I realize that it sometimes seems that I never get out of the Corner Brewery. There is some truth to this as I do consider that place my second home (i.e. when I have to go, they have to take me) and those people my family. Nevertheless, I do get out to other places!

Since Boyfriend Ken & I moved to Kerrytown, we find ourselves within walking distance of several fine establishments. Bonus points for the fact that we are downhill from downtown so, if we drink too much, we can literally lie down and roll home. (Did you see how I said “lie” instead of “lay”? I thank my 11^th grade College Prep English teacher for teaching us the “people lie, chickens lay” thing, even though I now know that it only works in present tense.)

But speaking of lie/lay, it would be a lie to say that I plan to stop lying on my couch this summer and start laying my hat at far away brewpubs. Given that, I was happy to read that the venerable Ashley’s was hosting a tap takeover by Greenbush Brewing Company. Boyfriend Ken and I trekked uphill to State Street and plunked ourselves down for some yummies.  

The first beer that I had was called Anger. I picked it because when I found out that I couldn’t get a sampler flight of the featured brewpub, I was rather angry. As a teacher, I don’t get paid in the summer, so my money is always a little tight and I didn’t love the idea of purchasing a bunch of pints. (Also, I didn’t have my “fat day” shorts on, so my ass was kind of smooshed and rather uncomfortable). To remedy my (temporary) bad mood, I ordered the Anger and wow did it cheer me right up.

This was, hands down, one of the best IPAs that I have ever had. This black IPA had an amazing citrusy nose. The taste was a nice balance of dark malts and hops (I later learned that Cascade, Columbus, Amarillo and Simcoe are the featured goodies) and it ended with another hit of hops that could only come from dry hopping (I confirmed this on the website).

For my other pint, I ordered the Red Bud, merely because it was described as having an identity crisis. It did, but in the best possible way. It was very close to being a Pale Ale in terms of hoppiness, but there was a taste of a wheat ale, also. It was smooth and creamy and went down way too fast.

I also had samples from Boyfriend Ken and our friend, Tom. The Mr. Hyde Sumatran Cream Stout was amazingly smooth. It was high in alcohol, but went down like a beer malt. The Terminator X (name inspired by the former DJ of Public Enemy—yeah boy!) was another well balanced beer. It was brewed with molasses and Centennial hops, both of which balanced beautifully. There was not an overly “molasses” taste, which is a credit to the fine craftsmanship of this beer (I do not care for molasses, myself). The finish was sweet and smooth.

There were many other beers available, and I am sorry that I did not get to try them all! Alas, I suppose this means that I need to stop lying on my couch and lay my purse down on the bar of Greenbush. Better wear my “fat day” shorts!