Winter Park Beer

While Orlando Brewing makes many fine ales and lagers, they also make this vitamin-infused blasphemy. Generally, when people say things like, "Fruit doesn't belong in beer," I think of the many brewers that pull it off well. But, vitamins? Vitamin flavor doesn't belong in beer! Heck, it doesn't even belong in vitamins, it's just that the vitamin companies haven't found a way to make vitamins palatable. And neither have the brewers of this beer.

3 outta 3 oh no's

victory old horizontal

This brandy wine is an attractive brown/red in the glass with steady carbonation. The aroma is potent but structured very tightly and not overly boozie or gnarly like many barley wines. Flavor does not quite follow the aroma. Up front I get a slight bitterness followed by classic heavy and sweet raisin, malt, and a somewhat dry booze finish enveloped in caramel. I do not get much of the sweet juicy fruit from the aroma in the taste. I do appreciate, however, that the flavor profile is relatively tight and even dry for a barley wine. Good beer.
2 outta 3 hell yeahs

keystone ice

The pour is like pretty much any other adjunct lager, clear light golden color with a white head that ends up being nothing more than a thin layer. This beer smells like cooked vegetables. I’m thinking string beans and asparagus. Some nice corn notes along with a mild graininess. A decent alcohol presence as well. This beer tastes harsh. Abrasively alcoholic without much else (flavor-wise) to cover it up. Some hints of corn and perhaps some grain sweetness. The body is light and the carbonation is very high.

2 outta 3 oh no's

old english 800

This beer has become it’s own institution. High school dropouts and bums alike enjoy this malt, daily I am sure. It has a strange smell, almost like a strong piss soda. Flavor is filled with hints of goat urine and day old, in the sun cheese. This beer is useful when pouring one for the ’homies’ and that’s about all it’s good for. Don’t waste your 89 cents on this. Just ask a friend to punch you in the stomach after eating fresh dog crap and you’ll get the same effect and your breath will smell better.

3 outta 3 oh no's

daves honey brown lager

This is an all malt brown lager with a hint of honey used to enhance the flavor and give it more smoothness. As my buddy said, "the more you drink it, the more you taste the honey". He was absolutely right, after 5 bottles all I could taste was sweet honey. Despite things like "Naturally Aged", "No Preservatives", and "Pure" written on the label (which makes this lager sound like a goofy herbal health drink) it tastes great. It's sweet, goes down easy, no after-taste. Drink it up!

2 outta 3 hell yeahs

stone ruination ipa

I guess I am easily influenced by marketing because with a name like Ruination I really expected more. I was almost afraid to taste it. So when I opened the bottle and smelled a sweet citrusy smell along with the piney hoppy aroma I was a little relieved. It was really a great beer, but I guess I thought there would be a more pungent or more hoppy taste. A really good balance of citrus & hops, I didn't think one overpowered the other.

founders double trouble

I seriously love Founders. They nailed the taste of this beer perfectly in the label: yin yang, up down, high low. It's a beautiful blend of malt and hops, both at the top of their game, yet neither one beating your tastebuds up to declare themselves the winner, the balance is superb. If I'd been introduced to beer like this in high school I think i may change my major to become a brewer.

2.5 outta 3 hell yeahs

new castle brown ale

Newcastle Brown is very weak in the nose, but one should pick up a sincere malty-goodness as well as a slight bit of caramel and nut. An interesting addition not typical to brown ales but more characteristic of pale ales or porters is the slight metallic dryness. Newcastle's Brown Ale finishes with a very nutty aftertaste. It retains those slight metallic qualities that were present on the nose, as well as some moderate bitterness in the middle of the taste that is offset quite nicely by the sweet caramel finish.While this brew is not as deep or rich as Guinness or Fat Tire, it really strikes as a simple, pure ale that isn't bogged down by an attempt to be over-zealous in flavor or body.

1 outta 3 hell yeahs

Unibroue La Fin de Monde

lets not get too hung up on the name (if thats possible). This canadian beer is triple fermented which gives it a unique and subtle flavor. the interesting part of this beer for me was not the taste, but the champagne-like effervenence (however you spell it). this lightly carbonated beer is further flavored with bold spices, and noble hops and packs a alc% of 9 .

2 outta 3 hell yeahs

southhampton abbot 12

abbot 12 is a strong dark ale that has hints of of raisins, caramel and figs. these are not the typical tastes and smells one expects when opening a beer. Then again not many beers are abbot 12. This deceptively smooth beer has a dark rum texture that helps make it very smooth. With an alc % of 10.5, i strongly encourage beginners to watch out, this packs quite a punch.

