Half Lion Brewing

 Brewery Review

Location: Half Lion Brewing
Location: Sumner, WA

Date: July 21, 2022
Tag Team Partners: (None)

(Blogger's Note: It's been a while since I've posted.  I'm jumping ahead a bit to try and get this back on track.  I will go back and slowly add in all the breweries I have visited in the Pandemic Era.)

I have always passed by the Half Lion Brewing Taphouse, but never made it in.  I have had their beer at Seattle Mariner games, and a few restaurants and bars on the local scene, but never a full sample.  Today would be that day.

They're open fairly later in the day.  I had to wait until 3 for them to open.  When I went in, the place was stunning.  Amazing atmosphere that is part brewery, part lodge.  Very cool visual elements, some games to play, large and small tables, an outdoor area.  Cool stuff!

I wasn't sure what to drink when I got there, so I talked to the bartender for a bit.  I trusted his judgment, and he served me up with a flight of his recommended beers.

The beer was quite good.  I enjoyed the different flavors, and just the whole experience.

Half Lion is a really cool brewery.  I wasn't sure what to expect going in.  I had tried their beer, and heard of them, but nothing beyond that.  This place was phenomenal.  If you're driving in the area, definitely stop in and check them out.  Recommended!

Click on the link for more information about Half Lion Brewing.

On my Tap for the Evening was: 

- Log Show
Style: Blonde
Brewery: Half Lion Brewing
Untapped Rating: 3.75/5
Description: "Good solid blonde. Light. Refreshing. Crisp."
Comments: This one was pretty good.  Nice and light.  Refreshing and crisp.  High mid-tier.  Recommended.

- Half Lion Pilsner
Style: Pilsner
Brewery: Half Lion Brewing
Untapped Rating: 3/5
Description: "Nice Pilsner. Sharp taste. Bitter."
Comments: Full honesty, I'm not really a Pilsner sort of guy.  This one wasn't bad though.  Certainly drinkable and enjoyable, even for those who don't care for the flavor.  

- Strata
Style: Pale Ale
Brewery: Half Lion Brewing
Untapped Rating: 3/5
Description: "Nice sipping pale ale."
Comments: Sipped well, didn't come across too harsh.  Still has the pale ale aftertaste.

- Wildfire Haze
Style: Hazy IPA
Brewery: Half Lion Brewing
Untapped Rating: 3.5/5
Description: "Nice, bitter hazy. Relatively mild."
Comments: Very nice Hazy.  I really enjoyed it.  Definitely recommend!

- Sun Top
Style: IPA
Brewery: Half Lion Brewing
Untapped Rating: 3/5
Description: "Good mild IPA. Hoppy aftertaste."

Comments: Pretty good IPA.  Sipped well.  Not too overwhelming.  Hoppy aftertaste which worked well.  Nice beer.

No-Li Brewery

Brewery Review

Location: No-Li Brewhouse
Location: Spokane, WA

Date: June 23, 2018
Tag Team Partners: Ren, Shawn, Matt

(Blogger's Note: It's been a while since I've posted.  Between a long few weeks at my day job, and lots of things going on the past month, I've been pretty busy working lots of hours for multiple days in a row and traveling around the country.  The next few posts will be subsequent but were from the last year and a half.  I apologize for the delay.)

Ren and I made a trip out to Spokane to visit some friends.  While we were out there, we decided to check out an awesome brewery.

The decorations are pretty cool and I love the callouts to the state of Washington and it's uniqueness and identifying the brewery as being from there.

The menu looks pretty straight forward.  Lots of great beer, and deals.

I totally love the big boilers.  Everything about the place has some kind of cool touch to it.

No-Li was one of my favorite breweries I have been to.  I did 2 different flights here and they all presented some great tastes, experiences, and well crafted brew. The beer was great, the atmosphere was relaxing, and it was a good time with friends.  Recommended!

Click on the link for more information about No-Li Brewhouse

On my Tap for the Evening was: 

- Slacker
Style: Spice
Brewery: No-Li Brewhouse
Untapped Rating: 3.5/5
Description: "Smooth, fluid, slightly citrusy with a speck of vanilla."
Comments: This was a good one to start with.  Nice smooth taste that flowed epically.  It had a good citrus feel with hints of vanilla coming in at the end for a good finish.

