Guinness Storehouse

When most people think of Ireland and associate only one product with it, Guinness is usually the product they think of. The stout beer that they created is a worldwide phenomenon. When in Dublin, you can visit the Guinness Storehouse, which is an ode to this company. While it is a bit pricey to enter, it is a fun experience and a great way to spend a day.

Unfortunately, on the day we went, it was very crowded due to a cruise ship being in town. Despite that, we still enjoyed learning about the history of Guinness, their advertising campaigns over the decades, the history of the family in relation to Ireland, the process that goes into making Guinness, and much more.

You also get a free pint of Guinness at one of the bars on the premises (bonus!). In addition, at the very top of the building, you get a magnificent view of Dublin and it's a great place to enjoy your free pint of Guinness.

Boulevard Brewery Tour

Written by Matt Rosenfeld
When in Kansas City and the surrounding area, at all places that serve beer, you'll notice Boulevard on tap. This local brewery has grown leaps and bounds over the years and is a pride of this community.  There are a few free public tours throughout the day on weekends (and some, but more limited tours during the week). These are popular with locals and out of town visitors, so be sure to get there early to ensure your spot on the tour!  We saw a few people get turned away because of all slots being full.

For the tour, you'll be treated to a sample of Boulevard's pale ale to start off the tour, and hear the history of beer and brewing in Kansas City and the US.  You'll then view a video on the history of Boulevard, followed by a tour around the facility seeing where they make the beer, as well as how the bottling process works.  At the end, you'll be given the opportunity to sample a few different Boulevard beers. This is definitely worth the time for any craft beer aficionados.

Babe's BBQ & Brewhouse

Babe's Bar-Be-Que and Brewhouse in Rancho Mirage, about a 20 minute drive from downtown Palm Springs, was a surprisingly delicious find, and a fantastic recommendation from our hotel.

The restaurant, which also brews its own beers, has both indoor and outdoor seating and a wide selection of entrees on its menu.

We ordered the tri-tip po'boy with the remoulade sauce (ordered hot) and the Texas Tornado. Both sandwiches were huge! One was almost big enough for two people (almost!). The po'boy was delicious, with hot pork and a creamy sauce and counter balanced with cold lettuce and tomatoes. The combination was fantastic.

The Texas Tornado was very meat heavy, but just the right about of meat. And the barbecue sauce was heavenly - someone in the kitchen knows what they are doing when it comes to barbecue.

Hofbrauhaus, Las Vegas

Built to look identical to the Hofbrauhaus in Munich, Germany, Hofbrauhaus in Las Vegas, just a few blocks from the strip (it's across the street from the Hard Rock Hotel), serves up traditional German food, Hofbrauhaus beers, and the boisterous atmosphere you'll find at the original.

You can make reservations online, which we highly recommend, as the night we were there the dining room filled up quickly, which left a large number of people in the lobby waiting for a table.

Hofbrauhaus doesn't bring bread to the table, but you can order one piece of bread for your meal. Our best recommendation is to order the "Jumbo Complete" which is a huge soft pretzel served with two types of mustard and cheese - and is big enough for at least four people. For dinner, we ordered the Schnitzel Wiener Art, which was a huge platter, but still crispy and delicious; Oktoberfest Bratenteller, which was Bavarian pot roast with red cabbage; and Bierkutscher Steak, a 10 oz. steak that was tender and served in gravy. Service is also quick and friendly. The only issue we had is that there were no substitutions allowed, including side dishes.

We also ordered a 1 liter of the original beer and a 1 liter of a Radler (it's not on the menu, but they will make it for you). A Radler is part lemon lime soda and part original Hofbrauhaus beer for a very tasty dinner drink.

Bier and Oktoberfest Museum

Tucked away near the Marienplatz is the Bier & Oktoberfest Museum.  There is actually a restaurant on the first floor, but we didn't get a chance to try it.  On the next few floors is the museum, which shows a history of how Oktoberfest came to be in Munich and how it has developed over the years, along with a history of how beer has evolved in Munich of the centuries.  A lot of the text in the museum is just German, but it's still something that is worth a visit when in Munich, especially if you go at a time outside the Oktoberfest festival.

Offshore Ale Company

Offshore Ale Company, just a little off the main strip in Oak Bluffs, brews there own beer, including a very crisp and refreshing blueberry beer. They also make really delicious food.

We ordered the turkey club, which was a pretty standard turkey club, but also their pulled pork sandwich with a honey BBQ sauce.

The honey BBQ sauce was sweet and tangy and sticky and yummy. The pork is also super tender.

Both were served with their homemade potato chips, which were yummy, and perfectly salted.

