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A Toast to Brews, Alexandria, VA (2025)

06/04/2025

Did you know there is a Michelin star brewery? There's only one, and it is in Chicago. So of course on our last night in town we had to go.

But first was a pit stop to another very cool brewery, which is actually a two for one deal. specializes in some funkier stuff, beer wine hybrids, natural fermentation, and cool ingredients. Don't let it intimidate you, it's delicious! is their branch that puts out more traditional (but equally delicious) beers. My favorite was "river yacht", a cold IPA that was light, clean, and very fruit forward (tropical, citrus, and berries). This was definitely one of my top stops in Chicago.

While we could have stayed all night, that Michelin star was calling to us, so off to we went. The place is just cool. It's a little dark, a little sexy, but still approachable. The beer was solid. The "aperitif pilsner" won the night for me, though they had a dark lager that came in at close second. While the beer was good, the food was great. After several appetizers we settled on duck and steak for the mains (duck won).

Our last night in Chicago was definitely a success, I would hands down recommend both these places to anyone in the area.

It was a full week with lots of beer. I left with a renewed fondness for Chicago, we'll have to plan another trip back soon.

I know there were plenty of stops we didn't make it to, so if anyone has other favorite Chicago/Illinois/Midwest breweries please let me know so I can add them to the list.

P.S. thank you to my wife for letting me tag along on her business trip.

Cheers!

-of-a-kind

05/30/2025

We took advantage of the long weekend to do a little exploring. About 2 hours from us are the Luray Caverns, the largest caverns in the Eastern U.S. We took the mile long underground walking tour, and it was pretty cool. A little touristy, I expected it to be cave-ier, but still neat.

The caves were not the only exploring we did in Luray, a short drive away is . It may be small, but the beer was solid. My favorite was the "Hooray for Luray", a nice bitter American IPA with plenty of hops, a nice caramel malt backbone, and a bit of citrus. If you're in the area it is worth a stop.

A little farther out was . Repurposed out of an old horse barn, it is a beautiful space putting out some decent beers. The winner here was the "Out the Gate" pilsner. Light and crushable, heavy on the citrus, nice summer beer.

An adventurous and enjoyable weekend. I hope everyone else had a great Memorial Day, and hopefully some fun plans for the upcoming weekend too!

05/23/2025

What's your favorite Chicago area brewery? Cause I'm not sure I can pick.

Day 3 of the Chicago trip was our penultimate night, and the biggest one for breweries.

First up was . While I tend to lean toward IPAs, sometimes you have to switch it up, and their traditional European beers are among the best out there. The Vienna lager was the winner for me. It leaned more butterscotch and toffee than the typical caramel, and had a nice hoppy zip at the end.

Up next was , which definitely scratched that IPA itch! We tried just about everything on, but people know Grid for a reason, and it was still my fav of the day. If you haven't had it, just do yourself the favor and go find it.

Last, but certainly not least, was . As a big Anti-hero fan this was a must stop for me, and I left with a tin tacker to add to the wall. Solid beers, and a huge space, just look at all those barrels!

3 great breweries with so many great beers, definitely was a great trip up to this point. Only one more night (the boujie-est) left to report out on, be sure to check back in!

05/21/2025

Had a blast this weekend at the .va ! The beer was flowing and the weather couldn't have been better.

The standout beer of the day for me was "Soul Slabs", a New Zealand style pilsner from . Light, crisp, citrus & stone fruit, and a little bit of that new world earthiness, perfectly refreshing on a hot day.

Runner up went to for their lime lager "Lime Snaps". Loads of lime, effervescent, it was like drinking a shandy with lemon-lime soda, another perfect option for the warm weather.

They also brought in a running club to do a beer mile. I think first place was just over 7 minutes. Definitely more impressive than my morning 5k time, but gotta to work those beers off one way or another.

Thanks Aslin for a great time, will definitely be back next year! Until then, anyone have any other good festivals coming up? And what's your go-to to summer lager?

05/13/2025

Had a blast at the in Frederick this weekend. This is always a fun event, and could not have asked for better weather!

It was tough to keep track of all the stand-outs, but the VIP pours from were excellent, no surprise there.

I also really enjoyed "Bail Money" a WCIPA from . Piney, hoppy, and a little grassy, it was perfect for the day, and I won a pint glass off a bag toss!

On the darker side the "Bloodmoon", a blood orange stout from was very cool, and very popular. It was way lighter than expected, a little roasty, plenty of chocolate, and a hint of the orange. We haven't been there yet as they are pretty new, but I after that I am excited to go.

Although it isn't beer, the rum cocktails from were also worth a shoutout. Nice way to end the day.

Great weather, great beers, and we got to connect with friends. I hope everyone else had a great weekend, because we certainly did. Any other good festivals/events coming up, or that you never miss?

04/30/2025

Day number 2 in Chicago was also a success. We had to stop at Giordano's for some pizza first, but after that we were off for beer.

The weather was nice, so a walk down to was in order. It's a fairly new brewery, recently had their 1 year anniversary, but they know what they are doing. It's a very cool space with a lot of options for elevated food and drinks, and of course, good beers.

My favorite was the Cosmic Spaghetti, an Italian style pilsner, light and crisp with a nice floral and grassy flavor, very easy drinking. Honorable mention goes to the black kolsch, a first for me. Smooth and mellow, like a schwarzbier that was acting very mindful, very demure, with a bit of fruit at the end.

