High Falls Brewery's Genny

The High Falls Brewing Company is the official brewer of Genesee Cream Ale. High Falls brews many different beers, but we will only be considering Genny Cream in this post. It is nothing against the other brews, but I feel that Genny Cream is way better and up to higher quality standards than the other brews. Regardless, Genny is a cream ale that is brewed in upstate New York. Specifically, the brewery is in Rochester and it also brews the popular beer JW Dundee's Honey Brown. Anyway, Genny Cream has a very smooth taste. I first discovered it in a real dive somewhere on the Vermont New York border. I would definitely classify it as a light brew. Genny is also hands down a way better tap beer. I like it out of a bottle, but it is simply amazing from the tap. So, give Genny Cream a try if you find it in a bar anywhere. Since it is a lighter beer, I would heavily recommend drinking Genny with things like chicken or maybe even seafood. It is not want you want to have with darker meats. I should also note that some of the other Genesee brews are good, too. So, give Genesee products a shot if you see the beers out there. I also recommend trying some of the other High Falls brews. The JW Dundee's Honey Brown is definitely a good strong brew. Have a great day and take care.

-bren-

Genny Cream Ale Style: Average Joe
Grade: Stellar (7 of 10)
Drink With: Seafood, Chicken

Southampton Publick House

Southampton Publick House has been brewing beer for several years. In 1996, SPH was officially recognized as a brewery on Long Island, NY. As many do not know, it is very difficult to establish a successful brewery on Long Island. Southampton Publick certainly has overcome this obstacle and become a great brewery. The bottling operations at the establishment are, at best, minimal. The primary purpose of the brews is to serve in accompaniment with food served at the restaurant. Enough background, let's get to the beer. Southampton makes a fairly wide variety of brews. The year-round brews include Montauk Light, Southampton Secret Ale, Southampton Pale Ale, and Southampton Golden Lager. Out of these brews, I heavily recommend the Southampton Secret Ale. This is an award winning brew that has been served for several years. This brew is a 3 time World Beer Cup medalist. Of these wins, there were two golds and one silver. In addition to the full-timers, Southampton Publick serves an array of seasonal brews which would include Pumpkin Ale, Southampton IPA, and Expresso Stout. The Expresso Stout has local coffee beans brewed into the stout. There is a minimal amount of caffeine in the brew, but it certainly creates a very nice taste. Overall, I would heavily reccomend giving the Southampton Publick House a try. For years, many Long Islanders have enjoyed it. Hopefully, some of you will get a chance to enjoy it as well. I should also note that the food is very good in addition to the fine beer served there. If you are ever in Southampton, go try the Southampton Publick House. Take care and have a great day.

-bren-


Southampton Publick House Beer: Styles vary. Mainly medium to light side of beer.
Grade: Stellar (7 of 10)
Drink with: Burgers, and food at Publick House

Beamish Irish Stout

Beamish is the first truly foreign beer that is listed on this site. The brew is made in Cork City, Ireland. Coincidentally, it happens to be the same town that most of my family is from. So, I will admit that I have a little bit of partiality to this brew. Anyway, Beamish has been brewing for a long time. Some even suggest that the Beamish & Crawford Brewery may date back as far as 1500. Obviously, the beer must be pretty solid to last for such a long time. Personally, I love this beer so much. For years, I have been drinking Beamish with a wide variety of meals. The brew is definitely a dark brew. Most people are used to Guinness, so it would suffice to compare Beamish to a Guinness like beer. Beamish is very similar in every aspect. However, it is much darker and smoother than Guinness. It should be noted that this beer is very dark and is in fact an Irish Stout. I would refer to it as a "Heavy Hitter" as far as beer is concerned. This brew is for people who are very much into beer. I would certainly recommend trying it. For the first time, you may want to get Beamish on tap so that you can get the full flavor and experience. I definitely think that Beamish is a high quality brew that deserves a fair chance in the race for best Irish Stout. Everyone be sure to have a great day. Take care.

-bren-

Beamish Beer Style: Heavy Hitter (Dark Irish Stout)
Grade: Phenomenal (a 9 of 10)
Drink With: Desserts, Mashed Potatoes

Magic Hat Wins Most Popular Brew in September

I would just like to say congratulations to Magic Hat Brewing Company on winning in the brew poll from September. Magic Hat won with 44% of the votes, Brooklyn Brewery finished close behind. Congrats Magic Hat, you have earned it.

-bren-


P.S. Check out the new October poll.

