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| James with Team Hopheads |
We were ready to Prowl on Tuesday (March 27) since we had stayed in the evening before and Brewer’s Pizza was having the perfect event – featuring Summit Brewing Horizon Red Ale. James, from Team Hopheads was there to answer questions about Summit and their brews.
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| The Florida Smacker |
So delicious! … and a very good value.
Joining us at the table were Vince, Debbie and Rick. Gabby was our friendly and effective server once again, making the experience even more enjoyable. Keegan dropped by to say hello - and to see what we were drinking!
Summit Brewing Company describes their Red Ale: “An inspired hybrid that blurs the boundaries between IPA and Amber styles. The exceptional blend of American hops (including the harder-to-find Horizon variety) gives it an intense pine, citrus and earthy character in the nose and on the tongue.”
This was a somewhat lighter red ale than I expected. The 4.5% ABV and 60 IBUs makes it (to me) a middle-of-the-road red – a good choice for an everyday grab out of the fridge.
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| My flight plan ... |
I ordered a Flight of the Brewer's Pizza brews (descriptions per their website):
Ambitious Monk - “Belgian Tripel, 9.3%, BA Rated - Notes: Golden body, sugary sweet malts, dangerously drinkable.” - Smooth and sweet – impressive brew!
Tailhook - “Brown Ale, 7.3%, BA Rated - Notes: Florida Wildflower honey, strong earthy hops.” - honey flavor noticeable – good body – a strong brown, in my book!
Pinglehead - “Imperial Red Ale, 8.3%, BA Rated - Notes: Medium bodied, dry hopped, caramel sweet finish.” - this one is growing on my significantly – I am partial to Karl Strauss (San Diego) Red Trolley Ale but this one is very close!
Landslide - “Double India Pale Ale, 8.0%, BA Rated - Notes: Pungent, floral, citrusy hops, heavy honey malts”. - Nice hop jolt – the citrus on the front end and honey on the back end was my experience – very good!
Companion and I decided to then share Brewer's Pizza Moon Dance Sweet Stout noted on their website as: “Sweet Stout, 7.0%, BA Rated - Rich Chocolate, Sweet oats, Silky Body.” - As noted in an earlier blog post, I love this one!
Thanks to James from Team HopHeads, Gabby, Keegan and the rest of the staff at Brewer's Pizza for this delicious experience!
To view images from Brewer's Pizza visit the link below ...
I guess Vince wanted to fatten me up. He invited me and companion to his abode for apple pie and Newcastle Brown Ale. Great combination! … the scrumptious apple pie was from Fresh Market and the Newcastle Brown Ale was from … Vince's fridge – well, I guess England since it is an English style ale now produced by Heineken International.
Thanks to Vince for the calories!
As I climbed into the Jeep to leave Vince's house, I noticed the brew fairy, Tinker Beer, was secured to my left shoulder and was whispering to me that Kickback’s Gastropub had Dogfish Head brews on tap! … All right! … give Tink some more hoppy-dust!
The Jeep was already motorin' toward Kickbacks and we pulled into a convenient spot in the back. We were excited we were seated in an area being served by Jill, one of my Ale Angels.
We ordered two Dogfish Head Craft Brewed Ales offerings: (descriptions per their website):
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| Dogfish Head's Aprihop sooo lacey |
Aprihop IPA ($5.45) – Sooo lacey - “Aprihop is an American IPA brewed with Pilsner and Crystal malts. It's massively hopped -- in the continuous fashion, of course! -- and the flavor is complemented by the addition of apricots.
After fermentation, the beer is dry hopped with irresponsible amounts of Amarillo hops. The beer has a hoppy aroma, with the apricots playing a supporting role.
The flavor is rich with late hop flavors, and its bitterness is tempered by just the right amount of malt sweetness and fruity undertones from the apricots.” - Note: 7.0% ABV 50 IBUs – apricot very noticeable! … good hop jolt!
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| Dogfish Head's Chicory Stout |
Chicory Stout -($ 5.45) - “Chicory was one of the first beers we started brewing at our pub back when it opened in 1995. It's a dark beer made with a bunch of roasted chicory, organic Mexican coffee, St. John's Wort and licorice root. We use whole-leaf Cascade and Fuggle hops, as well as pale, roasted and oatmeal grains. Chicory is roasty and delicious, and it's a fantastic food beer. It pairs very well with chocolate!” - Note: 5.2% ABV 21 IBUs – not the strong chicory aftertaste like the New Orleans style coffee – great, lighter body stout smooth through the end.
Tinker Beer had instantly floated off to “hummingbird” the taps at the bar. I soon noticed the freakin' Fried Fairy had once again appeared and was pointing a crispy wing down to a selection on Kickback’s significant food menu.
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| Kickback's Jalapeno Bottlecaps |
Fried Jalapeno Bottle Caps - $6.79 – Red and green breaded jalapeno bites served with jalapeno ranch dressing … okay, bring 'em on …
WOW! … we found by taking a bite of the jalapeno bottle cap, waiting about 30 seconds and then taking a swallow of the Aprihop, the Aprihop flavors were much more intense! ...
It was so good seeing Jill again and we were glad to hear the Kat was back at Kickback’s! She's my original Ale Angel and a girl who knows and loves her beer! … Jill was a superb beer temptress that evening and she made us feel like we were home.
We were able to briefly speak with owner Steve Flores. His concern about quality, his staff and his customers is obviously paramount to him and Jacksonville is indeed blessed to have Kickback’s Gastropub - “beer central” of our community.
Thanks to Jill, Steve Flores and his staff at Kickback’s for consistently delivering the best - and for providing the PERFECT place to end a Jax Brew Bitch Prowl!
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