2 for 2 so far, with 2 nights to go. Looking forward to some more great Chicago breweries!

04/29/2025

Had a great first night in Chicago.

First up was a trip to . They don't have a huge tap list (7 beers), but they were great. My favorites of the day were Space Haze, a hazy IPA that was very lemon-lime forward, still had good bitterness, and came in at only 5% abv, and Chimera, a New Zealand Pilsner which was light and crisp with good citrus and tropical fruit flavors, with just a little of that earthy new world hops flavor. Big fan of this place, would definitely recommend. Also had wine, cocktails, and the food was 🔥.

We closed out the night on the river with a couple pints at the Chicago Brewhouse Riverwalk. The standout beer there was Beezer by Old Irving Brewing. This hazy won the gold at the 2019 GABF and the 2024 World Beer Cup. I always like to try medal winners, and this did not disappoint. Juicy and smooth, with citrus and melon, a hint of pine, not too sweet, it checks all the boxes.

We've got several more breweries planned for this week. I'm excited to see what other great beers Chicago has to offer, cause we are off to a solid start.

02/19/2025

About 5 miles away from Toppling Goliath is a most excellent brewery by the name of Pulpit Rock. has that home town bar feel. Eclectic decor, super friendly staff (and patrons), and awesome beer. Don't let the looks fool you, if they couldn't hang toe to toe with Toppling Goliath they probably wouldn't still be in business. We tried everything on tap, plus a can pour, and there were no misses for me.

The biggest surprise of the day was their "Until Next Time" sour. Its one of the few beers I've given a perfect rating to on untappd. Apple and rhubarb, with granola and cinnamon, it was like drinking a deliciously tart apple cobbler.

Sours, IPAs, a pilsner, and a dunkel, they crushed it all. If you ever make a trip out to TG don't sleep on this place, it is definitely worth the extra stop.

This place has been on my bucket list for years, glad to have finally checked it off the list, will definitely be excited to go back.

Well-known breweries are well known for a reason, but those hidden gems can be just as good. What's your favorite hidden gem brewery or your go-to second stop after a big name brewery?

02/08/2025

No brewery trip to Iowa would be complete without a visit to the . From sours (Cherry Fandango) to stouts (Assassin, of course) and everything in-between, their beer slaps.

I know people love the Sue's (King Sue, Pseudo Sue, so many variants), my favorite IPA is usually Pompeii.

On this visit a close second was 'Radiant Haze', an IPA collab with out of Cali. It was plenty bitter and heavy on the grapefruit, which is just how I like it. I'll be adding Radiant to my brewery watch list.

The taproom itself is also very cool. Wood everywhere and a giant fireplace sets a bit of a cozy tone. Solid food, loads of unique merch, and plenty of to-go beers make this a perfect stop for any craft beer lover.

Not everyone is going to be traveling through Iowa, so thankfully their beer is all over. If you haven't tried it, do it. If you have, what's your fav?

02/05/2025

First new brewery visited this year was .

Normally when we stay in Columbus we go to . This trip we drove a little north to check out Getaway. Same great beers, very different vibe. It felt a little more shiek, a little more relaxed, but still very friendly and welcoming. They have all the beers from both breweries, as well as , and 3 flights later we had tried just about everything.

My favorite was Rime, a winter IPA with ginger, coriander, and caramelized orange peels. The sweet and the orange really came through, but it all blended together really well and finished with a little juniper/spruce. It was the perfect beer for a snowy day.

I can't say enough nice things about this place, if you're ever in the area do yourself a favor and stop in.

02/02/2025

Thanks ! Had a blast at the Dewey and Friends beer festival yesterday. It is definitely one of the best fests around. They have a solid list of breweries from throughout the US and Canada, plenty of rinse stations, good food, hop water, and plenty of swag (sticker haul at the end).

VIP tix are definitely the way to go for this one. It gets you in an hour early, but there is also a separate VIP room with additional food stations and beer that came in clutch when things got crowded. Plus a glass and a bottle of stout to take home, I'll be excited to try that soon.

Favorite breweries of the festival were probably (Italian pilsner & west coast IPA) and (rice lager and west coast), but there were great beers all over. Will definitely be returning next year!

Anyone else have a favorite beer festival?

02/01/2025

It's been a busy month, time to get caught up on some posting!

Our first brewery stop of 2025 was . It was less than a week into the new year, and we like it so much we've already been back again.

They lean heavily into the IPAs, which you'll never hear me complaining about. On this trip my favorite was Restorative beer, a West Coast IPA that could have used a little more west coast, but had lots of hops and fruit flavors of melon and mango. Light and a little creamy, it hit the spot.

It's also a cool vibe. Always a little dark inside, they are very music oriented in the decor, beer names, and overall atmosphere. The back room is full of pinball, they've got some nice outside seating for when it warms up, and they are very pet friendly.

If you get a chance go check it out for some great beers and a good time.

What was your first brewery of 2025?

A Toast to Brews

06/04/2025

05/30/2025

05/23/2025

05/21/2025

05/13/2025

04/30/2025

04/29/2025

02/19/2025

02/08/2025

02/05/2025

02/02/2025

02/01/2025

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