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
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.
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.
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