- Born & Raised
Style: IPA
Brewery: No-Li Brewhouse
Untapped Rating: 3/5
Description: "Bitter IPA, almost floral, smooth, hoppy, malty, strong."
Comments: Decent IPA.  Gave off tones of floral, while going down smooth.  It had a decent amount of hops, malty flavors, and a strong finish.

- March Forth
Style: IPA
Brewery: No-Li Brewhouse
Untapped Rating: 3.75/5
Description: "Almost like drinking Orange Soda, very sweet very orange."
Comments: This was an amazing beer, especially if you're like Kel Mitchell.  This went down almost exactly like drinking Sunkist, or Crush only in beer form.  Very good, recommended!

- Red, White & No-Li
Style: Pale Ale
Brewery: No-Li Brewhouse
Untapped Rating: 4/5
Description: "Very smooth, very sweet."
Comments: This was a very tasty beer.  It had some very sweet elements to it, and it went down extra smooth.  Recommended!

- Spin Cycle Red
Style: ESB
Brewery: No-Li Brewhouse
Untapped Rating: 3/5
Description: "Bitter Red."
Comments: This one carries the ESB, so I expected some interesting tasting to it.  It comes out strong, nice and red in flavor, and ends with a very bitter finish.  Pretty good, especially if you're an ESB fan.

- Wrecking Ball
Style: Stout
Brewery: No-Li Brewhouse
Untapped Rating: 3.25/5
Description: "Very flavorful stout, super coffee, very dark, almost oily."
Comments: This one had an interesting feel to it.  Similar to some other beers I've had, this one had an oily feel to it.  It was very stout with coffee flavors, very dark in nature, and had a good taste to it.

- Falls Porter
Style: Porter
Brewery: No-Li Brewhouse
Untapped Rating: 3.5/5
Description: "Sweet, flavorful porter, dark, but almost like soda coffee."
Comments: Nice porter, like a carbonated coffee beer.  Good tastes, coffee finish, nicely done.

- Big Juicy
Style: IPA
Brewery: No-Li Brewhouse
Untapped Rating: 3.5/5
Description: "Light, bitter, fluid IPA."
Comments: Not bad, but another IPA.  Citrusy in taste, good hops.  Nicely done, but nothing out of the ordinary.

- Jet Star Imperial
Style: Imperial IPA
Brewery: No-Li Brewhouse
Untapped Rating: 2.75/5
Description: "Bitter, but "standard IPA"."
Comments: It was alright, but not the best IPA in my opinion.  It was bitter, had a good taste, but it's another Imperial IPA.

- Pineapple Serrano Poser
Style: Pale Ale
Brewery: No-Li Brewhouse
Untapped Rating: 2.25/5
Description: "Very slight taste, very light."
Comments: Not much to this one.  There was very little taste, and it came across very light.  It's kinda like a water beer, where it's not watered down, but it had the taste and fluidity of water.

- We Are Spokane
Style: Golden Ale
Brewery: No-Li Brewhouse
Untapped Rating: 2.75/5
Description: "Very light, floral."
Comments: Decent beer, very light, and floral in taste.  Light drinkers would enjoy this

- Amber Ale
Style: Amber Ale
Brewery: No-Li Brewhouse
Untapped Rating: 2.75/5
Description: "Amber ale, generic."
Comments: It wasn't bad, but it was just an amber ale.  Every brewery has one, so perhaps if this is your first experience, you would enjoy it more so than I did.

- Crony
Style: Brown Ale
Brewery: No-Li Brewhouse
Untapped Rating: 3/5
Description: "Brown, tropical, piney, bittersweet."
Comments: This was an interesting brown ale in that it mixed the usually darker flavors with some things you would expect from an IPA with the tropical and piney tastes.  Not too bad, and sips well.

Middleton Brewery - One Shot (Round 2)

Middleton One-Shot Wonder

Brewery: Middleton Brewing

Location: Everett, WA

Date: June 4th, 2018
Tag Team Partners: None

(Blogger's Note: It's been a while since I've posted.  Between a long few weeks at my day job, and lots of things going on the past month, I've been pretty busy working lots of hours for multiple days in a row and traveling around the country.  The next few posts will be subsequent but were from the last several years.  I apologize for the delay.)