2 outta 3 hell yeahs

Weyerbacher winter ale

its that time of year (horray), time to bring out the winter beers. Many craft and micro breweries sell heavy, dark, and strong beers during this season in an attempt to keep us all a bit warmer during the cold months ahead. Weyerbacher winter ale is a great example. It is brewed with chocolate malts that are heavy yet suprisingly low on alc. %. At 5.6% it is a beer u can drink while shoveling snow and still be able to stand afterwards. A little bit on the sweet side for my tastes but very refreshing.

1.5 outta 3 hell yeahs

Friendly's Vermonter

After running around all day on Sunday, my fiancee and i decided to go to friendlys in voorhees.
After looking over the menu for a few moments, i figured I'd try the Vermonter burger. This mega burger came with white Vermont cheddar cheese, maple/pepper bacon, Angus beef patty, lettuce, tomato and onions. This was a monster of a burger, i could barely fit my mouth around it! The bacon was wonderfully crispy. The patty was juicy and smothered in the sharp Vermont cheddar, which was actually the best part of the burger. I would highly recommend this burger to any red blooded meat eating american!

2 outta 3 hell yeahs

lygia's chicken shepards pie

this is not a review from a restaurant, bar or anything of the kind. Instead, i chose to write about a dish a dear friend of mine prepared the other day. I am assuming everyone knows what Shepard's pie is. If you don't its mashed potatoes with beef, veggies, and usually some gravy all mixed together. Its a typical Irish meal that is as filling as it is good. my friend put a different spin on this classic meal. Instead of beef or lamb, she used chicken. another thing she added was cheese, glorious cheese. She also put green beans into the dish instead of the traditionally used corn. As a topping she sprinkled bread crumbs on top for a little crunch. I must admit, it was new to me but non the less delicious. I am eager to take this concoction and prepare it for myself sometime!

2.5 outta 3 hell yeahs

Gold nugget wings

for any of you that don't live in winslow or berlin, this will come as a surprise. There is a little redneck bar located by damblys graden center that has some of the best wings in south jersey. The Golden Nugget is a small whole in the wall bar that is know through many different counties for having the best chicken wings. These wings are unlike most, they do not have a vinegar based sauce that is mixed w franks red hot sauce or anything else of the kind. Instead, a genius known only as "tony" created a concoction that tantalizes the taste buds. the flavor is hard to describe, there is a blend of pepper and garlic that is splen-tabolous (its a word i made up dont steal it). If you are tired of different variations of the same thing, i strongly recommend these wings.

3 outta 3 hell yeahs

texas raodhouse: bbq ribs

texas raodhouse is a restaurant on cross keys road in sicklerville. I have been here a few times and continue to be impressed by their food, particularly their bbq ribs. Roadhouse states they are "award winning, fall off the bone ribs", lemme tel you, they are. These are by far the most tender ribs I've ever had. this is not the only thing that makes these ribs amazing. the sauce is mild and smokey. fortunately its not overly sweet (i hate that crap, but very tangy. so, if there's anything to take away from this, these ribs are great!!!!!

3 out 3 hell yeahs

hopp wallop

the other day i tried yet another beer by victory brewing. This time it was hopp wallop, and as the label states, yes this is a hoppy beer. This butt kicking beer boasts a high alochol content that is cleverly disguised by an aromatic bled of hops. As far as taste goes, it is reminisent of a whies beer. it has an almost unfiltered taste and texture. this was yet another pleasant surprise by victory brewing.

2 out of three hell yeahs

TGI Friday spinach and artichoke dip

a few days ago i went to the tgi fridays on the black horse pike in turnersville. i frequent this restaurant often and always leave happy. This time was no different than the rest. On this particular day, I tried their spinach and artichoke dip for the first time. It had a wonderful garlic aroma and was thick and creamy. i was actually considering eating it with a spoon and throwing the bread and chips away. As it turns out, i should have gone with that. despite how great the dip was, the accessories (chips and bread) were a little bit on the stale side. the staff was more then willing to accommodate me with "fresher" chips (which were probably out of the same bag as the original ones). Despite this set back, i still enjoyed the dish and will definitely have it again.

