Why I Oughta...

A few weeks back, we went to a birthday party at a brewery that I didn't even know existed:  Miskatonic Brewing.  It is located in Darien - on a frontage road, but from Downers Grove, it is pretty easy to travel to for a beer.  The party room is in the back - like a lot of breweries, it seems.  And we had a great time.  I stuck to just one beer:  This Little Gray Belgian Wheat Ale which has a 3.8 from Beer Advocate .  I compare everything I come across to the home team over at Solemn Oath.  I'm sure this beer from Miskatonic is great - and I will be the first to admit that I'm a total craft beer amateur - but with all the craft breweries that have sprung up, they're starting to run together in my mind.  That's ok.  I'm not their target customer.  Since this place is so close, I'm guessing we'll be back.  And maybe then I can grab a coaster to join the online coaster collection here on the blog. 

Here's another 'vintage' coaster that I've added to the online [ coaster collection ] here on the blog.  This one comes just a week or so after t he Contemporary Resort one that I found in my office closet when I was cleaning things out.  This one is from a brewery in Colorado (Idaho Springs, to be precise ) that we went to more than five years ago.  This is also the second 'vintage' coaster - a long with the Half Acre one - that I've added in recent months from breweries.  I have a vague memories of being at this brewery, but I'm not exactly sure why this coaster came home with me and why it went into storage in my closet for all these years.  But, now that is memorialized into the collection here online, it will get used on my home office desk for a bit, then tossed. 

Here comes #29 to the [ Coaster Collection ] here on the blog - and this one is local.  Alter Brewing Company is located in Downers Grove.  And, when we were there...the place was bananas!  We went on a recent Friday night for a party in their upstairs party room 1 and the entire taproom was packed.  I had a few beers, but most of what they had in the party room were super-high alcohol beers.  This is the first local, Downers Grove coaster added to the collection here, but not the first from a local craft brewery.  Back in January of 2017, I posted these photos of a coaster from Solemn Oath Brewery in Naperville .  1  This time, we were in the upstairs party room, but we've also been to a party in the rear, larger room.  I really liked the upstairs room, but it was H-O-T!

Last weekend, we had some friends over and had a little pizza party and beer tasting.  The husband of the pair, is a crazy beer guy.  I mean...like totally a beer guy.  As big of a craft beer expert as I've seen and that says something when you think about Nat's two brothers who are big craft beer guys. Well...it turns out that Natalie likes stouts.  Me?  Not so much.  But...I'm always up for a tasting in a little glass of just about anything.  Above are three of the (I think) five or six stouts that they brought and we drank.  Did I love them?  Nah.  But they were all unique.  And all interesting. On the left is Prairie Pirate Bomb.   Which has a 98 on Beer Advocate . In the middle is Founders Kentucky Breakfast Stout.   Which has a 100 on Beer Advocate ! On the right is Perennial 17 Mint Chocolate Stout.   Which has an 89 on Beer Advocate . Despite the scores, I *think* I liked the Mint Chocolate Stout from Perennial the best.  It tasted like - and smelled just