So the wife and I decided to take a road trip and find some interesting beer tours across the United States. We ended up finding the self proclaimed highest brewery in the world, at 8367 ft, in Grand Lake, CO at the Grand Lake Brewery.

Established in 2002, this brewery is right on the main street in Grand Lake and offers a verity of microbrews to sample. We could not decide on which one to taste first so they offer a tasting for $10 whivh gives you 10 4 oz. glasses of each of their beers. The beer was both unique in flavor as well as name. Some of the names reflect the area the that beer is brewed in including; Grand Lager, White Cap Wheat, Stump Jumper, Plaid Bastard, and Trail Ridge Red. All the brewering is down onsite with windows from the main street and showing off all their equipment. The Tasting area/ bar is cozy, so get there early, but it is definately worth the wait.

Tags: colorado brewery tour, colorado brewery tours, grand lake brewery, grand lake brewery tour

Hello fellow “brewskie” drinkers,its me again the infamous wife and I have a great Beer piece for you this week.

This weeks brewery tour is our famous hometown Brewing Company called Lion Brewing Co. of Wilkes-Barre, PA, recently Tour Guide (Jeremy) and I got to experience the cozy little brewery and had a grrrreat time!

Every October the brewery has Oktoberfest (held this year on Friday, October 3^rd 2008 and Saturday, October 4^th2008 ) on the grounds of the Brewery. This is not your average “drunk fest” but also a place to be able to take the family. The Brewery really has a family atmosphere event. They had games and rides for the kids and were really strict on public drunkenness you never seen one person throwing up, staggering around or speaking in “beer terms” at all. The Lion Brewery even offers Root Beer that is always on tap for visitors under 21.

We arrived mid morning with stomachs and taste buds ready for the taste of sweet sin and for Wilkes-Barre Mayor Tom Leighton, Lion Brewery Union President Clarence Gallagher and the Brew Masters to tap the first keg of the fun filled weekend, then the fun began and we didn’t leave til well after the sun went down on both days

The Brewery really puts on a “fest” we saw everything from Weiner dog races, big expensive fireworks, Polka favorites by NEPA’s favorite Polka Band Joe Stanky, a strolling accordion player who had everyone singing “in heaven there is no beer , that’s why we drink it here…” but the best was not just that, it was what really surprised us…. the entrance fee being only $3.00and that price included a 16 oz commemorative Oktoberfest mug for the adults or a 12 oz Lion Brewery root beer mug for the kids.

On a Brewery note the Tours and Beer Tasting, was unbelievable! The volunteers poured a fresh, ice cold not heady beer . I preferred their famous Octoberfest beer which has a Smell of floral hops and very light sweet malts. I absolutely loved it! The tours were small in numbers, which were great you actually got to hear the tour guide and not have to worry if you were in someone else’s view. We can’t wait til next year!

* Tours when not celebrating their Annual Oktoberfest offered select Saturdays at 1pm. Reservations are needed to tour The Lion and are accepted via email (info@lionbrewery.com)

* All pictures used in this blog are courtesy of Lion Brewery Inc. website

Tags: lion brewery, local beer, wilkes barre beer

On my many recent winery tours, I Christy ( the infamous wife) learned many different terms that helped me really appreciate Wine even more than I do now. The following is just a few tid- bits that I feel can help you on your next winery tour experience. Enjoy!

ACIDITY Vital component in wine that gives “bite” and life.

AFTERTASTE Strictly the flavor(s) left after the wine is swallowed. 

BALANCE Vital relative measuring of different elements in a wine, especially sweetness, acidity, fruit, tannin, and alcohol.

BODY Important measures of a wine’s weight that is determined chiefly by its alcoholic strength, but also by its extract. The more body a wine has, the less like water it tastes.

BOTRYTIS Also called “noble rot,” Botrytis cinerea is a beneficial mold that, in just the right warm, humid circumstances, will begin to grow on the outside of grapes. As the mold sucks water from the grapes, they shrivel. This, in turn, concentrates the grapes’ sweet juice, allowing a very sweet wine to be made.

BREATHE What a wine is supposed to do if you leave the bottle open for a bit before serving. This

BUTTERY The sort of richness (and color) acquired by maturity

CRISP A complimentary term for a white wine with refreshing acidity.

LEGS The colorless streams left on the inside of a wine glass after a relatively alcoholic wine, more than 12 percent, has been swirled.

LIGHT The opposite of full bodied and not a pejorative term for wines that are meant to be delicate, such as many dry whites and some reds destined for youthful consumption.

MATURITY That period is a wines development after its youth and before its starts to decline. It can be after three years or after three decades, depending on the wind .

NOSE The nose of wine is its bouquet or aroma, depending on its state of maturity. It is the flavor you can smell. You nose a wine when you consciously smell it.

TANNIN Tannin is a group of beneficial compounds in wine that come mainly from the grape’s skins and seeds. Tannin gives wine structure and because it acts as a natural preservative, allows wine to age.

VARIETAL A type of grape variety.   A varietal wine is an American term is named after the predominant grape variety from which it was made. 

VINTAGE Either the harvest, or the year of the harvest.

Tags: winery tour definitions, winery tour facts, winery tour tasting tips