I had the evening to myself and decided to cook up some excellent food. That also meant I needed some good beer to go with it. So I headed over to my local LCBO and picked out a few choice samples.

We’ll get to the rest later. For now I want to focus on the Hops & Bolts by Creemore Springs. I’m a fan of the Creemore Springs Brewery – but I was a tad bit skeptical of their bitter concoction.

On the label they claim it’s a

Has it lived up to that claim? I think so! I enjoyed this beer very much. From the can to the glass it was very pleasant. A nice sharp smell and lovely thick head finished the pour. Once in the glass it had a beautiful bright orange color too.

Finally, the taste. Whoa! It’s a nice beer. Very nice bitter and as they claimed – hoppy and malty. It also has a slight sweet texture to it and a nice bitter finish. Just the way I like it.

Would I recommend it? Hell Yah! Pick this one up at the LCBO for your next adventure. You won’t be disappointed!

Having arrived in Minnetonka Minnesota for show we needed to stock up on some local beer. Off we went in a taxi to a local liquor store and we dug up a few beverages worth tasting.

The first is Bitter Neighbor. We’ll post about the others later. Bitter Neighbor is a dark black IPA brewed by Third Street Brewhouse in Cold Spring Minnesota. It’s excellent. Definitely worth drinking if you’re in the neighborhood. While it’s bitter it won’t leaving you feeling disappointed. A dark, rich and smoky beer with lots of hops.