Moose Drool

Moose Drool is brewed by the Big Sky Brewing Company, which is located in Montana. You may be thinking how I could ever find a brewery in Montana. Well, I was in Washington State one week during the past summer. While I was there, I had the privilege of trying a wide variety of northwest brews. Moose Drool stood out as a clear winner from that region. Right off the bat, I was impressed and intrigued by the name. After a day of hiking Mount Rainier, I decided to give the brew a shot. The smooth taste along with the incredible after taste really sold me on Moose Drool. Of course, the fact that I was sitting down to enjoy a beer after a day of hiking on glaciers certainly helped make Moose Drool taste great. However, I still loved the brew when I had it a few days later. Obviously, this means that there was some definitely quality put into this beer. Unfortunately, the brew is not available on the east coast of the United States. So, you must be west of Minnesota in order to enjoy the smooth taste of Moose Drool. Either way, I highly recommend checking this brew out if you are in the Northwest. I had Moose Drool with a burger, and I think it is a combo that stands. I would not trade that meal or brew for anything in the world. It was that good. The bottomline is that Moose Drool is a great brew that all should check out whenever they get the chance. Everyone have a great day and take care. By the way, check out the rating system I have put at the bottom of this post. It will be after every post from here on out.

-bren-

Moose Drool Beer Style: Dark average Joe
Grade: Superb (an 8 of 10)
Drink with: Red Meats

Moosehead Lager

Moosehead is brewed out of Saint John, New Brunswick. Before you jump the gun, New Brunswick is a province in Canada and not the place is New Jersey. Regardless, Moosehead Lager has been brewed for years. The brewery origins go back as far as the 60's. Of course, the 60's may not seem so long ago, but they are significant in the brewing sense. A lot has changed in the brewing industry through that time period, and Moosehead has managed to grow substantially in that time. The brew is available in all 50 states of the US, and it is also available in about 15 countries around the world. So, I think we have heard enough facts. It's time for the real brewing deal on Moosehead. The number one reason why the Moose made this list is because it is liked by many people everywhere. Basically, it falls into my category of an "average Joe" beer, but it is one of the best in that category. The strength of an average Joe beer is the fact that it is good for social settings. Very rarely will people dislike the beer. Of course, many brews would sacrifice some taste in these situations for the general acceptability. In the case of Moosehead, the beer maintains a great taste, and goes well with almost any situation. It is certainly not a dark beer by any means, but the brew falls into a more medium/light sort of category. One way or another, Moosehead has remained one of my favorite brews for years. The nostalgic value along with the quality will keep Mooshead one of my favorite beers for a long time.

-bren-

Newcastle Brown Ale

Newcastle Brown Ale has been brewed in England for years. In fact, Newcastle is thought to be the first place to brew beer in England. That fact alone shows how good the beer must be to survive to this very day. Of course, changes were made over time to the beer. Regardless, New Castle has been a very good and consistent beer that is proven through time. The brew has a very nice smooth taste, and is among my favorite English beers in existence. I have never had the privilege of visiting the New Castle brewing plant, but I certainly hope to see the factory at some point in my life. It certainly is a very important beer in the fact that it was the first of a whole generation of brews. For years, I have enjoyed the fine taste of New Castle Brown Ale. In Particular, I like to drink it around Christmas time. More specifically, I usually drink it in the early December portion of that season. I also like to eat corned beef when I drink New Castle Brown. I have no idea why I like that combination, but I do. Aside from that, New Castle is strictly a winter brew for me. Regardless, I feel that it is a very solid beer that every beer drinker should have at least once in his or her life. I highly recommend giving this brew a shot if you see it on the shelves. New Castle is sort of a classic beer, and there's a reason for it.

Take care,
-bren-

The Church Brew Works

The Church Brew Works is a microbrew based out of Pittsburgh, PA. For years, the brewery has produced some fantastic beers in an incredibly unique environment. So, what is this unique environment? Well, the Church Brew Works is based out of an actual church. Years ago, the microbrewery acquired a church, which they planned on converting to a microbrewery and restaurant. Since then, many steps have been taken to transform the church into a microbrewery. Among the many steps, removing religious items and replacing them with brewing and cooking materials were incredibly important. Now, the Church Brew Works is fully functioning and producing some fantastic brews. Personally, I love the Pious Monk Dunkel and the Pipe Organ Pale Ale. These brews are full of quality and flavor. In addition to the great taste, the food and environment add massively to the quality that I associate with this beer. Furthermore, the Church Brew Works recently won a Gold Medal at The Great American Beer Festival for the Mad Brewer Maibock. This is an incredibly high honor, and it further shows the quality of the Church Brew Works beers. I was so impressed with the brewery that I actually made a point to stop by Pittsburgh and eat there one time when I was going to Ohio. The bottom line is that the beer is solid and full of flavor. The addition of food and a great environment have helped make the Church Brew Works something fantastic. The brews taste phenomenol and have been proven in various competitions.

-bren-