Bitch-Slapped in Saigon ...

Although I dread the onset of colder weather, one silver lining for me is that I know my taste buds will start craving certain foods which warm me up! Deciding to keep driving to a minimum the other evening, my companion and I ventured over to one of my favorites – Saigon Time at the southwest corner of the intersection of I-10 and Cassat Avenue. My two favorite things there are the Chicken Noodle Soup and the Grilled Pork Bowl – served over rice vermicelli and includes a sliced Summer Roll. It is such a great value and so delish! … and it provided that source of heat I needed to continue the evening.

Our vehicle seems to know when it is in certain areas, so it carried us on to Intuition Ale Works. I ordered their Equinox Fall Saison. Intuition Ale Works website describes it thus: “Darker saison brewed with our house saison yeast. Ginger, cinnamon and vanilla were added in the kettle. Perfect for a crisp autumn day!” - I must say I agree – it was a great choice for this cooler evening. The cinnamon and vanilla were quite noticeable to me.

My companion was pleased with one of our usual favorites – the Lowdown Porter. The last time we were in, they had run out of this “Nectar of the Gods” about 30 minutes prior.

I wanted just a little more of something on the darker side, so we shared another pint of the Black Rye. This evening, it seemed to have more body to it than when I had it during earlier visits – although it has always been one of my favorites – just even better that evening.

It is always difficult to be in that area and NOT end the evening at Kickback's Gastropub! … our vehicle maneuvered itself for us fairly close by and soon we were enjoying Dogfish Head's Miles Davis Bitches Brew, Brooklyn Brewery's Black Chocolate Stout and an order of Kickback's extremely popular French Mushroom Spread.

The Dogfish Head Miles Davis Bitches Brew I now refer to lovingly as “The Bitch-Slap”. OMG, it is SO full of flavor and paired extremely well with the French Mushroom Spread. Dogfish Head's website describes it partly as “a bold, dark beer that's a fusion of three threads imperial stout and one thread honey beer with gesho root” … I downed two of them that evening, not realizing the 9.0% ABV (until later!). After a crowd had gathered about the table, we shared a “Snakebite” which is reportedly a Guiness float-over Woodchuck Cider. A little sweet for me as a full glass, but a nice counter to the dark stouts I had – taken in a several smaller sips.

Great food, ale and friends – a consistently pleasant combination I always find at Kickbacks.

http://jacksonville.citysearch.com/profile/39952996/jacksonville_fl/saigon_time_vietnamese_cuisine.html

http://www.intuitionaleworks.com/our-beers/

http://www.dogfish.com/brews-spirits/the-brews/occassional-rarities/bitches-brew.htm

http://www.brooklynbrewery.com/

http://www.facebook.com/kickbacksgastropub

Engine 15 and beyond!

I had heard so much about Engine 15, I decided to brave the cooler weather and try it last night – so glad I did. Cozy little place with a very comfortable ambiance, additional outdoor seating and offering a good selection of brews and chews. I had Blue Point's RastafaRye with a few sips of my companion's Engine 15 Rye of the Tiger.   Rye of the Tiger was a bit “citrusy” for me but excellent according my companion who enjoys that flavor accent. The Bluepoint RastafaRye was more my style. Since my tastes run more to the darker side of ales and stouts, I consider the Bluepoint to be a good “first ale of the evening” selection.

The attentive bar staff suggest we pair our Ryes with their BarBe-Cuban sandwich with side of macaroni salad. The BarBe-Cuban sandwich was delicious – the type you bite into, then close your eyes as you appreciate the blessing of flavors filling your mouth. A simply constructed but fully loaded pressed sandwich, Engine 15 has successfully blended Cuban and southern influences into this value-priced ($8) meal. The spicy macaroni salad served as an appropriate side dish.

I sampled the Bold City Bourbon Aged Dukes Brown Ale but it had a very strong bourbon flavor, a taste I have yet to acquire. For those of you who like bourbon, you will undoubtedly love this brew.