I popped into Middleton to try another beer from them.  Pretty good stuff.  Here it is!

Click the link to read the original Middleton Review.

Click on the link for more information about Middleton

On my Tap for the Night was:

- The Bee's Knees

Style: Belgian Strong Golden Ale

Brewery: Middleton

Untapped Rating: 3.5/5

Description: "Strong Golden Ale, Hints of Belgian."

Comments: Pretty good Golden Ale.  It had a hint of Belgian in it, and made for a good refreshing beer.  Felt a bit stronger than your typical golden ale, but definitely worth drinking!

Borsche & Beer

Borsche & Beer

Piroshky & Crepes
Location: Everett, WA

Date: May 25, 2018
Tag Team Partners: Ren, Alex

(Blogger's Note: It's been a while since I've posted.  Between a long few weeks at my day job, and lots of things going on the past month, I've been pretty busy working lots of hours for multiple days in a row and traveling around the world.  The next few posts will be subsequent, but were from the last several months.  I apologize for the delay.)

I went out for lunch with Ren and her friend from work Alex.  We decided to try this European place that was in our town.  I got the Borsche and it was decidedly excellent.  I paired a special Honey Rye to go with it.

Excellent place, definitely check out Piroshky & Crepes

On my Tap for the Night was:

- Ochakovskiy Kvass

Style: IPA - Kvass

Brewery: Ochakovo

Untapped Rating: 3.75/5

Description: "Very sweet drink, like a honey rye soda."

Comments: Tasted more like a soda, but still paired well with the Borsche, and provided a sweet treat-like flavor.  I'd drink it again.

Charlotte Airport - Carolina Beer Triple Shot

Carolina Brew Double Shot

Charlotte-Douglas International Airport
Location: Charlotte, NC

Date: May 22, 2018
Tag Team Partners: None

(Blogger's Note: It's been a while since I've posted.  Between a long few weeks at my day job, and lots of things going on the past month, I've been pretty busy working lots of hours for multiple days in a row and traveling around the world.  The next few posts will be subsequent, but were from the last several months.  I apologize for the delay.)

After spending a few days back East with my best friend, his family, and seeing my family for a bit, it was time to fly back home.  As is tradition for any trip anywhere, you need to get a drink at any given airport you fly through.  This particular journey allowed me to fly home via Charlotte with a 3 hour layover.  Plenty of time to knock a few back and enjoy the atmosphere. 

Had to collect the Charlotte Douglas International Snapchat Stamp!

Overall, not a bad place to have to kill a few hours.  There's a cool view of the city from a certain part of the airport.

There are also some dedications to flying (Wright Brothers), and some really nice people to talk to.  I'd fly through Charlotte again.

On my Tap for the Night was:

- Brown Sugar Brown Cow

Style: IPA - Brown Ale

Brewery: D9 Brewing Company

Untapped Rating: 4/5

Description: "Amazing, Sweet, Flavorful."

Comments: First beer to knock away.  Tried this one on a recommendation from the bartender.  Not bad, very sweet, lots of flavor, and exceptional.  High marks.  

- CLT IPA

Style: American IPA

Brewery: Catawba Brewing Co.

Untapped Rating: 3/5

Description: "Good IPA, very citrusy, strong, sharp, piney, yet tropical."

Comments: Pretty solid IPA, nice mix of various flavors and textures.  It helps pass the time through the layover.

- Swell Rider Tangerine
Style: Session Ale
Brewery: D9 Brewing Company
Untapped Rating: 2.75/5
Description: "Sour, citrusy, but light, smooth and refreshing."
Comments: This one is for the sour beer lovers out there.  I didn't enjoy it as much, but then again, when it comes to sour beers, I prefer Flanders.  This one was ok, but only if you want something refreshingly sour.

Waynesboro Beer Fest 2018

Waynesboro Beer Festival 2018

Location: Waynesboro, PA

Date: May 19, 2018
Tag Team Partners: Tim Reihner

(Blogger's Note: It's been a while since I've posted.  Between a long few weeks at my day job, and lots of things going on the past month, I've been pretty busy working lots of hours for multiple days in a row and traveling around the country.  The next few posts are from last year.  I apologize for the delay.)

