Tour Beer Blog by Sarah Siskind

Nelson County Beer Feature - Wild Wolf Pilsner

2012-01-24T10:45:00.000-08:00

so, i moved to beautiful nelson county, va the week before christmas, and besides being nestled in the blue ridge mountains, this county is home to 17 wineries and 4 craft breweries! oh yeh...so many things to try. my first highlight i must share is from Wild Wolf Brewery, just a couple miles from my house.

Wild Wolf Pilsner
Wild Wolf Brewery

i am usually an ale girl. i like clean, forward ales, sometimes on the darker side. most of the times i try craft pilsners, they are too thin but i found one that makes me smile from ear to ear. the pilsner at wild wolf brewery is true in color - but the flavor is more complex than the typical pils without being too fancy. a perfect summer sipper, but hearty enough for me for a cold night by the fire. right in the middle of the flavor is a round, bready taste, almost reminding me of a perfect sourdough slice, and the after taste is fresh and light. i love it. not to mention, wild wolf is a really cool place...the restaurant is in an old school house and features mostly local ingredients (complete with a gluten free bun i can select on any sandwhich or burger!). just outside is a courtyard of old tobacco barns that are being renovated into specialty shops with jewelry, housewares, and a home brew store, all centered around a mill-wheel water feature. heaven on earth? yes. and there is a great pilsner to go with it all...

www.wildwolfbeer.com

2 Pumpkin Beers

2011-10-26T10:37:00.000-07:00

my trio and i just finished 2 weeks on the road, and one of the highlights was sampling pumpkin beers along the way. i'm a pumpkin fanatic, so of course pumpkin beer would delight me! here are two we tried, and my discovery of heaven in a glass...

#1 - blue point pumpkin ale, blue point brewing co, long island, ny
we played at one of my favorite venues greyhorse tavern in bayport, ny. they serve the most delicious and carefully prepared food here, so it was no surprise that they presented their pumpkin beer in pint glasses rimmed with cinnamon sugar. the girls and i couldn't speak...this was absolutely one of the most lovely things i've ever put in my mouth. the beer itself was so rich and full of flavor, while still being light-weighted. it was perfectly crisp. i could almost taste hints of apple in it - maybe it was the cinnamon reminding me of apple pie? either way, it was the perfect combination of having great personality but not overpowering. it paired perfectly with the skirt steak we all devoured. i MUST have this beer again one day. it's on the top of my list of all time tastes. HEAVEN IN A GLASS!

#2 - great pumpkin ale, cambridge brewing co., cambridge, ma

the great pumpkin ale was my first experience of draft pumpkin beer years ago, playing in boston. it had been my favorite until i discovered blue point pumpkin ale! the cambridge great pumpkin ale is a little heavier and the flavors aren't quite as balanced as blue point. it is still delicious, but it's weight made it more of a dessert beer option. we all enjoyed it while playing at the cozy toad in cambridge, ma.

#3 - we also tried a pumpkin ale in pittsburgh, pa, but i didn't catch the name of it as we were buzzing around trying to go onstage. it was good, but on the much lighter side. without knowing the brewery, it seems silly to critique it much more than to say that nothing can hold a candle to blue point pumpkin ale, with sugar and cinnamon on the glass!! :)

we'll be in the southeast in november - i welcome suggestions of pumpkin beers to try in TN, NC, SC and GA!

The 2 Best Beers I had in May...

2011-06-09T20:59:00.000-07:00

I have gotten pretty behind on my beer blog. I meant to update it during my 2 week tour through Colorado, where I usually discover the best new beer, but one of my new favorites actually was introduced to me in Nashville.

I played a private house concert in early May where the theme and focus was the Kentucky Derby, so the drink of choice was mint juleps. They were delightful, made from fresh mint from the neighbors garden and simple syrup handmade from organic cane sugar by the host. There was an array of Kentucky bourbons to chose from and I definitely decided that the mint julep is one of my new favorites.

