Oculus Sauvage by Green Flash - very good imperial IPA with fruity undertones from the black currant and aging in red wine barrels.

While the WAS area brewing scene continues to improve (I have a growler of an Aslin pale ale kin the fridge right now, and loved the sours I had at Denizens in Silver Spring a couple of months back), I'm still taken aback by how good the AVN beer scene is. In addition to the big Sam Adams and New Belgium plants in town, there's if course the insane local beer scene. Two Wicked Weed locations (Funkatorium and their regular place), Burial, Green Man, and a couple of others all in walking distance... Ah!!!

Tried some of the Root Beer spiced ale from these guys

http://www.rileysbrewing.com/sodas.html

Pretty good, not too sweet, nice flavor.

In the fridge for use tonight are some Mikkeller/Alexander Beer Of Milk & Honey, a semi-sweet very dark stout

Alberta Genuine Draft

Tried some Oskar Blues Death by Coconut Irish Stout last evening. 6.5 abv. Interesting.

Liquid Mechanics Belgian Double IPA, a fruity Belgian ale, with a very hoppy aftertaste

Brewhouse 8-pack 7-pack.

St. Arnold's Spring Bock is officially out on the shelves. A local grocery store was having a mix and match promo this weekend so I have a couple of those and Real Ale Devil's Backbone, a Triple from a Texas brewery. All told the damage was a mixed 24 pack for $25. ^

Nice!

Visiting Huntsville and a local brewpub. Rocket Republic brewery took over the taps Friday night and we played Cards Against Humanity for prizes. We were drinking their Moro Orange Sour, which scored us extra cards. We had a blast and the beer was excellent too. Took home 4 pint glasses as our winnings.

Great beers for a great price !

Enjoyed a Sly Fox Odyssey and really enjoyed an Epic Escape to Colorado IPA with dinner last night.

Local micro-brew Alley Kat Brewery Scona Gold. ^

Admittedly, even here in the occasionally dreary midst of flyover country (midst, not mist), there are breweries, small and "craft", who are turning out interesting and oft appealing products. The St. Arnold's and Real Ale folks have been at it for a while with good results, and even though I'm no fan of "Flavored" brews, some of the microbrews available at saloons in the big cities are pleasurable (and worth the experimentation). I can only think back to 60 years ago, just an every day teenage beer-hound), when I discovered the first (and by then last) of the traditional small breweries. In 1958, "Shiner" was a "craft beer" of sorts, the little, locally owned Spoetzl Brewery in Shiner, TX, clinging to life making beer unlike Pearl, Lone Star, Schlitz or Bud.

Personally, I'm a draught beer fan, and will always recall a legal business trip to Edinburgh, a not-long-enough week made better by my local lawyer, a fan of "Natural" beers, who introduced me to the then infant craft brewers and the pubs who sold their products in the grand, grey city. Now, here and in some venues abroad, beer is one of the few products not stamped with almost generic "sameness" available in the modern world, where even high dollar autos have begun to look alike.

Why, Mercedes may have lost her grill, but the range of IPAs shows no signs of shrinkage!