I've heard about this event for years, but after moving 4,000 miles away, I never had the chance to get to one...until now.  I flew back to my hometown and while running around all week, I had some free time, so made plans to check this out!

Sometimes you just gotta love beer.  So much in fact that you want it, in many styles, colors, flavors, and quantity.  So what better place to go than to a Beer Festival?  Tim and I were up for a challenge!

I enlisted my best friend to tag team this event with me.  It was a pretty nice event.  I saw some people from my hometown that I had not seen or talked to in years.  It's crazy just how long 10 years actually is vs. how long it feels or seems.

There were tons of great breweries at this place, and it was a nice blast.  maybe I'll have to head back again some year.

This list is a bit incomplete.  Some beers have no ratings or anything other than being listed.  I only have listed 19 of the 32 I sampled that day...because when you get to 20 samples while catching up with people from 30 years of life, and running all around, you tend to get fuzzy memories and forget to log them.

Also included are 3 bonus beers from after the Beer Festival.  One was from my friend Jackie's house, whom we visited and had an awesome dinner with, and the other two are from the Dawg House which we ran around with my sister and her crew.

Click on the link for more information about:
 Waynesboro Beer Festival
Yards Brewing Co.
Saranac Brewery
Aldus Brewing Co.
Rivertowne Brewing
South County Brewing Co.
Spring House Brewing Co.
Battlefield Brew Works
Rusty Rail Brewing Co.
Lancaster Brewing Co.
Blue Point Brewing Co.
Evil Genius Beer Co.

***Bonus***
Redds Brewing Co.
DuClaw Brewing Co.
Lancaster County Cider

On my Tap for the Night was:

- India Pale Ale

Style: IPA

Brewery: Yards Brewing Co.

Untappd Rating: N/A

Description: N/A

Comments: N/A

- Saranac Blueberry Blonde Ale

Style: Fruit Beer

Brewery: Saranac Brewery

Untappd Rating: 3.5/5

Description: N/A

Comments: N/A

- Duple Lupulus

Style: Imperial IPA

Brewery: Aldus Brewing Co.

Untappd Rating: 2.5/5

Description: "Good bitter fruity."

Comments: Not a bad IPA.  More on the fruity end of the spectrum in terms of IPA.  It's not going to be the ultra-bitter brew you're expecting, but it's refreshing and relaxing.

- Hala Kahiki Pineapple Ale

Style: Fruit Beer

Brewery: Rivertowne Brewing

Untappd Rating: 3/5

Description: "Sweet beer, pineapple flavor"

Comments: Not bad, sweet relaxing ale.

- Float Trip

Style: IPA

Brewery: Rivertowne Brewing

Untappd Rating: 3/5

Description: "Bitter IPA"

Comments: It's what you come to expect from an IPA.  Bitter, light, refreshing.  Deal!

- Stellar Phase

Style: Pale Ale

Brewery: South County Brewing

Untappd Rating: 2.5/5

Description: "Weird bitterness, like a sour banana"

Comments: A mix up of several different sorts of fruit.  Not bad, but certainly a distinctive taste.  If you like different fruits, you'll enjoy this one!

- Big Gruesome Chocolate Peanut Butter Stout

Style: Stout

Brewery: Spring House Brewing Company

Untappd Rating: 3.5/5

Description: "Very coffee Peanut Butter Chocolate Stout"

Comments: Good PB & Chocolate coffee stout, with a bigger emphasis on coffee.  The PB & chocolate mix it a good sweet flavor to mix in for a nice dark treat.

- Lexicon Devil

Style: Grapefruit Pale Ale

Brewery: Spring House Brewing Company

Untappd Rating: 2.75/5

Description: "Very sour grapefruit pale"

Comments: Sour is the name of the game, and it shines through.  If you've ever tried grapefruit, you will definitely see how it influences the taste of the beer.

- Jeremy's Ghost

Style: Pale Ale

Brewery: Battlefield Brew Works

Untappd Rating: 3/5

Description: "Good pale ale, mild."