However, what I didn't expect was when the host handed me a stout in a can. He knew that I am a bit of a beer snob, so he was curious if I had tried Moo Thunder Stout by Butternuts Beer and Ale (New York). The can looked familiar, but I couldn't say that I had tried it...THIS BEER IS RIDICULOUS. It may even be a close runner to Young's Double Chocolate Stout as my favorite dark beer. It is silky smooth with a coffee undertone, but isn't bitter at all. A hint of chocolate adds to a full, complex flavor that has a quick finish, unlike other heavier stouts. I was so thrilled when I saw it in my local Whole Foods!

Later in the month, I did get to try some new Colorado beers on my 2 week tour there. Always a favorite brewer of mine, I got very excited when I heard Ska Brewery had a new beer called "Mexican Logger"...I first had it on draft at one of my mother-in-law's favorite Mexican restaurants in Durango. I loved it so much, we requested that we had it backstage that night at our gig downtown! The "Logger" is more of a full bodied pilsner than a lager. The flavor is really round and complex, but still managed to be light. It almost reminded me of a good loaf of fresh baked bread with a lather of butter on top! We bought a 6-pack to take back to Nashville, but it didn't make it past Missouri!

Some of my other favorite beers in the summer:

Cisco whale's tale pale ale

2010-06-09T21:17:00.001-07:00

I heard about sunset grill on beer tv. I think it was rated the highest for best beer selection in the country.

I just played at berklee with Ari Hest and he and his buddy and I are getting a beer and food. I told the waiter I wanted a local ale so he recommended the cisco whales tale pale ale.

I must say on the first couple sips, it has a slight taste of ocean. The hoppiness is not offensive and the aftertaste is mellow. It feels like a very classic, true pale ale. I like!!

Rating: 9.5

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Cain's Dragon Heart Brown Ale

2010-04-24T17:28:00.001-07:00

Headed into my 4th week on tour with Paul Brady, the opportunities to blog about beer have been slim because it has been Guiness auto-pilot. Comparing Guinesses between cities could have worked, but the bottom line is that Guinness is best in Ireland and that's it.

During a day off in Liverpool I am taking a little time for myself at a restaurant adjacent to our hotel. I was pleased to find that they had several locally Liverpool- brewed beers although I would have prefered them on draft as opposed to in a bottle.

However I was intrigued when they brought it out at room temperature.

I don't usually like American nut brown ales but this English brown ale was far from that... It was very full with a strong caramel/brown sugar tint. It still had a bit of a hoppy start despite how smooth and mellow the finish was. Loved it.

Rating: 9 out of 10

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Location:Liverpool UK

Velvet Elvis Stout - Oskar Blues - perfect 10!

2010-03-16T22:07:00.001-07:00

I am in love with Lyons, CO.i dont want to leave. Their local Oskar Blues beer is delightful.

After a sampler (shared among 3 people) I chose the stout as my favorite.

This particular stout has a chocolatey start with a smooth caramel finish. No bitterness and very elegant. This is the most drinkable stout I've ever tasted on draft.

Overall rating: 10!
Http://www.oskarblues.com

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Location:Lyons,United States

Pond Scum ESB, Oskar Blues

2010-03-14T20:42:00.001-07:00

Last night was the last show of the duo tour, and it was a total blast. The folks in the Lyons/Boulder area are so psyched for music, it really cranks my chain.

Since T and I aren't going to be together on our birthday in April, we celebrated tonight with a movie and dinner. Crazyheart and then Q's in Boulder. Yay and yum.

We're capping the night off with a beer at Oskar Blues in Lyons. I got the "Pond Scum" ESB, this one is English style.

My favorite ESB is Redhook and this one is tamer but in a good way. This one is close to an ale in flavor. The bitterness is pretty non-offensive and it had a super long aftertaste which I've found to be true with most ESB's. Pleasant.

Overall rating: 8.5

Http://www.oskarblues.com

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Amicas IPA

2010-03-11T20:51:00.000-08:00

Salida may be my new favorite Co town. We had an amazing show at Salida Cafe. We met such nice peeps and got lots of recommendations for local brews. Supposedly the famous local beer is the INdia Pale Ale brewed by Amicas. Salida Cafe had it on tap so I had to try it.

