I have a mixed history with Widmer. I loved their Nelson Imperial IPA, but most of their lineup has never impressed me. I found this one at Bruisin Ales in Asheville, and it peeked my lady and I's interest(I think it was the box,mmm fancy).
   The aroma is outstanding. Tons of chocolate, toasted grains, and a hint of chili. The first impression is a strong chocolate taste. Very light carbonation. The chili flavor is there but gets lost with the strong chocolate notes and stillness of the brew. Has a nice cinnamon spice finish.
  Interesting beer. A little more carbonation would have balanced its profile, highlighted the aroma, and may have elevated this beer to excellent. The aroma makes it worth trying on draft but maybe not worth the $13 dollar price tag for a bomber. >

Smuttynose Shoals Pale Ale

Copper color caramel aroma with a little pine.

Medium bodied. Mild with a pleasant sweetness. 

IPA like bitter hop finish.

A very good pale ale with a very mild beginning and an hop kick at the end.

>

New Belgium's Dig Pale Ale.
   I haven't really been a fan of New Belgium's beers. They make good but not great beer, but after taking a liking to their "Snow Day" I am rather excited about their spring seasonal.

Copper in color with minimal head. Citrus and floral aroma. Very bright grapefruity start. Lighter body with quite a hop kick. Tropical fruit, maybe mango or passion fruit, flavors.
Clean finish with another blast of that phenomenal aroma.
  Seems like more of a lighter body citrusy ipa than a pale ale. Very approachable. Closest thing to compare it with is Sweetwater IPA.
  Its a good beer. Would be a perfect choice for a warm evening spent outside somewhere. Yeah, this is definetly a summer patio or beach beer. >

Admiral in Asheville,NC

  Asheville is a great food town. With the convenience of walking and variety of food, I hardly ever venture away from downtown,but the Admiral was too tempting to pass up. This is a restaurant loved by local cooks and bartenders. Always a safe bet.

                    As you can see. Not really concerned about curb appeal.

   The interior looks more like a dive rock club than fine dining establishment. I love it already. On closer inspection, it is clean comfortable dining room with a well appointed bar.
  Started with a Wedge Iron Rail IPA, very good NC ipa made down the street. My lovely wife had the house cocktail deftly mixed by a real bartender.
  We had mussels to kick things off. Served with a nice red sauce with a few potatoes thrown into the mix. Very simple dish made with very good mussels.
  Next was the highlight of the meal. The reason this place will be burned into my memory. Braised short ribs with brussel sprouts and amazing creamed potatoes. The meat was full of flavor and brussels were a perfect crunchy counterbalance. The cream tied it all together with a delicious bow. Amazing dish. Top 5 of my life.
  The entree was a perfectly cooked ribeye with great fries and an amazing aioli drizzle.

  This place is about craft. Crafting great dishes with the best available ingredients, while highlighting the art of mixed drinks. Go here. You will need a reservation.

http://www.theadmiralnc.com/menu.html

http://twitter.com/#!/blacktablecloth >

O'Fallon 5 Day IPA
Brownish coppper in color.tons of fresh citrus aroma. Bright orange first impression. meduim light body.High level of carbonation. Wheaty notes with a fairly short bready after taste. Interesting flavors in this one. Not used to tasting wheat in an ipa. Lighter body than I am used to. Quite different than southern IPAs.

Good IPA. Would be a good IPA to introduce a budding beer drinker to the style.7/10 >

Shiner Old Time Alt

Copper color. Light head, Malt and yeast aroma. Caramely malt start with a quick punch of hops. Leavened bread flovors with a clean dry finish.

This is a pretty good beer.Only the third alt I have tried. Does not compare favorably to Woodruffs Alt, which is one of my favorite local brews. Would try again. >

Amber Is A Slut

My attempt at an easy to drink summer amber. First time using grain extract and grain.

Fruity malty aroma. Little citrus hop notes. Light body. Slight sweet first impression.Softer more floral hops than previous brews. Short sour sweet after taste.

Used the wrong specialty grain. I will sub with some smokier darker grain to bring some balance to the sweetness. Good start to a porter recipe. A little more extract should fill it out some.
Recipe:
http://hopville.com/recipe/763517/american-pale-ale-recipes/amber-is-a-slut >