Comments: Decent pale ale, hits on all the right parts, and makes for a nice brew.

- 40 Cannons

Style: IPA

Brewery: Battlefield Brew Works

Untappd Rating: 3.25/5

Description: N/A

Comments: N/A

- Yards Saison

Style: Saison

Brewery: Yards Brewing Co.

Untappd Rating: 4/5

Description: "Like a good whitbier"

Comments: Very good, very sweet.  Enjoyable

- Fool's Gold - Imperial Peanut Butter Hefeweizen

Style: Hefeweizen

Brewery: Rusty Rail Brewing Company

Untappd Rating: 4/5

Description: N/A

Comments: N/A

- Double Chocolate Milk Stout

Style: Stout

Brewery: Lancaster Brewing Company

Untappd Rating: 4/5

Description: "Amazing"
Comments: Totally awesome chocolate stout.  Very sweet, very rich, and just a great dark beer!

- Strawberry Wheat Beer

Style: Wheat Beer

Brewery: Lancaster Brewing Company

Untappd Rating: 3.25/5

Description: "Sweet bitter strawberries"
Comments: Award-winning strawberry wheat beer.  Nice sweet taste, fruity elements, effective flavoring.  Very well done!

- Blueberry Ale

Style: Fruit Beer

Brewery: Blue Point Brewing Company

Untappd Rating: 3.25/5

Description: "Awesome"

Comments: Very good blueberry ale.  Nice taste, fruity tones, and bitter-sweetness.

- I'll Have What She's Having

Style: Stout

Brewery: Evil Genius Beer Company

Untappd Rating: 4/5

Description: Epic coffee beer, fluid, sweet

Comments: Very nicely rounded coffee stout.  Delicious in the right places, and simply dark.  You will have what she's having!

***BONUS***

- Wicked Watermelon

Style: Fruit Beer

Brewery: Redd's Brewing Company

Untappd Rating: 3/5

Description: N/A

Comments: N/A

- Gose O's

Style: Sour

Brewery: DuClaw Brewing Company

Untappd Rating: 2.25/5

Description: Sour, cold, refreshing

Comments: Not a bad beer, but my sour buds were partied out at this point.  It was decent, and the cold description shows my intoxication level.  While not my favorite, I'm not opposed to sour lovers trying it.

- Peach Vanilla

Style: Cider

Brewery: Lancaster County Cider

Untappd Rating: 2.75/5

Description: "Sweet peachy vanilla sugar"

Comments: Very sweet cider ale.  Southern influences make this a nice and refreshing drink, with peach flavors, slight bitterness, and nice taste.

Flying Dog Brewery

Brewery Review

Brewery: Flying Dog Brewery

Location: Frederick, MD

Date: May 18, 2018
Tag Team Partners: Dad

(Blogger's Note: It's been a while since I've posted.  Between a long few weeks at my day job, and lots of things going on the past month, I've been pretty busy working lots of hours for multiple days in a row and traveling around the country.  The next few posts are from last year.  I apologize for the delay.)

Good People Do Drink Good Beer.  I could not agree more.  This is why once we arrived back in Frederick, the adventure continued on.  After taking the world's longest piss, we hopped in the MX-5 and raced down to Flying Dog Brewery to grab a few samples and a pint or two before closing.

I've had Flying Dog in the past, and have always had a very good impression of them from the beginning.  They have always delivered solid-quality beers that have gone above and beyond.  Strangely, despite living in Frederick for a short period of time, I never ventured over to their brewery until this point.

The taproom is decorated out very nicely and has a strong Maryland influence on it, while also promoting the significance of local brewery culture.  This is very important, because while it's nice to have the big regional brewers that expand their business worldwide, sometimes it's the ones that are in our backyard that can provide a pretty impressive product, and keep our tax money reinvested in our local communities.  All we have to do is keep them in business, and challenge them to keep us thirsty for the best craft-brewed product they can supply.

The Maryland Crab has found its way in and welcomes travelers to the brewery's home state in the best Flying Dog fashion.

Their IPAs are pretty exceptional, and if you're passing through, or staying for a bit, definitely stop in to check out the hype.  If you're an IPA person, you won't be disappointed.  Make sure you grab some water too.  Some of these sweet things can pack a punch!

