Blue Mountain Brewery

Eric here.....had a chance in my travels to quickly stop into Blue Mountain Brewery.  They had a great selection of brew with something for everyone's taste.  The beer list was broken into "Refreshing" "Hoppy" "Barrel Aged" "Seasonal" and "Special Bottle Offering".  After trying them all my personal favorites at the time were Kolsch 151 and Rockfish Wheat.  

The wheat malt balance of the Kolsch 151 for my taste was perfect with just a hint of fruit which was coming from the aroma.  It accompanied my cheeseburger perfectly and for a humid 90 degree day was what I needed.  This was a perfect drink and repeat beer.

I saved the Rockfish Wheat for when I finished with my meal.  It had a banana and clove flavor that hit you early and stuck with you without building up. It was perfect for changing tracks from eating to getting back to just the beer.  

If I had time I would have grabbed another Kolsch 151 and went out to one of the many patio areas they had and put my feet up in the shade.  The view of the hop fields right there on premises with the mountains in the background was spectacular.  

I'll have to get Christian there before the cold weather settles in.  Knowing him and his hoppy palate, he would have liked the A Hopwork Orange or Full Nelson.  We'll have to let you know.  

Get out to this brewery when you can.  It's worth the trip!

Main St. Virginia Ale

A new favorite from Center of the Universe Brewing.  Main St. Virginia Ale.  A German Munich malt foundation in flavor.  What hit me....a pretzel after taste that I really like.  Later reading the can "toasted and bready flavor".  Nailed it!  Now I just need a Bavarian pretzel!! Thanks for all the great info Maureen!

Center of the Universe Brewing

We're at Center of the Universe Brewing - come join us for a flight! The beer is amazing, the staff is friendly, and there's even a live band.

Beer & Kroger

We meet the nicest people in the beer aisle at Kroger! Hope you enjoyed the IPAs.

Beer Bloggers Writers Conference Friday Night Brew

Look out #BBC15 - we just stopped & picked up some Infinite Amber and Welcome To Scoville Jalapeño IPA from our friends at Jailbreak Brewing Company. 

Of course, if you're in the Maryland area, stop by the tasting room and try a few!

If you're attending the Beer Bloggers Conference, you get to try these AMAZING brews Friday night.

Beer Bloggers Conference Prepping

Prepping for Beer Bloggers Conference.  We are going to be packing in a lot of miles and a lot of beer tasting. (No....Not At The Same Time).  Hydration is top of mind even though we will be using the spit can ;)

SweetWater Brewing Company Blue

OOut picking up some anhauser-busch brewery Bud Light Lime for my wife and it got me looking at some other "fruity" beer.  Given I'm a SweetWater Brewing Company fan....when I saw Blue I jumped at it.  It's a great easy bodied wheat ale with just a hint and I mean a hint of blueberry.  Very crisp finish with no lingering aftertaste and not too sweet and only 4.6 ABV.  I'll be enjoying a few of these this afternoon.  Oh.....the wife likes it too!!

Not Your Fathers Root Beer

Question: Does anyone know where we can find some, "Not Your Father's Root Beer," from Small Town Brewery in the Maryland area?

Our friend, Jen, who is a VERY casual beer fan, said it's one of the best drinks she's ever had. Unfortunately, we've been told our local distributor is sold out for a while.

Has anybody tried it?

Natty Greene's Raleigh

We'll be at Natty Greene's Raleigh on the 16th.  Come out and enjoy a pint with us! 

Getting ready for Beer Bloggers & Writters Conference #BBC15

We are just 5 days out from hitting the road for the Beer Bloggers and Writters Conference.  As you can see I'm busy preparing this morning.  Looking forward to what will we an awesome time.

Beer Bloggers Conference #BBC15

Frank About Beer looks forward to meeting you at the Beer Bloggers Conference #BBC15.  Lets discuss craft beer over a pint at one of the many breweries we will be visiting. 

Hofbräuhaus Wolters GmbH Pilsner

Enjoyed a Hofbrauhaus Wolters GmbH Pilsner at Claudio's Clam Bar and Wharf for #tallships2015!  Great Pilsner with just the right hoppy bitterness.  Smooth with a crisp finish.  I drank from a can but when poured had a dense white head with a floral aroma.  It was perfect when I was walking around in the hot sun!  

We had some fans that were reluctant to try it but ended up loving this brew.

