Olde Main Brewing Company

Olde Main Brewing Co.

Stop #4 of Roadtrip

Ames, Iowa

After hours upon hours of driving through flat land filled with corn, cows, some horses, some corn, more corn, more corn, more corn… we arrived in Ames, Iowa.  Surprisingly, Ames isn’t just occupied with corn, like the rest of Iowa (and Indiana, and Nebraska…).  I should have guessed it would be a little bit more hoppin’ due to it being the home of Iowa State University.  Coincidentally, that’s also where my friend Meredith is going to grad school and she met up with us at the Olde Main Brewing Co. which is located on a street filled with shops, bars and activities.

Here’s the story of the Olde Main flight:

Long Face Amber: ***

Good, sweet, lots of residual sugars, well carbonated.

Off KILTer Scottish: **

Mile, little bland, should have a thicker mouth feel.

Clone Ale (Amer. Pale): **

Little flat tasting, lingering aftertaste, can really taste the American hops.

“Red Monkey” Root Beer: ****

Yes, they snuck in a non-alcoholic beverage into our flight… pretty damn good though.  Sweet, well carbonated, delicious… if you’re into that kind of thing.

The Dinkey (Wheat): ***

Light, orange aroma, citrus and wheat taste, refreshing (side note: Jason’s not as big as a fan as I am).

Sodbuster (Stout): ***

Weak aroma, drinkable dark beer, coffee and chocolate hints.

Lemontyme (Seasonal, Lemon Ale): *

So gross.  I couldn’t even get through the sample of it.  Super sweet and just overpowering with lemons.  Some guy next to me order a pint of it, I’m not sure how he got through the whole thing.

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According to Meredith, this is the place to be during the college school year.  We went at the end of June though so it was pretty dead... and it was a Monday night.  I think some of there beers could use a boost but in general they had a good selection of brews and I'm glad to see something else come out of Iowa that isn't corn.

*Note: Turns out people in Iowa have good taste in music.  We heard some Steve Miller, some Black Keys and even some Beck.  We even were treated to some Fat Bottom Girls.  I only wish this guy was still around to share a beer with us:

The Science Behind The Floozy Wiggle

The Science Behind The Floozy Wiggle

You, my dear, have been spotted (Sterling Stage Festival of Art).  It's not our fault for filming you... you just floozy wiggle so well:

Steps on how to perfect the floozy wiggle:

(1) Find a large crowd where dancey music is playing to exploit your expertise.

(2) Pick a tight fitting outfit that is at least 10 years younger than your age.

(3) Begin by swaying your hips back in forth.

(4) Add in little knee dips.

(5) Sing along, very loudly.  Animate!

(6) Put up an arm or two above head level and wiggle your way down to the floor.

(7) Remember, a solo floozy wiggle is just fine, but the best floozy wiggles travel in packs.*

*If you need to find a floozy pack, go to Empire on Thursday night when Just Joe is playing.  Those nights are running deep with the floozes who have gotten their wiggle down to a science.  Hint, get there early to secure a spot right in front of Just Joe's face, that's where they meet.

Goose Island Beer Co.

Goose Island Beer Co.

Stop #3 of Roadtrip

Chicago, IL

 

If you get a chance to go to Chicago, take it!  It's a really fun, clean, down-to-earth city with a shit ton to do.  If you go, you need to (a) try a deep-dish pizza, (b) eat a Chicago style hot dog and (c) go to Goose Island (which is conveniently right next to Wrigley's Field.  We visited the brewery on a Sunday night so it wasn't as hoppin' as I thought it would be, but the brewery is huge and has a large beer selection, some of which you can only experience in Chicago.  These are the three that stood out to us:

Fluer: ***

"A Belgian style pale ale blended with hibiscus and kombucha tea."

It had some sour notes and an interesting funky taste that really worked.  You could really taste the hibiscus, or flower, character which gave the Belgian beer a really different taste than I would expect from a normal Belgian.

