Southern Sun Pub & Brewery

While in Boulder, Colorado for Spring Break I managed to stop by a few breweries in the area.  The first was Southern Sun.  Southern Sun was opened on the south side of Boulder as a second location of Mountain Sun.  It offers up more space than the original, and offers up the same delicious beers.  There is also a third location, the Vine Street Pub, in Denver.


Southern Sun is located near the intersection of Broadway and Table Mesa in the upper level of a very nondescript building in what amounts to a strip mall development.  However, do not be fooled!  This place is very good.

My first trip here was with my friend Jon and his housemates to celebrate my arrival the day before and the end of Stout Month.  I had the Girl Scout Stout, which tasted like a Thin Mint.  I talked with some people who claimed it was far more minty than the year before (and worse because of it), but I found it to be more subtle.  The mint complemented the bitter hop character and sweetness of the beer well.  Plus, any beer that tastes like an already delicious cookie is good in my book.

I made a second trip to Southern Sun Friday night as my week in town was drawing to a close.  I grabbed some dinner and a couple of beers.  For dinner I had one of their specials of the day, the Phryday Phish Phry.  A couple of pieces of fried Alaskan cod with slaw was delicious, but the kicker was the hand cut fries.  They were top-notch.

As for beers, I had a XXX Pale Ale, an FYIPA, and a taster of Blackberry Wheat.  The XXX Pale Ale was pretty straightforward.  Much like many other pale ales there was a slight citrus aroma and taste to it along with decent hop bitterness.  Next, the FYIPA had one of the most pleasant aromas of any beer I can remember.  It was fantastic, and it hid the fact it was an IPA - until you drank it.  It. Was. Hoppy.  From one of the most pleasant aromas to some of the harshest hop bite encapsulated in one beverage was phenomenal.  I haven't tried all of their beers, but if you plan on only getting one, I would recommend the FYIPA.  Finally, I had a taster of Blackberry Wheat, which I was not a huge fan of.  It was a little sad to end on a lower note, but I also chalk it up to not having much experience with Blackberries in general.  It tasted similar to other fruit beers, but it came off a little odd to me and I probably wouldn't get it again.

At this point I remembered what drinking at a higher elevation entails, so I finished up and called it a night.

Overall, I really enjoyed my two trips to the Southern Sun Pub & Brewery and would recommend people try it out.  I think either here or the Mountain Sun is a must-stop while visiting Boulder.

Lagunitas Cappuccino Stout

I got this stout on tap at Hopcat. It is brewed by Lagunitas Brewing Company in Petaluma, CA. Seemed to have a decent head and was a deep brown color. It had a very distinct cappuccino flavor at first which faded as the tongue got used to it. It's a little heavy at 8.8%ABV but is still very drinkable. It is one stout that I will try again.

Beer and the White House

We know that President Obama enjoys beer, especially his Goose Island from Chicago.  He traded beer with the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom over a bet on the World Cup.  Now, he is apparently the first resident of the White House to homebrew!

AMERICA!!! [NSFW *lyrics*]

90 Schilling - Odell Brewing Co.

90 Schilling is a very good amber ale.  It pours with an ever-so-slight head that stays around for quite a while.  It has a very nice smell with slight citrus aroma.  The color is a fantastic "copper" according to the bottle, and I would have to agree.  It has a medium body, right in the perfect drinking zone where its not too light and watery and not too heavy and chewy.  Balance is the name of this game.  It leaves only a minimal amount of lacing on the glass.

BeerAdvocate

Note: Distribution from Odell sticks between the Rockies and Mississippi River for now.

A-B InBev + SABMiller Merger Possibility?

Hooray for independent analysts jumping ahead of either company in speculation.

Also, check out this spreadsheet if you intend to avoid buying from the "Big Two" via the BeerAdvocate Forums.

The United States of Beer

GOOD takes on the challenge of representing craft breweries around the country on a map.  Choices were based on reader recommendations.  This all, of course, happened after another map was made by the Houston Press that included such delights as Keystone Light and PBR...

The only problem with the new one is that apparently Bell's completely blew other Michigan brewers away for the easiest win.

How Beer Saved the World

I've often thought to myself that beer is one of the greatest inventions. I always thought that just because of how damn good it tastes, and it turns out I was right, but for the wrong reason. A couple of weeks ago, a program aired on Discovery Channel called How Beer Saved the World. I missed it, but fortunately I found it online. This program is pretty insightful on how beer played a part in human history, and its importance in the advancing of civilization. While some parts of it are a bit of a stretch, most of it seems to be sufficiently and scientifically supported. I really think that if this show was segmented into different episodes and more time was spent on specific periods in time, it could be much more convincing. Nevertheless, if you enjoy beer at all, this program will keep you smiling and educated. I would highly recommend grabbing a beer at watching it now. Cheers.

Here is the link below:

http://www.putlocker.com/file/UM6QD7B2ETWSGS4#