Finishing Feb & Starting March #192-206

To finish off the month of February we traveled to Connecticut and Massachusetts to visit family and also visit one of our favorite breweries to stock up a bundle and fill our suitcases for the trip back home!

Also 20% DONE for the year....

We were upgraded to first class on the trip so my first beer of the day was actually the first first class beer of this blog, though it was one I have already had and blogged for this year (Goose IPA)...

We flew to the airport outside of Hartford Connecticut and went to lunch in Vernon, CT where I had the first new beer of the trip!

#192 - Thomas Hooker #nofilter IPA

Then we headed to Tree House in Massachusetts to stock up....and we actually had a pretty short line!
We stocked up on an array of awesome beers and I was also able to have three beers from their draft line as well!!!

#193 - Tree House All That Is and All That Ever Will Be
#194 - Tree House Cachet Double IPA
#195 - Tree House Shimmer

Back closer to home, we went out to Labyrinth Brewing in Manchester, CT and I was able to work through a few beers there and take a 4-pack home.

#196 - Labyrinth Turbo Love Juice
#197 - Labyrinth Hesperia IPA
#198 - Labyrinth Champion of the Sun
#200 - Labyrinth Scorpio's Sting

Visiting family and relaxing at home with a brew in the evening led to a couple more to try...

#201 - Tree House Outlier
#202 - Alvarium Phresh IPA
#203 - Alvarium Hurricane Cocktail Style Sour
#204 - Tree House Punch

And on our final day, we went up to Springfield Massachusetts to check out the MGM casino there since the Basketball Hall of Fame was closed for renovations...and then off to the airport to return home...

#205 - Stony Creek Big Cranky Double IPA
#206 - Counterweight Headway IPA

So while the last two were in March (on  3/1)...I finished February with 204 beers on the journey to 1000!  Already 20% done!

Last of February at Home #153 & 188-191

It is a theme...still catching up...still catching up...still catching up!

In the second half of February I tried an additional 5 beers at home...

I actually learned something new when I found a new beer that I had never heard of before and having had over 3500-4000 beers before that is pretty rare.  I found Utica Club at a store way out in the VA suburbs of DC where I am now working and read the can which says it is the first beer to be sold when Prohibition ended!

#153 - Bud Ice
#188 - Kirin Ichiban
#189 - Alewerks Superb IPA
#190 - Utica Club 
#191 - Dogfish Head SeaQuench

The Rest of Charlottesville Weekend #164-181

The first night out was fun, and then we were looking forward to brunch at Three Notch'd Craft Kitchen to kick off the rest of the weekend!!!

It was a great brunch and some yummy beers!

#164 - Three Notch'd Nephrology #10 

#165 - Three Notch'd Nephrology #12 

#166 - Three Notch'd Hydraulian Irish Red

#167 - Three Notch'd Millstone Pale Ale

#168 - Three Notch'd Green Terrors Aussie Pale Ale

#169 - Three Notch'd Watermelon Gose

#170 - Three Notch'd Pomegranate Gose

For the afternoon, we tried to go to Monticello but the timing of tickets available were prohibitive so we headed back to Charlottesville to another brewery - Champion Brewing!

#171 - Champion Brewing Wheeze the Juice

#172 - Champion Brewing Missile IPA

#173 - Champion Brewing Shower Beer

Around town a bit more and a couple beers for the hotel from the gas station!

#174 - Seven Arrows Alpha Decay DIPA

#175 - Stable Craft Brazen Cider

#176 - Skipping Rock Nor'Easter New England IPA

#177 - Deschutes Wowza Hazy Pale Ale

#178 - Busch Beer

#179 - Devil's Backbone Always Open Apple Sparkling Ale

And finally lunch on Sunday as we left before we went to Luray Caverns and then home later in the evening!!!