2 out of 3 hell yeahs

primo hoagies

OMG, this is a great establishment. Primo uses a unique grain roll for most of their sandwiches. You have the option of a cold sandwich or a hot one like an eggplant parm. their hoagies have colorful name like the godfather. The quality of their meats is second to none as far as other establishments are concerned. personally, my favorite part of their sandwiches is that they come with the stinkiest, sharpest, most delicious provolone cheese you have ever had.

3 out of 3 hell yeahs

Lamberti's luna rossa

Luna Rossa is a restaurant on black horse pike owned by the lamberti family.  When i went to this restaurant i was immediately surprised by how small and warm the dinning area was.  With only a few tables, it made me feel like i was dinning at home instead of being just another dinner in a large scale establishment.  I ordered egg plant parm, it came with a little too much cheese for my liking, but the gravy was wonderful with a little bit of spice.  the eggplant was tender and very fresh, a lite amount of breading gave it a wonderful texture.  the only downside with this restaurant is that it is a BYOB. 

2 out of 2 hell yeahs

The MaCallan 12 yr

for my birthday this year i asked for the same thing i always do, a bottle of fine single malt scotch.  This year i was not disappointed.  my parents purchased a bottle of a single malt, 12 year old scotch called The MaCallan.  the scotch was very smooth with almost no kick at all.  A smokey, lightly sweet taste is the first thing you notice.  then after swallowing, a taste i can only describe as "woody" (lets be mature here), fills your mouth.  as it turns out, Macallan is the only scotch aged in wooden cheri barrels. this was the best scotch i've had since i started experimenting with it.  If you have never tried scotch before this is a good one to start out with, but i warn u, you will not be able to find its equal

2 1/2 hell yeahs

new england hot dog

New England Hot Dog located on berlin cross keys road is an establishment that (as u can assume) specializes in hot dogs.  Lemme tell u something, they do it well.  They have over 12 different varieties of hot dogs, which are more like sandwiches when u take into account all the toppings and such.  not only that, but u can choose from foot longs, kielbasa, brawtwurst, italian sausage, and veggie dogs.  each one is boars head brand which is great when it comes to quality.  you can make your own creation by choosing from over 30 different toppings and seven different mustards, thats right ladies and gentlemen 7 mustards!!!!  This establishment also has wings, perogies, chile and chicken tenders.  the staff is very friendly and seems to love working with wieners (no pun intended). I highly recommend this place for everyone.

3 out of 3 hell yeahs!!!

applebees boneless wings

what a disappointment, that's all i can say.  applebees has established themselves as the mcdonalds of sit down dinning.  recently, i went to an applebees and ordered their boneless buffalo wings.  first of all, the quality of the the chicken is well... terrible.  the sauce they use tastes like pure vinegar with a little bit of franks red hot.  the sauce (if u can call it that) seems to have been dumped onto the chicken by the gallon.  the chicken is completely soggy and feels like a wet sponge.  as a whole i think applebees SIMPLY SUCKS!  Everytime i attempt to dine at an applebees i have always left disappointed.  DINNERS BEWARE.....AVOID @ ALL COSTS

applebees gets 3 out of 3 OH NO's

carabas mussels and lentil soup

the other day i went out to dinner at carrabs on the black horse pike in turnersville. to be served as my entree, i ordered the mussels and a bowl of the sausage and lentil soup.  first things first, the mussels were divine!!  they were perfectly cooked and were not chewy.  they came in a wonderfully blended white wine and garlic sauce.  the taste and texture of the sauce was quite rich due to the heavy amount of butter the cook used.  i am fairly certain i tasted some thyme in there as well.  the sauce was so tasty i soaked up whatever was left with the warm loaf of bread the waitress gave me.  Next, i had the sausage and lentil soup which is a staple on their menu.  inside the soup were chunks, not pieces, of sausage the size of an infants fist.  the lentils were prepared so well that i could feel their slightly course texture on my tongue.  the soup has quite a kick as well.  nicely spiced with pepper and other seasoning giving it a delayed spicy-ness.

2 and a half hell yeahs 

Victory Hop devil

for my first posting i wanted to talk about a beer that i've loved and raved about for the past year.  i am talking of course about victory brewery's hop devil.  this beer is a wonderful blend of spices and power.  a very malty beer with a high alcohol content (7.2%) that is smooth and warming.  this beer is not for the faint of heart however.  if you r the type of person that like carbonated urine in a can (aka coors light) then this beer is not for you. if you are the type that is open to new tastes then by all means, pick up a six and enjoy.
hop devil receives 3 out of 3 oh yeahs