Over time I've lost my taste for IPA and have drifted more towards ales and dark beer, however this may be the best IPAs I've ever tasted. Some IPAs can be thin but this one is full and bright. It has a sweet start with a floral middle and then a bitter hoppy-ness at the end that is actually quite pleasant. Also there is something about this town's love for this particular beer that gives it an extra dimension of character.

Overall rating: 9.5

Http://www.salidacafe.com
Http://www.amicasbrewerysalida.com

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Location:Salida, Co

Alamosa Amber

2010-03-10T22:29:00.000-08:00

Before our show in Alamosa, we cozied up to a booth at the local brewery. I started with a sampler so I could decide which one I liked best. Don't worry, Travis helped me!

All of these beers were very good. There was even a green chili beer! I chose the Alamosa Amber as my favorite.

It was very smooth but had an undertone of soft hoppy-ness which you don't always taste in lagers. It was fuller than other lagers too that I've tasted. Yum!

Overall rating: 9

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Santa Fe Pale Ale - Perfect 10

2010-03-08T19:13:00.000-08:00

We had a couple days off so I made my way to Santa Fe to write with the legendary Bil Al (NRBQ)...He has become a favorite writing partner of mine and his home in Santa Fe is glorious with guest quarters, equipped with a full fridge...you know what this means!? I stopped on my way to his place and grabbed a six pack of the local Santa Fe Pale Ale at Whole Foods. I remembered loving this beer at the brewing company last time through, but had forgotten how perfect it is.

If I had the ability to brew beer, this is exactly what it would taste like. It has a fullness that is light at the same time. Not too hoppy, but not too subtle. It is almost creamy...but bright. It reminds me of the crispness of Anchor Steam. It tastes like hapiness. And this isn't even on tap!!

Rating 1 out of 10: 10!
http://santafebrewing.com

Colorado boy Irish red

2010-03-04T19:31:00.001-08:00

The beautiful mountain town of ridgway, 30 miles from telluride, has a historic downtown with a handful of quaint restaurants, galleries and shops. tomorrow night we play the sherbino theater! we were told to check out the Colorado boy brewery on the main strip while in town.

I opted for the Irish Red. it was slightly floral but mainly mellow. the color was a beautiful golden red that you can't really see in these photos. it was clean and even though it was a tad underwhelming for me, after we sampled the other beers, we decided the red was our overall choice for a takeaway growler. :)

overall rating: 7.5
http://www.coloradoboy.com

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Location:ridgway, co

single male pale ale

2010-03-04T16:21:00.000-08:00

we stopped into the gunnison brewery on our way to ridgeway. we decided to get the sampler first to decide which full beer to get... I chose the single male pale ale.

it had a nice bite right at the top but mellowed out really fast. on it's own it was a little subtle for me but with food it was perfect.

overall 1 out of 10 rating: 8
http://www.gunnisonbrewery.com

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intro to my beer blog

2010-03-02T19:54:00.001-08:00

Despite my food allergy to wheat , beer doesn't bother me. unless it's a wheat beer :). but all others are harmless to my sinuses and very friendly to my tastebuds.

while on tour, I usually take it as an opportunity to taste the local microbrew in each city. I've found some real favorites along the way; Cambridge pumpkin ale and Brooklyn lager to name a few...(I'm writing from my phone so capitalization is whacky)

today, Travis and I embark on a duo tour of colorado and what better place to sample microbrews? so throughout this tour I will sample and rate local beers and post them to this blog along with pics. exact rating system will be unveiled tomorrow.

the best roadside option tonight was a michelob amber bock at a lonestar... not worth rating of course but we did get a goofy pic:

if you happen to see on my concert page (sarahsiskind.com/live) where I'm playing and you have a suggestion of a local beer that I should try, tweet me!

until tomorrow.
cheers!
Sarah

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Location:somewhere in kansas