Pere Jacques: ***

Belgian Style Abbey Ale.  "Brewed with loads of malt and Belgian yeast, Pere Jacques is a wonderfully fruity, malty ale."

Has almost a bourbon taste at the beginning.  Very rich taste.

Krystal Witt: ****

Limited (brewed once); Witbier

Really light and tasty.  Little sour taste to it but because it was light it had definite drinkability.  Delicious!

(Goose Island side note:  They've been bought out by Budweiser, bummer.  We'll see in the future how this effects their beer.)

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If you're really going to go to Chicago though, what I hear is that you need to indulge in their cheaper, session beers: Old Style & Hamm's.  Sometimes cheap beer is the way to go.

Oh, and Jason was assaulted on the streets of Chicago as well.  As we were walking to Goose Island a young gentleman shouted out to Jason:

"Hey man, if I wasn't fucking her (girl standing next to him), I'd fuck you so hard in the butthole."

I'm guessing gay pride parade day was a good time to visit the windy city.

Great Lakes Brewing Co.

Great Lakes Brewing Co.

Stop #2 of Roadtrip

Cleveland, OH

Overall I thought Great Lakes was a pretty fun and cool spot, located in a very nice and beer centric part of Cleveland.  We stayed for dinner and drinks and although it was a quick visit, it was still a good time.  Jason and I shared their appetizer cheese platter which, if I remember correctly, had a variety of things from local farms.  We sat outside so I didn't get too good of a feel for the brewpub but the patio area they had was really nice.  Also, we were able to try to beers that were pub exclusive beers:

Aloha Ale: **

"A lighter-bodied ale with a blonde color and slightly bitter, dry finish." (From the Great Lakes website)

This beer was okay.  It was really easy to drink but it also wasn't too memorable.  Nothing too special but nothing extremely horrible either.

Wit's End: ***

"A Belgian ale with lemongrass and ginger." (From the Great Lakes website)

I really enjoyed this beer.  I think the lemongrass and ginger additions work really well with a lighter style Belgian ale.  The flavors were pretty good and I would definitely enjoy drinking it again (unfortunately, you need to live in Cleveland to enjoy it).

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We also went to a Belgian beer bar across the street called Bier Markt, a restaurant/bar specifically serving Belgian style beers and food.  They had an impressive list of Belgian's that you could buy either from the tap or from bottles.

We were super excited to see that they had a section devoted to sours.  I picked one that sounded good (Kasteel Rouge) but then upon receiving it we realized that this is the beer that we've had a bunch of times before we left at Blue Tusk in Syracuse (dammit).  Oh well, it was delicious, even if we have had it before.  Still, definitely worth it to check out this place.

Southern Tier Brewing Co. (Lakewood, NY)

Southern Tier Brewing Co.

Lakewood, NY

This was the first stop in our roadtrip across the country.  We made it a point to stop at Southern Tier because we have been long fans of their beer (what we can get in Syracuse) but since it's a good four hours away, we have never made the trek there.  Luckily, it was kind of on the way to Colorado...  In general, it's a little bit out of the way to get to.

For all of our stops on our brewery tour to Colorado (and possibly back) we're just going to do short blurbs on the beer/brewery so here it goes:

Jason says: "A little pretentious... bartenders confused."

Krysten says: "Love the rustic, Adirondack style inside the bar area.  Nice outside patio seating available.  The Empty Pint (the name of the bar inside the brewery) has the feel of a real bar in that they offer bottled beer from other companies, wine and a selective food menu (delicious pulled pork sandwiches!).  Outside look of the brewery could use some help; looks as though it's an old, modular factory when you drive up to it.  They do some very cool events at the brewery including beer & cheese samplings.  Beer is fantastic, as usual.  My favorites include their Big Red (Imperial Red Ale), Farmer's Tan (Imperial Pale Lager) and Mokah (Stout brewed with Coffee & Chocolate).  All were super delicious from the taps at the Empty Pint."

Written by: Krysten