Touring Newport Storm Brewery

For less than $8 a person, you can tour Extreme Coastal Brewing during the day from noon until 5 p.m. At 3 p.m. daily, a guided tour leaves from the front visitors center; the rest of the time, it is a self-guided tour.

Included in the cost of a guided tour are four tastings of Newport Storm beer. Visitors can also pay a little more to taste the Thomas Tew Single Barrel Rum.

On the observation deck above the brewery guests can see the bottling station (which is all done by hand), the kegs and half kegs, all the bottles and cans used in the bottling, as well as the oak barrels used for the Thomas Tew Rum.

On the wall along the observation deck, guests can see the different beers Newport Storm brews, the history of Newport Storm, some fun facts and more.

When you head back down to the bar, you get to enjoy the local, artisan brews, and check out Newport Storm garb.

Appalachian Brewing Company

Cheddar ale soup

The BBQ Clucker

Beer battered fish and chips

Appalachian Brewing Company, which has several locations in Pennsylvania, has a brewpub location in Gettysburg (and for our Philadelphia readers, in Collegeville!). Luckily for us, they are open late, so when we decided to leave late in the afternoon from our suburban-Philadelphia residence for the trip to Gettysburg, ABC was still open for dinner (and a few drinks).

We dined on the BBQ Clucker, a chicken breast with their on house made root bear BBQ sauce and topped with cheddar cheese (super yum) and the beer battered fish and chips (so fresh!). And, something you can't not order at ABC, their cheddar ale soup (mmm...cheesy).

I've been to both the Collegeville location here in the Philadelphia suburbs and now the Gettysburg location and I cannot complain about the service or the quality of the food or drink, both have been wonderful at both places. Like a big chain, you know what you're getting when you walk into an ABC, but with the joy of walking into a small business.

Bierstube, Old City Philadelphia

Bierstube, in Old City Philadelphia, excited me. I love German food, probably more than any other style of cuisine, and it is new to the area - and it had open reservations for a last minute, prime-time dinner hour on a Friday night.

I can understand why.

While the food was awesome, seriously awesome, the service was lacking. We waited quite a while before anyone even saw us at the hostess stand. It looked like the host was also acting as a server and bar-back because they were understaffed, leaving us standing at the entrance waiting to be seated.

Once we were seated, it took another long while for our waiter to get to our table. Again, it seemed to be an understaffing problem.

The one person on staff who was very helpful was the actual bar-back who brought our meals to the table. I ordered the sausage platter, and asked (after the fact) what kinds of sausages I'd be dining on that evening. He didn't know and rather than make something up, walked into the kitchen and asked. And returned promptly.

Service aside, the food was delicious. All of the sausages in the sausage platter were fantastic, as well as the sauce they were in and the spicy mustard. I also ordered pierogi which were delightful.

The weinerschnitzel was very different from traditional, but still delicious. They use what tastes like panko instead of traditional breadcrumbs for the crust, which gives it a crispier, lighter crust. The sauce on the schnitzel was also magnificent.

So, while I don't highly recommend the service, I do highly recommend the food here. Maybe eating at the bar is a better idea.

Elephant and Castle

Loaded Beef Dip

Bangers and Mash (with mashed potatoes)

Elephant & Castle in Boston, connected to the Club Quarters hotel, was a mix of good and bad.

Let's start with the bad. It was close to 10 p.m. and we had just gotten in to Boston. The restaurant and bar, which is attached to the hotel we were staying in, is open late and the kitchen is open until midnight. This was ideal since we were tired and hungry and it was cold and windy outside.

However, when we entered the restaurant, there was a sign that asked patrons to wait to be seated. We waited for far too long to be even acknowledged by the hostess, let alone be seated at a table. From where we stood, we could see she was talking with one of the waitresses at a high top bar table and wasn't paying attention to the hostess stand.

After we were seated, I began timing our waitstaff, it took 7 minutes until our waitress approached the table and another 20 minutes from the time we ordered our meals until they were on the table.

When I ordered my bangers and mash, I had specifically asked for no baked beans (which it is typically served with) and asked for french fries instead. The entree was brought out with baked beans originally, though the issue was quickly remedied by the staff.

However, when our waitress brought the correct plate, she told us that she was sorry it was wrong but she didn't do it.

That said, lets get to the good stuff. When the right plate of food was brought out for me, the bangers and mash were delicious. Like, really, really good. The loaded beef dip sandwich was light on meat, but tasted good and the french onion soup was very good.

They also have a bar, where you can also order appetizers and entrees. The following night we swung by the bar for a drink. The bar has a nice beer selection and the bar staff was much more attentive. However, we also ordered a melon ball, which tasted like the bartender made it without vodka (it was more like fruit punch than a cocktail).

