floyd’s to Flossmoor Station Restaurant & Brewery.  We pulled into town, and found the brewpub right along the railroad tracks at the train station.  The building was built in 1906 by the Illinois Central Railroad, and the first thing I noticed was that it is still an active train station.

The second thing I noticed was the Public Library- prominently seated off the traffic circle and advertising free WiFi and Coffee, I was drawn to visit.