Custom Coasters and More!

After hours of nonsense internet browsing, what finally caught my attention long enough to peruse?  Labels on the Fly.  If you are homebrewing, designing a snazzy label will bring your story together.  Create your own coasters to remember a special occasion at a low cost.  Each label is about 39 cents each.  They even offer discounted bulk purchase prices for those of you with frequent output.  Coasters cost about $2.38 each - so cheap!  The website allows you to customize colors and fonts after selecting a basic template.  In general, it seems easy to use.  When you want to offer a unique party favor for any celebration or want to finish off a long session of homebrewing, consider Labels on the Fly.  If these are not what you're looking for, they offer a variety of other food and home label creations.  Slainte!

My attempt at a bottle label.  

Sunday Sips: Water Gap Wheat

Beer Name:  Water Gap Wheat

Brewed By / In:  Appalachian Brewing Co. / Harrisburg, PA (now with satellite locations)

Beer Type:  Belgian Pale Ale

Best Served In:  Over-sized Wine Glass, Tulip, Snifter

ABV:  4.5%

Characteristics:  Smells of citrus and wheat.  Pours hazy and cloudy, true to standard of the unfiltered.  Golden orange color topped with short-lasting (about 30 seconds) but pearly white foam.  Light mouthfeel with mild carbonation.     Once it flows over your palate, the citrus wakes up your tastebuds and then the wheat smooths it out.

Food-pairing:  Grilled fruit

Overall:  8.0 - With such low alcohol content you could easily enjoy another and not feel completely bloated.  Although traditionally served with a lemon at the brewpub, I thought an orange slice would suffice on this sunny day.  I squeezed and dropped the sliver in about three-quarters of the way through my sipping. Wow, the citrus taste heightened!  Perhaps if there was more beer in the glass, the citrus would have spread throughout the glass, but I sure did enjoy it! Slainte!


I dedicate this bright and summery post to all of the engagements that occurred this week, best wishes to all of you!


As always, please enjoy alcohol responsibly.  

Las Vegas: A Brew Review

Happy official first day of Summer!  Last week I had the pleasure of visiting Las Vegas, NV.  I thought I knew exactly what to expect from Sin City - bright lights, wild nights, loud crowds.  Although I found them all without strife, Las Vegas certainly surprised me.  For one thing, calling it just "dry heat" does not help deter my discomfort with the 108 degree weather.  On a lighter note, the Strip is an architectural wonder.  The Eiffel Tower  and hot air balloon of Paris, the Space Needle of the Stratosphere and the ceiling of the Bellagio all struck me as dazzling.  Another major surprise to me - the lack of good beer.  It absolutely shocked me that as I walked the streets, weaving through the sea of characters (in costume and not), that everyone carried two cans of Coors Light, or a pounder of Fosters or a bottle of Corona.  I figured that surely everyone was as price conscious as I am so they must be saving money on beer to see the shows or eat at nice restaurants.  Maybe I could let it slide if that was the case.  In a word...nah.  Las Vegas just does not have the craft beer following as I expected from a town that has a little bit of everything and seems to be on the cutting edge to attract all demographics.  I luckily found a small branch of the Sin City Brewing Co. in the Miracle Mile (a mall-like environment found in Planet Hollywood).  This branch was small - more like a twig.  With about five or six seats in the whole place, there were four beers on tap - a Weisse, a Blonde, an Amber and a Stout.  I sampled the Weisse, named Weisse is Nice.  And it was just that - nice, nothing that threw me out of my chair but, y'know, nice.  Who knows?  Maybe I wasn't looking hard enough for the right beer.

Now I am not one for bringing back a ton of souvenirs or knickknacks (frankly, I am working on breaking my pack rat tendencies), but I do love to pick up one thing - a growler.  Thankfully, this small mall bar had some to offer so that I could continue growing my collection.  I will say that I like the playfulness of their label.  All in all, Las Vegas is a city like none other and I am happy to check it off the list.

Slainte and viva Las Vegas!

Philadelphia Beer Week is Here!

Oh joy, oh rapture, Philly Beer Week is under way!  Until June 10, throughout the city and portions of the Main Line ("portions" because the Main Line will host its own Beer Week), you will be able to explore new places and new flavors with the amazing deals.  To find more information visit any of the below!

Philly Beer Week's Website

Philly Beer Week's Twitter

Philly Beer Event's Website

Philly Mag (Incredible article of Philly's love of craft beer)

As always, with these beer events, I know it may seem appealing to go wild and enjoy everything in one night, but it is quite the opposite.  Please respect employees and other patrons of where you visit and always enjoy responsibly. Slainte!