Season 2, Episode 4: You would never guess that some craft beer drinking connoisseur in the Las Vegas Valley would create his own cantina in the backyard of his house devoted to the enjoyment and brewing of craft beer. But it exists, and the “I Love Beer” show has uncovered its location! Today’s show comes direct from “Jimmy and Myrna’s Cantina” which is basically a pool house converted to a shrine to showcase and drink craft beers.
And it’s not all just craft beers. In addition to shelves upon shelves of classic craft beers from around the world, The Cantina boasts plush couches, a stadium style large screen HD TV to watch sporting events (the Cardinals/Dodgers playoff game was on during the entire show in the background), an NFL football wall for Seahawks and Giants fans, a dart board area, a video poker machine, craft beer kegs and taps, and a special war veterans tribute area.
We started out strong drinking the 11.8% alcohol Asylum from Left Coast Brewing. This Belgium style Tripel was recommended to us as the Gold Medal Winner at the 2013 LA County Fair and we can see why – it was great!
Then we moved onto the Spacecake Double IPA by Clown Shoes Brewing in Ipswich, Massachusetts. We’ve sampled many craft beers from Clown Shoes and have yet to be disappointed. Let’s add this 9% masterpiece to the list! An amazingly tasty beer which is so well-balanced, you won’t even feel the alcohol! Clown Shoes is a big time winner and we continue to recommend that you give this brewery a chance if you find any of their craft beers at your local craft beer store…
Which is why we decided to stay with Clown Shoes for the next featured craft beer with their Blaecorn Unidragon Russian Imperial Stout. If you like Stouts, then stop right here because this one totally knocked our socks off! This craft beer comes at you with a 12.5% alcohol level and is brewed with a monstrous amount of malt and combined with aggressive American hops, making this beer powerful, complex and designed to age. Its smokiness is subtle, but definitely present, blending nicely with the rich, dark flavors. Add some bacon and chocolate to eat and you have a party!
Before the big show ending, we sampled the Witches Brew, a Belgian Strong Ale, brewed by Brouwerij Van Steenberge located in Ertvelde, Belgium. What, you never heard of it before? Of course not! That’s why you watch the “I Love Beer” Show! In keeping with the flow of the show, Witches Brew is another great tasting Belgium at an alcohol level of 9.3% and the pour is absolutely perfect in color, taste, and consistency. Great beer, food friendly, and another winner that you definitely need to get your hands on if you can find it.
And yes, Jim is correct: they are brewing Obama Beer in the White House!
Finally, we sampled Alien Imperial Stout Beer from Rio Grande and Sierra Blanca Brewery located in New Mexico. We discovered this 8.3% alcohol craft beer because it was a Silver Medal Winner at the 2012 New Mexico State Fair. The panel seemed to like this beer as well, although most preferred the Clown Shoes stout better. Either way, the Alien poured a deep dark brown with a light tan head with a malty, roasty aroma, and a sweet finish.
And speaking of finish, Jim and Matt surprised us by bringing out their homemade Pumpkin Ale, which was over a year in the making and tasted absolutely delicious! Watch the video over again for a detailed step by step explanation of the entire brewing process. It’s fascinating and proves once again these guys know exactly what they’re talking about and why drinking at Jimmy and Myrna’s Cantina is so much fun!
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[…] we finished up with the Asylum, a craft beer from Left Coast Brewing that we already featured on a previous show, but it’s so good (and it’s Sylvain’s favorite) that we just had to break it open […]