Thursday at Urban Saloon

Jo and I went out to Urban Saloon on Thursday to celebrate getting an awesome new couch. Hey, got to celebrate the little things in life, right? Surprisingly, Urban Saloon always has a couple really good beers on draft even though from the outside it doesn't feel like it should. Plus their prices are downright reasonable which is sometimes hard to find in Philly.

I started with a glass of Deschutes Inversion IPA. I got to try it at the London Grill dinner, but only a tiny bit so I didn't get a good feel for it.

Sort of a perfumey nose on it. Reminds me of the aromas on the Square One beers I had back in St. Louis. I think it's the result of using Cascade hops but not real sure. Taste, though, wasn't perfumey at all. Very citrusy up front with a bit of lingering bitterness. Some sweetness appeared to keep it from overwhelming the palate. Really good body on it, thick but not syrupy. Really tasty IPA. Not too bitter and not too sweet, just well balanced. I'm going to miss Deschutes being available in the city now that Philly Beer Week is over.

Up next was Rogue John John Dead Guy, a maibock aged in whiskey barrels.

Jo couldn't smell anything coming from this beer, but I felt like I detected a hint of whiskey. Very slight aroma either way. Starts a little malty and then finishes with a mild whiskey finish. No alcohol at all or harshness from the aging. It's an interesting combination, maibock and whiskey, and while the flavors in the two didn't completely come together for me, it still tasted pretty good. I was definitely done after one of these though as the whiskey lingered and was a little unpleasant.

Another good trip to Urban Saloon. Had their mac & cheese which is just delicious and a couple tasty beers. As I said, I'm going to really miss Deschutes. Glad I have a bottle of The Abyss at least but hoping I'll be able to track down a couple bottles of their new Black Butte XXIII because it sounds awesome. We'll see on that since it's not for sale over here. Much calmer weekend coming up so it'll be mostly small posts next week I suspect.