Although this side of town is a good drive for me, I do get over in this area on a consistent, usually biweekly basis. I am now going to plan my trips to include a stop at Engine

http://www.engine15.com/

http://www.bluepointbrewing.com/

Surprisingly, we were faced with little traffic as we made our way westward toward Intuition Ale Works. As I mentioned in an earlier post, I wanted to order my own Black Rye after sipping a sample during my last visit.

Intuition Ale Works's description of the TCB Black Rye Ale includes “hints of pine needles, roasty malt, and spicy green peppercorns. To me, these combine to produce  an enjoyable deep, robust almost-coffee accent.

My companion was quite happy with his King Street Stout, a regular favorite of mine. I also sampled their  Movembrew, a very tasty English-style bitter I will consider in the future as an early-evening ale.

I then shared a Flight of their Jon Boat, Guitjo, Punk Monk, Knot Head Alt, The Factor and Mercury's Wings – all so good! … by the way, if you haven't tried it, the Guitjo is a cherry stout which goes down quite smoothly!

Nikki and Hannah were very attentive behind the Tap Room bar, which always makes my visits here very enjoyable - I just love their infectious sense of humor!

I also met Robin and learned she is a musician, appearing at various venues around the City, so I will be planning to catch her and her group for one of their appearances.

www.intuitionale.com

Owing to the lateness of the hour – and to my addiction to the place, I ended up at Kickbacks Gastropub. Even though it was chilly, I chose to sit outside and was served by John. I consider John my personal beer guru and upon reflection, my highly valued “enabler”. Instantly ordering the incredible Fish 'n Chips, John suggested Cigar City's Sugar Plum Brown Ale which they had on tap. It was a simply marvelous blend producing a spicy chocolate coffee flavor in my mouth. I want to get it again before they run out!

The Fish 'n Chips was huge, hot and delicious! … I always sprinkle with Malt Vinegar to fully enjoy this substantial meal.

Later, a group gathered about the table and we shared some requested not-on-the-menu fried chicken wings. I must say, I really appreciate the willingness of the leadership and staff to accommodate “high-spirited” customers at such a late hour. The chicken was outstanding, by the way.

There was another group at the table next to ours and they were enjoying a plethora of unique brews and we were able to share tastes and stories with some wonderful people. They were kind enough to leave us half of a pint of Jolly Pumpkin's Maracaibo Especial – Special Brown Ale. The bottle read “Ale Brewed with Cacao and Spices” and my experience had an emphasis on the spices. This was a remarkable ale.

Admitted Sin of Decadence: shared a  huge breakfast platter (#5) which was decadent enough – but then my beer guru John brought out two things:Oskar Blues Brewery's Ten FIDY Imperial Stout and De Dolle Brouwers (Belgium)  Special Extra Export Stout.

Oskar Blues description for the Ten FIDY Imperial Stout includes “immensely viscous stout is loaded with inimitable flavors of chocolate-covered caramel and coffee” - it was an eye-poppin' experience when I tasted it for the first time. If you the like the dark side, you'll love this one.

The De Dolle Brouwers Stout was rather unique, The bottle read “Refermented in the Bottle” and after pouring into a glass, a residue remained within the bottle. This was a thick brew and extremely flavorful.

http://www.facebook.com/kickbacksgastropub

http://www.cigarcitybrewing.com/

http://jollypumpkin.com

http://www.oskarblues.com/

http://www.dedollebrouwers.be/en/index.html

If you got'em ... drink em'

Welcome to Jax Brew Bitch! 


Brew Reviews with an edge ... where to find the best craft beers, ales, porters and stouts in Jax ... locations of serious Happy Hours, great food experiences and ideas for that special date night.


Nothing demure about this admittedly self-indulgent brew bitch - honest bare-knuckled opinions of as many different quality brands as she can get her hands on. 


Straight forward comments about food and it's purveyors - all targeted to help you enjoy life to the fullest!

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