I'm back from my Vegas trip and I was pretty much on my own there so I made it my mission to try and sample as many beers as I could and I really tried to take them all in and I made notes on all of them.
I've only been brewing properly for 6 months so this was the first time I've been over to the US since then and really considered the beers, lots of great beers and lots of variety. There was a bar in the MGM Grand were I was staying called Michael Mina 1842 and that had a very impressive list of draft beers, it gave me the opportunity to try some styles I'd never had before.
So here's my list of all the beers I tried. 22 in total in a week!
I have to say that in some cases these were part of a paddle sampler were you could buy 4 small 5oz samples hence the high number!
Honest
Crafthouse Evocation Siason, NV
Ballast Point Calico Amber Ale, CA
Ballast Point Sculpin IPA, CA
Hor’s D’Age Bardot, Flemish Ale, FR
Anchor Porter, CA
Weihenstephaner Wheat Beer, GER
Inns and Gunn Scottish Ale, SCO
Rodenback Flanders Read, BEL
Brooklyn Defender Red IPA, NY
Rogue Dead Guy Ale, Maibock, OR
Goose Island Ale, IL
Goose Island 312 Urban Wheat, IL
Speakeasy Prohibition (Amber) Ale, CA
Tenaya Creek Bonanza Brown, NV
Sierra Nevada Pale Ale, CA
Firestone Union Jack IPA, CA
Dogfish Head 60-minute IPA, DE
Lagunitas IPA, CA
Joseph James Citra Rye Pale Ale, NV
Golden Road Get up offa that brown, CA
Golden Road Point the way IPA, CA
Dragons Milk Bourbon Barrel Stout, MI
First time I've tried a sour ale with the Flanders Red - really didn't like it, I'd imagine these are an acquired taste.
First time I've tried a rye ale (Joseph James) - it was okay but the rye added a certain 'roughness' to it that I wouldn't necessarily go out my way to choose.
I would have liked to try more porters but didn't have the opportunity, the Anchor Porter was a nice solid ale. The Dragons Milk Imperial Stout was an 11% Bourbon Barrel aged stout - it was a bit much for me, I could taste the alcohol a bit too much and it had a very strong brandy/bourbon flavour coming through.
The highlights for me were some of the IPAs.
I liked the Lagunitas IPA, a lovely well rounded beer.
But the top two for me was the Firestone Union Jack IPA and the Dogfish Head 60-min IPA.
Both of these were really great. Really well balanced beers and a lovely citrus/grapefruit type aroma/flavour with a solid but surprisingly (given the high IBUs) a smooth bitterness. Really really good. I'd tried a few beers and I found the bitterness was just too much but for these two it was smooth and really well balanced. Great beers.
All in all was great to try all the beers - I've been reading a Gordon Strong book recently and it made me try and get better at tasting beers hence my notes etc so I think the trip was great for me from a beer education perspective.
As a 'foreigner', you guys over in the US are lucky with the options and beers you have on offer at these bars on tap.