#180 - BJ's Pirahna Pale Ale

#181 - BJ's HopStorm IPA

Charlottesville Weekend Day 1 #154-163

For our second driving weekend away this year where we drove rather than our more far flung plane-based weekends, we went to Charlottesville Virginia from 4/14-4/16.  

First we started out downtown in Charlottesville at Miller's Pub, then headed down the pedestrian mall to the Charlottesville Draft Taproom and their self-serve beer wall!!!

#154 - Stable Craft Total Entropy IPA

#155 - New Realm Tyrannosaurus Flex

#156 - Champion Brewing Champagne Problems

#157 - Deschutes Tangelo Cardamom Sour

#158 - Hardywood Park The Great Return

#159 - Three Notch'd Minute Man

#160 - Ithaca Beer Company Flower Power IPA

Then off to South Street Brewery and back to Citizen Burger Bar for dinner! 

#161 - South Street JP Pale Ale

#162 - South Street Bar Hopper IPA

#163 - Basic City X17 DIPA

February Alexandria Outings...#141-152 & #182-187

It has been a busy month while I wound down one job and started another, and also spent a weekend traveling to Charlottesville, VA (future post coming soon)...so I am a bit behind with the blog posts....here is to catching up!

In between all of that has been a few trips out to some of our favorite places in Alexandria and of course a few new beers too!  Including a bit of a Pro Re Nata take over of some taps at one of our super faves...Lost Dog Café!

#141 - Maine Beer Lunch

#142 - Firestone Walker Thrilla in Sarsparilla

#143 - Firestone Walker Mind Haze IPA

#144 - Two Roads Persian Lime Gose

#145 - Firestone Walker Flyjack 96

#146 - Fairwinds Quayside Kolsch

#147 - Ocelot Gorgeous & Alone IPA

#148 - O'Connor Anglers End Double IPA

#149 - Pro Re Nata Hop Drone

#150 - Pro Re Nata Go Johnny Gose (my poor notes didn't catch the specific version as they have made about 6 different versions...oops)

#151 - Pro Re Nata Buddha Kind

#152 - Pro Re Nata Scarlet Letter

#182 - Left Hand Hard Wired Nitro Porter

#183 - Einstok Icelandic Toasted Porter

#184 - New Realm Hazy Like a Fox IPA

#185 - Reason Beer Pale Ale

#186 - Parkway Triple A Amber Ale

#187 - Ardent Saison

Catchup Post...#130-140

As February has started, I have been on a tear trying new beers at home during the week and going out on weekends...here is a catchup of the beers tried at home so far!!!

First we had a quick trip to Waldorf, MD while shopping for furniture and while I tried two new beers there, the best part of the trip was the flight of mini pizzas that we ordered!!!

#130 - Devil's Backbone Capit-Ale

#131 - Goose Island Goose IPA

#132 - Genesee Ice
#133 - Old Ox Golden OX
#134 - Old Ox Alpha OX
#135 - Center of the Universe Pocahoptas
#136 - Natural Ice

#137 - Bud Light Lemon Tea

#138 - Omission Gluten Free Pale Ale

#139 - Tree House Brighter than Starlight

#140 - Evolution Liger Sour IPA

First DC Adventure of 2020 #120-129

We started February by heading into DC to attend a snow and ice winter festival by the Navy Yard...while it was about 60 degrees and sunny!  There were ice sculptures and polar plunges and music and drinks and such.

Before the festival, we had a bite to eat and some fun beers at Bluejacket.  

#120 - Bluejacket Lost Weekend 

#121 - Bluejacket Perfect Places 

#122 - Bluejacket Freak Scene

#123 - Bluejacket Distant Morning

#124 - Bluejacket Open Window 

#125 - Bluejacket The Rainbow

Then we attended the festival and a couple places afterward....

#125 - Devil's Backbone Eight Point IPA

#127 - O'Connor El Guapo

#128 - Gordon Biersch Giganticus Double IPA

#129 - Gordon Biersch Lord Juicy