Beer reviews and blog posts by Taylor Birkey
Taylor co-founded The Beerly in 2009. He and his wife and three children live in the west suburbs of Chicago, where Taylor currently works as a creative director, marketing strategist, storyteller/writer in the non-profit sector. He loves community and serves as a pastor at a local church, coaches soccer, works on cars, plays the drums, and dreams of the great outdoors.
Trout River Hoppin’ Mad Trout Pale Ale
Recently I was given an assortment of beers from Vermont … beers I can’t get here in Illinois. The other night, after a long and stressful day at work, I pulled one out of the fridge at random, and looked down to see a Trout River Pale Ale in my hand. I...Rogue Ales Brewmaster: John Maier
One of our favorite American craft breweries here at the Perfectly Happy Man is the one and only Rogue Ales. We love the consistent high quality brews that pour forth from their kegs and bombers. While there are literally thousands of craft breweries across the...Live at Dark Lord Day 2010
It’s true … we are on the ground at Three Floyds in Munster, Indiana today, experiencing our first Dark Lord Day. Check out our Twitter feed below, we’ll be updating throughout the day with pictures and other thoughts: [twitter-widget...I Am a Craft Brewer Video
This excellent video is done by Stone Brewing Company … it’s a great homage to the history, community, and revolution of American Craft Beer. If you enjoy beer, this is a great piece to watch. What is more, the soundtrack is none other than Hoppípolla by...
Short’s PB & J Ale
Short’s Brewing Company is a little joint in Bellaire, Michigan. I was handed a bottle of their PB & J Ale, which is really a combination of a Peanut Butter Stout and a Fruit Rye Ale. Interesting combination … a good brewer is always creative. I could...Dark Lord Day 2010
I has to signify something that we’re going to Dark Lord Day 2010. This crazy festival, hosted by Three Floyds in Munster, Indiana, is one of the biggest beer events in the Midwest. And we’re going. My tickets came in the mail yesterday. It’s really...
Dieu du Ciel Péché Mortel Imperial Coffee Stout
There is nothing quite like a beer with a really long French name. But wait! you say, Dieu du Ciel is in St. Jérôme! I found this particular beer as I was browsing the aisles, reading the labels of beers that have won different awards. The Péché Mortel, or...
Dogfish Head ApriHop
ApriHop American IPA is a Spring seasonal brewed by Dogfish Head Craft Brewery in Delaware. It is a self-proclaimed “fruit beer for hopheads,” aptly named for its subtle apricot flavor due to the fruit being added during the brewing process. Compared to...Beer Flavor Wheel
When it comes to describing how beer tastes, adjectives are a dime a dozen. Has there ever been a defined vocabulary of taste from which to draw when considering beer? Well, sure. Recently I ran across this nifty flavor wheel over at the uber-accessible...
Two Brothers Bare Tree Weiss Wine 2009
I picked up a bottle of Two Brothers Bare Tree 2009 at Whole Foods (a.k.a “Whole Paycheck”) last weekend and was looking forward to opening this unique bottle. This one is vintage 2009, a weiss wine, in a green bottle that’s more like a mini wine...
New Belgium Mighty Arrow Pale Ale
Mighty Arrow Pale Ale is a seasonal APA brewed and bottled by New Belgium Brewing in Fort Collins, Colorado. The one I’m reviewing tonight comes in the 12 oz. brown bottle with the signature New Belgium band around the neck. I picked this one up as a single...
Negra Modelo
250+ reviews into this thing we call the Perfectly Happy Man, it’s about time we reviewed what is in my opinion the best Mexican beer available. Negra Modelo is brewed by Grupo Modelo, a massive brewery that accounts for 63% of Mexico’s beers. Lurking in...
Great Lakes Eliot Ness Amber Lager
Eliot Ness was born in Chicago, Illinois in 1903, and would grow up to become one of the famed Prohibition-era lawmen. Under the Volstead Act, he was charged with bringing down Al Capone. Anyone who knows film knows Ness was the centerpiece of The Untouchables, a 1987...A Perfectly Happy iPhone Beer App
Here at the Perfectly Happy Man, we’re proud to announce the release of our first-ever iPhone App. It’s free! Michael and I conspired a number of weeks ago to set up some kind of eCandy for all you iPhone users out there: a simple application for your...
Goose Island Demolition Belgian Style Golden Ale
Goose Island Demolition is a wonderful brew from the famed Chicago craft brewery that I found to be quite satisfying. A buddy of mine shared this one with me over a meal of my signature curry chicken, and it hit the spot. First a little background from the brewmaster:...
Southern Tier Hoppe Imperial Extra Pale Ale
I saw Southern Tier’s Hoppe (pronounced as simply ‘hop’) in the refrigerator at my local Binny’s a while back and kept my eye on it. Every time I saw it again, I would think, “I need to try that sometime.” But I never pulled the...
Left Hand Warrior IPA
Left Hand’s Warrior IPA is a seasonal IPA that is only brewed one time a year and features Colorado-grown whole-flower Cascades and Warriors, as well as varieties from their own estate and contributions from their local area. This IPA is a communal effort, which...
Bell’s Cherry Stout
Bell’s Cherry Stout is a winter seasonal available from November through March. It combines the sweet/tart flavor native to Michigan cherries with a darker, roasted taste of a stout. The only other cherry brew I’ve sampled before this one is Sam...Beer Night: The Bavarian Lodge
One of the great benefits of beer is the community it fosters. Here at The Perfectly Happy Man, we are not only lovers of great beer, but we are lovers of conversation and culture. Earlier this evening, fellow (local) reviewers Michael, Matt, Tom, and I met up for...
Leinenkugel’s Sunset Wheat
I get the feeling that a lot of craft beer enthusiasts like to look down on Jacob Leinenkugel. While the familiar Wisconsin-based brewer is far from the girth of stainless commercial giants like MillerCoors and Anheuser-Busch, it seems like people grade it lower than...
Corona Extra
You may remember me from such venues as television advertising, summer vacation, and the Mexican NASCAR series. I am the number one imported beer in the United States. I am Corona. You’ve already had me. That’s right, kids … you’ve already had...
Budweiser Chelada
Now that it’s over, I’m wondering what made me do it in the first place. Maybe it was the fact that it was the last one on the shelf. Maybe it was because I was feeling jovial and forgiving. Or maybe it was just a sign of early onset senility. I bought a...
Old Style Lager
Tonight, I came home and I needed a beer. It was one of those days. A million things going on at work, hardly any time to focus on anything but work. No time to catch my breath. My computer was being slow all day, it was just awful. I used to work construction: people...