Traveler Shandy Review

Sometimes a review gets cut short!  We thought we would still share the video with you. #TRVLR http://youtu.be/ME10hyZNNPM

Coney Island Brewing & Manhattan by Sail

Eric here....I enjoyed a Coney Island Brewing Overpass IPA aboard the fine Clipper City of Manhattan by Sail.

First for the beer..a pretty typical IPA with a moderate hoppy aroma. A hit of citrus upfront with sharp earthy finish. 6.2 ABV. Worked well for a Manhattan sail. I would recommend it. We'll have to get Christian the true IPA fan to try it for you some time!

Second...I want to give a shout out to Manhattan By Sail. Awesome Captain & Crew. It was an authentic laid back sail without the fufu tourist junk. Look them up when in NYC and join them for a Craft Beer Tasting Sail Saturday & Sunday's from 12-1:45. This was not the sail I was on but you can bet Christian and I will be doing it. I didn't get the Captains name so Capt., if you see this drop me a comment with your name. Thanks for an awesome time!!

Bard's Beer

Know anyone who can't drink beer because of a gluten allergy?  Bard's Beer may have an answer.  Bard's is a lager that needs to be compared to similar less hoppy traditional lagers.  ONLY Bard's malts the sorghum. 




Watch the full review here: Bard's Beer Review Video

Mount Carmel Brewing Summer Wheat Ale

Christian and Eric review Mt. Carmel Brewing's Summer Wheat Ale 

Mt. Carmel Brewing's Summer Wheat Ale

Center of the Universe Brewing

The Frank About Beer guys dropped by Center of the Universe Brewing in Ashland, VA. What did we learn? They have an AMAZING line of brews! Let Maria tell you all about them. 

COTU Video

Milkhouse Stairway IPA - Frank About Beer

Eric & Christian from Frank About Beer review the amazing Stairway IPA from Milkhouse Brewing. But things don't work out as planned. Great beer - not so great of a review. 

Milkhouse Stairway IPA - Frank About Beer Video

Frank About Beer 012 - Background Blues 2

The bluesey guitar track played by Christian & featured on the "Weyerbacher Blithering Idiot" video (http://youtu.be/RS6lLGXYVbs). Played on a slightly modded '99 Les Paul through a 1980 Peavey solid state amp.

Frank About Beer 012 - Background Blues 2

Frank About Beer - Flying Dog Beer Hunt

What happens when an awesome brewery has a scavenger hunt that involves a lot of craft beer? A great time, that's what. And the Frank About Beer guys are on the scene to cover it for you.

Frank About Beer - Flying Dog Beer Hunt Video

Frank About Beer - Blithering Idiot Review

The Frank About Beer guys may occasionally be blithering idiots, but you'll have to see what happens when they try Weyerbacher's Blithering Idiot in a great beer review video. Be sure to subscribe to the Frank About Beer channel to catch all the new releases!

Frank About Beer - Blithering Idiot Review Video

Beer, Cans and the Environment

So how does drinking beer affect the environment? We reached out to Gary, a long-time friend of ours, for some answers.

Gary is the President of Operations for Schupan Industrial Recycling Services, one of the largest recyclers in the United States, and a major player in aluminum can recycling. Just to give you an idea of their scale, in Michigan alone, they recycle 2-3 billion aluminum cans each year. That’s a lot of beer cans!

According to Gary, an aluminum can will be recycled an indefinite number of times, since aluminum is infinitely recyclable. So the can of beer you’re enjoying today could be holding beer 100 years from now. Mind-blowing, right?

“The best use of a recycled aluminum can is for it to be made back into a new aluminum can. Some cans will make it into other products, but more than 90% end up as a new aluminum can.” Gary goes on to explain that the chemistry of an aluminum can is quite delicate, and new cans must meet strict FDA guidelines.

Ready for some real numbers? Recycling 1 aluminum can will save the equivalent energy of burning an incandescent light bulb for 4 hours, or can run an average television for 3 hours! So if you recycle that 6-pack, you’ve powered your TV for a full day of sports, or nine movies.

So why is there still a stigma on aluminum cans? “Testing shows there is no taste difference when beer is consumed from an aluminum can. There is actually a food-grade coating inside the can, so the beer never even touches the aluminum. The coating is thicker for soda otherwise the acid in the soda will eat through the aluminum. Beer is colder in an aluminum can, and it holds the temperature longer than any other container.”

We even asked about those fancy aluminum bottles that have shown up the last few years. “Aluminum bottles are more costly to produce, and are therefore more expensive for the consumer. They have been more popular than the industry projected, especially at trendy clubs, etc.”

