Moving to Chicago and Visiting the Field Museum

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I moved from Wyoming to Chicago in 2008 to go to University.

My dad drove with me all the way from Wyoming and helped me move in and get my bearings before he flew back home. Before he left, though, we checked out Chicago together. I remember the first thing we did was drive downtown and park in a parking garage. What a mistake that was! I think we had to pay about $10 an hour, which racked up quite a bill for just one downtown evening. That was the first and last time I ever drove downtown, instead opting to take the Metra from then on, which is a considerably cheaper option. What we did see downtown was pretty cool, though. Continue reading →

Milk Stout Review

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Brewery: Not sure…
Brewery Location: Poland
Alcohol: Also not sure…

This was my favorite of the beers I had while I was in the PiwPaw bar. I unfortunately failed to write down the exact name and/or the brewery, so I am not too sure on all the information. I do remember asking for a Polish beer, though, so I can only assume that this was a Polish Milk Stout. Continue reading →

A Weekend In Poland

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Earlier this year I went to Poland for the weekend with some friends of mine. We arrived late Friday night in Warsaw and stayed until Sunday evening for a simple weekend away.

The Palace of Culture and Science, our first sight in Warsaw as we disembarked from the bus.

We quickly made our way to the hostel and dropped our stuff off before going out for some dinner at a classic Polish restaurant. All 4 of us got something different so we could all share, but I think we were too busy eating it to take any pictures! I can’t remember what we each had, but the pierogi (dumplings) were like biting into heaven itself!

After some drinks, full and tired, we made our way to our hostel to retire for the night. As soon as we got there, though, we decided to go back out and get some cocktails at a bar near our hostel.

I can’t recall the name of the bar, and the cocktails themselves weren’t really amazing, but the bartender was pretty funny. He was very intent on making custom creations just for us, so we all kind of gave him some pointers and he very enthusiastically made them for us, even if they weren’t that great in the end. Continue reading →

Beer Tasting At Jameson Irish Pub

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A few weeks ago I saw a posting for a beer tasting at the Jameson pub here in Cologne. I finally participated with a friend of mine last Thursday, and it was pretty cool.

Me on the left with my friend on the right

The tasting was hosted by Wolf Heisig, who owns the Braukunstladen Köln here in Cologne. Mr. Heisig was quite knowledgeable and imparted some interesting facts about beer on us.

The agenda was pretty straightforward; 7 different beers over about 2 hours. Continue reading →

Angelo Pale Ale Review

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Brewery: Carlsberg Italia
Brewery Location: Lainate, Italy
Alcohol: 6.5%

This was simply the last beer my friend and I got in the same bar we first came to when we first arrived in Rome. We were tired, but we decided that we would drink one last beer before going to bed to catch our flight early the next morning. Continue reading →

Extraomnes Tripel Review

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Brewery: Extraomnes
Brewery Location: Abbey, Italy
Alcohol: 8.6%

This was the last of the craft beers that I wrote down some notes about at the craft bar we went to, however I know that this was definitely not the last of the beers that we drank. Continue reading →

Eastside SeraNera Review

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Brewery: Eastside Brewing
Brewery Location: Latina, Italy
Alcohol: 6.5%

This was the 2nd of 3 beers that I got in the craft bar while there with my friend. This is a black IPA, and I see why they call it so. Continue reading →

Vento Forte Cal Review

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Brewery: Vento Forte
Brewery Location: Bracciano, Italy (or at least Italy)
Alcohol: 8.5%

This was a beer that I got when my friend and I went to a craft beer with my friend while in Italy. After looking online, it appears to be a double IPA. Continue reading →

Angelo Poretti 7 Luppoli Review

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Brewery: Birrificio Angelo Poretti
Brewery Location: Varese, Italy
Alcohol: 7%

This was the second beer my friend and I got in the bar in Rome (after the first one). This was an unfiltered lager that was a bit stronger than the 4 hops. While this was a bit more what I was looking for, for a “7 hops” beer, it was still much less hoppy than I would have wanted. It was considerably less hoppy than an IPA, so it just kind of bridged the gap between a “normal” lager and a hoppier ale, like an IPA. Continue reading →

Angelo Poretti 4 Luppoli Review

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Brewery: Birrificio Angelo Poretti
Brewery Location: Varese, Italy
Alcohol: 5.5%

This was the first beer my friend and I got when we arrived in Rome and went to a bar. It seemed to be the standard “big beer” in Italy, much like Heineken or Budweiser. It seemed to be in about the same tier, and my friend nailed it on the head by stating that it tasted “very commercial.” It wasn’t bad, just seemed to be like any other widely produced beer out there. Continue reading →