 The other thing I truly enjoyed was the ability of this brewery to keep in the tradition of serving up the best of humor.  As with the urinal in Diamondknot Brewing, the movie posters in Dirty Bucket Brewing, and the dog water beer tap in Middleton Brewing, Flying Dog supplies its own brand of humor with an eye-chart filled with funny sight gags and some art displays over its wall.



Overall, I really enjoyed this visit, and look forward to many more returns to this place in the future.  The beer was very good, the atmosphere was nice and relaxed, and I can see why many people make this a stop on their weekend errands or grabbing a cold one for the ride home.  Flying Dog is highly recommended!

Click on the link for more information about Flying Dog Brewery

On my Tap for the Night was:

- Bloodline Blood Orange Ale

Style: IPA

Brewery: Flying Dog Brewery

Untapped Rating: 3/5

Description: "Awesome Ale."

Comments: The description says it all.  This was a pretty great ale.  Nice hoppy tones of IPA, with a deliciously refreshingly sweet orange flavor to it, it want down nice and smooth.  Recommended.

- Snake Dog

Style: IPA

Brewery: Flying Dog Brewery

Untapped Rating: 3/5

Description: "Solid IPA.  Bitter, refreshing."

Comments: This was a nice refreshing IPA.  Bitter and hoppy in all the right places.  Definitely packs a bit of a bite, but when that's what you're in dire thirst of, that's what you go for!

- The Truth

Style: IPA

Brewery: Flying Dog Brewery

Untapped Rating: 3.25/5

Description: "Super bitter IPA.  Good."

Comments: The hops are in full force with this one.  If bitter is your sweet spot, then you need to look no further than The Truth.  This test will gauge the true IPA drinkers from the rest.  Sometimes the bitter truth is just what we all need.

- Pearl Necklace

Style: Chesapeake Stout

Brewery: Flying Dog Brewery

Untapped Rating: 3.5/5

Description: "Decent coffee stout, flavorful, refreshing, smooth, sweet."

Comments: This makes for a good dessert beer.  Refreshing in all the right spots, smooth, and best of all sweet.  Coffee infusions shine and give this a good taste of how the East Coast does dark beer.

- East Coast Hop Project with Pedersen Farm Hops

Style: Rye Pale Ale

Brewery: Flying Dog Brewery

Untapped Rating: 3.25/5

Description: "Sweeter Pale Ale."

Comments: I'd say the project was a success.  Imagine drinking a Pale Ale, only with a sweeter tone to it.  Nice and light, hoppy with a hint of spice.  Delicious. 

- Saw Bones

Style: Ginger Beer

Brewery: Flying Dog Brewery

Untapped Rating: 3.75/5

Description: "Whit bier with Ginger.  Very sweet.  Very Ginger."

Comments: Now here's a beer I haven't had much experience with over the course of my travels.  The most I've seen of Ginger Beers are the ones you fine in the store that are similar on the non-alcoholic circuit along with Root Beers.  This one carried an exceptionally find ginger taste, with a rich sweetness, and similarities to a Whit Bier.  Very nicely done!

- Brewhouse Rarities: Guava Juice IPA

Style: IPA

Brewery: Flying Dog Brewery

Untapped Rating: 3.5/5

Description: "Very sweet flavor.  Fruity"

Comments:  Certainly a rarity in the span of breweries, but a great experiment to go on.  This beer was sweet in taste, and fruity in flavor.  I enjoyed it.  If you're looking for the ultra-bitter IPA, this one isn't for you.  If you're looking for one that is different than most of the others out there, but not to an appalling extent, check it out.  This is more the tropical citrusy sweetness you'd expect from the more relaxed IPAs as opposed to the ones that will put hair on your chest.

- Numero Uno Agave Cerveza

Style: Lager - Pale

Brewery: Flying Dog Brewery

Untapped Rating: 3.25/5

Description: "Like a blonde Corona."

Comments: Not a bad lager.  This one had the usual tones and textures of Mexican Lagers, but with a Blonde flavor mixed in as well.  Went down smoothly, and was very enjoyable on a nice warm day.