Caffe Nuovo

Western Omelet

Ham Benedict

I was craving breakfast foods, and if I lived in Boston, I would never, ever, ever eat at an IHOP or Pancake House ever again. Not with a place like Caffe Nuovo in the city's North End making dishes (even into the late night hours) like the western omelet and the ham benedict.

The cafe, which also serves dinner entrees, has a well stocked bar and friendly bartenders.

The western omelet had a beautiful flavor and the peppers didn't overpower the other flavors in the omelet. Not to mention the size of the omelet, and the homefries. The plate was very large but a nice portion to keep you full.

The ham benedict was perfect. I was concerned that the hollandaise sauce might not be tasty (based solely on my fear of every chef messing up hollandaise), but it was perfect. I found myself going back for bite after bite and finished this very large plate. This is definitely a must-order!

Durgin-Park

Chicken and broccoli with pasta

Roasted Stuffed Tom Turkey

Even had we not booked reservations at Durgin-Park before we arrived in Boston, we probably would have eaten here based solely on their signage. A large sign along the main marketplace that reads "Established before you were born," is intriguing to me.

But, beyond that, the menu was good, home-cooked meals, and lots and lots of it.

We had a wonderful waiter who was completely honest with us. I asked for his opinion on their beer selection and he recommended the John Durgin Ale, then rambled about the other "standards" on draft. Clearly, he preferred the Durgin ale, and for a good reason. It was wonderful - not too hoppy and drinkable.

For dinner we ordered the chicken and broccoli with pasta, which our waiter recommended with a garlic and butter sauce (again, for good reason). The entree was huge, nearly enough to share!

We also ordered the roasted stuffed tom turkey, which was like Thanksgiving dinner in April: white meat of turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes, mashed sweet potatoes, and cranberry sauce. The turkey was wonderful, and for white meat, not dry! The gravy made a wonderful addition to the platter.

While dining, another couple had ordered the restaurant's signature 1 lb. lobster, which they dug into happily. The restaurant also specializes in prime rib made grandma's way.

Bier Markt

Marinara Pizza

Sunnyside Pizza

Leffe Blond

Across the street from West Side Market is the Bier Markt. Food Network Magazine named their pizzas best in Ohio, and, with that kind of commendation, we had to give them a try.

They also carry rare and hard-to-find beers on their menu.

We tried the Marinara with sausage and the Sunnyside.  The Sunnyside pizza was the pizza specifically named in magazine.

The marinara pizza was delicious, the sauce and cheese were perfect. The sunnyside pizza has pancetta, eggs and black pepper. The black pepper as a little overbearing at first, but definitely a wakeup call. Absolutely delicious.

We also tried the Leffe Blond beer, so good, and went perfectly with the pizzas.

The only downside? The Bier Markt opens at 4:30 p.m. everyday, except Saturdays, when they open at noon for lunch.

Great Lakes Brewing

Pretzel chicken

Bratwurst and pierogi

There's nothing better than a homemade pierogi, except fresh beer. Great Lakes Brewing in the Ohio City District of Cleveland, makes some amazing food and brews up some amazing beer.

We tried the pretzel chicken, which is a chicken breast wrapped in pretzel crumbs and then cooked. Its absolutely delicious - we haven't eaten or seen anything like it anywhere!

We also had the bratwurst and pierogi. The homemade bratwurst was delicious, the right texture and the right flavors. And the pierogis are homemade and delicious. Even when I was full, I still picked (and finished) the pierogis, they were just that good.

We also ordered a Holy Moses, the brewery's wheat beer. It was sweet and thick and warm and ice cold and so good that I don't know why I can't get these in Philadelphia!

Winking Lizard Tavern

Boneless Garlic Wings

Chipotle Chicken Minis

Turkey Melt

A Paddle

With 14 locations in Ohio, and our Facebook friends recommending their wings all the way from Philly, Winking Lizard Tavern is definitely worth dining at, for wings, BBQ, and beers.

The wings (we ordered the garlic boneless wings) were delicious. I almost wish we had ordered more than a “6-pack.” The garlic sauce had enough heat while still having a wonderful taste (I hate hot sauce that’s hot for the sake of hot).

We also ordered the chipotle chicken minis, which were delicious for sliders and the chipotle sauce was served on the side, so you can make them as spicy or as mild as you’d like them.

We also ordered the turkey melt, with applewood smoked bacon, and upgraded to Pfred’s Preferred Pfries, which are the Lizard’s steak fries, but topped with cheddar and mozzarella cheeses and bacon. These were delicious and worth the upgrade!

We also did a Paddle of beer (don’t worry, its not as intimidating as it sounds). I couldn’t decide what beer I wanted to try, but when you order a Paddle, you can choose four different beers. For $6, it’s definitely worth it! Flip the placemat to the back see what’s on each handle and what the glass of the month is.