Now the really important question - what kind of canned beer does Gary like? “I am now very partial to a pint can of Bell's Two Hearted IPA.” Good call!

So this Earth Day, be sure to not only drink responsibly, but recycle responsibly, too.

Frank About Beer - St. Patrick's Day Giveaway

A behind-the-scenes look at some shenanigans that happened during production of our St. Patrick's Day video, and why it didn't make it to air time. Plus, keep watching to find out how YOU can get an exclusive giveaway from Frank About Beer. WARNING: this video is labelled as NSFW for some mildly offensive language.

Friday the 13th is coming......

An FAB review gets a disturbing visit!

Frank About Beer Friday the 13th Video

FAB Reviews Sweetwater 420

Eric and Christian review a staple of Southern beer, 420 Ale from SweetWater Brewing. What happens when the wives leave us home? Is Eric really an Ale-hole? Why is SweetWater one of our new favorite brands? Find out all this and more.

FAB Reviews Sweetwater 420 Video

Frank About Beer - Background Blues 3

The bluesey, rockin' slide guitar track played by Christian & featured on the "Crank Arm Brewing" video (http://youtu.be/l0g1Y4YqnP4). Played on Christian's heavily modded Stratocaster, famously known as, "The Stratillac" through a 1980 Peavey solid state amp.

Crank Arm Brewery

Eric's on the road this week tasting the beer & meeting some cool folks at Crank Arm Brewing in Raleigh, NC. What the heck is a "Tasting Wheel?" And do you want on it? Take a look for yourself.

Crank Arm Brewery Video

Frank About Beer 013 - background Blues 1

The bluesey, rockin' guitar track played by Christian & featured on the "Sweetwater 420" video (http://youtu.be/QIDpPwSZ9h4). Played on a slightly modded '99 Les Paul through a 1980 Peavey solid state amp. 

Background Blues 1

Jailbreak Brewing and Market Tavern

The Frank About Beer guys are invited to meet up with Ross from Jailbreak Brewing at the Market Tavern in the trendy new downtown that is Main Street in Sykesville, MD. For beer/wine & foodies, Market Tavern is a cool place that you need to get to ASAP.

Jailbreak Brewing and Market Tavern Video

A strong IPA and a quaint inn

Even when we're on the road, there's always time to sample the local brews and pass them along to you.

This time, I tried Yards IPA while staying at the beautiful Glasbern Inn outside of Allentown, PA.

And I discovered why you need to check out them both.

Yards IPA & Glasbern Inn

FAB Bowl 2015: Elysian vs. Samuel Adams

Hey FAB Friends - this weekend is not only The Big Game, but the biggest beer-drinking event of the year, right? We at Frank About Beer would agree. But we also like the competition aspect of it, too. This is where it gets interesting.

So during the game this year, Christian was drinking Elysian Savant IPA from Seattle, and Eric was drinking Sam Adams Boston Lager.

Any guesses on a winner?

#TeamChristian
#TeamEric

Take a look, and see which team came out on top!

FAB Bowl 2015: Elysian vs. Samuel Adams Video

It's almost time for The Big Game. You know, that big football game happening in Arizona? We can't say the name due to copyright issues, but we sure can celebrate it's arrival the way that beer fans would:

Kicking a field goal with a bottle cap.

"Kickoff" by Frank About Beer

Ready For The Big Game

Who is this Frank About Beer?

Meet the Frank About Beer guys, Eric & Christian. 

Meet Frank About Beer Video

Honest beer reviews for the casual beer drinker

Eric and Christian like to drink beer. We like other people who like to drink beer. But with all the craft beers out there, how do you know which one to drink?

We looked around, and all we really found were a bunch of narcissistic beer snobs talking ad nauseum about "adjunct beers" or the "complex roast of the malt". That's all well and good for beer afficionados - but what about the casual beer drinker?

So, over a couple of pints, we decided there needed to be a simplified, down-to-earth and, well, FRANK and HONEST beer review site.

When it comes down to it, you really just want a straightforward answer.

So we started Frank About Beer to give you that honest opinion you're looking for, right from the tap. But don't take our word for it - because when we go out to the bar for tastings, WE ALSO ASK THE OPINION OF EVERYONE ELSE IN THE BAR. Think of it as crowdsourcing for beer.

Beer? Entertainment? And a WTF moment added in? That's what you get with Frank About Beer.