Beer reviews and blog posts by Tom Smillie
Tom started his journey into the beer world the summer of 2007. What began as a simple post-garage-cleaning beer with his Dad turned into a love for this “art in fermented form.” Adhering to the motto I can try everything once, Tom's goal is to sample just about every beer ever created. Trying styles ranging from Pilsner to Oak Aged Stouts to Flemish Red Ales, his tastes are varied. Tom's favorite styles are ESBs, Stouts, and Wheats. About a year after he started sampling, he began home brewing.
Great Divide Yeti Oak-Aged Stout
One of my favorite aspects of sampling beer is finding a new brewery that I have never tried before. This happened in September when I tried Hoss by Great Divide out of Denver Co. Since then I have tried a couple more of their brews and have not been disappointed....
Sierra Nevada Kellerweis
I love Wheat beers! Unfortunately, I’m not a big fan of Hefeweizens. There are three basic types of Wheat beers: American Wheats, Belgium Wit biers, and German Hefes. While the first two are very enjoyable and delicious, the latter is rather unpleasant. There are two...
Pilsner Urquell
PILSNER URQUELL!!! It is the quintessential beer to try if you want to enjoy a true, original pilsner. Hailing from the city of Pilsen, this glorious brew bears its namesake. How much more original can you get? Well, to add greater designation, the term Urquell means,...
Two Brothers Heavier Handed IPA
Two Brothers Brewery out of Warrenville, Illinois has created one big beer. This artisan brew falls in between two of there current beers in production. It is a step above their IPA (Heavy Handed) and a notch down from their Double IPA (Hop Juice). It is significantly...
Redhook Treblehook Barley Wine
Today I was pleasantly surprised when I sampled Red Hook Brewery’s Treblehook Barley Wine Ale. I have to admit I’m not a big fan of this particular style, but since it is a limited release the bottle was calling to me from the shelf. From what I can...
Boddington’s Pub Ale
What comes to mind when you try to think of a well-known beer from the UK? Most often the phrase, “my goodness, my Guinness” comes to mind. Allow me to introduce you to a beer I like to call “liquid gold.” While, there is no catch phrase for Boddington’s Ale, you...