Guest Post | Brewery ReviewRockmill Brewery in Lancaster, Ohio

Please welcome Melissa of A Quiet Extrovert to Yeast, Love, & Hoppiness. She recently visited Rockmill Brewery, a lovely farmhouse-turned-brewery in Lancaster, Ohio.

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Guest Post | Rockmill Brewery

by Melissa, A Quiet Extrovert

Rockmill is located in the middle of Ohio farm-country, and the brewery itself is actually a beautiful old farmhouse re-designed into the most welcoming brewery I’ve ever been to. As you arrive, you walk past the patio lit up with white Christmas lights and complete with a fire pit and plenty of seating. Inside, a large white dog greets visitors at the door. Every room in the house is open for customers and it was fun to check out all of the different rooms—each with their own unique, rustic feel. My boyfriend and I chose to sit on a big, brown leather couch by the window and had the corner all to ourselves.

Acme California IPA | North Coast Brewing Co.

I would consider this a "gateway" IPA. As in, if this had been the first IPA that ever touched my lips... I might not have puckered at bitter hops and turned my nose up to the style for over a year. Nowadays, I like my IPAs to come with a bite. Also, as a side note I LOVE the vintage-inspired label on the bottle. (Yes, it is initially what caught my eye. I bought it because it was an IPA. Heh.)

Bell's Oberon Ale | Bell's Brewery, Inc.

Some wheat beers all taste the same. Bell's Oberon Ale is an exception.

Monk's Cafe Flemish Sour Ale | Brouwerij Van Steenberge

What has a bubbly, fast-climbing froth like root beer, smells like Branston Pickle and red wine, tastes like the moment you bite into a cherry tootsie pop, and leaves the taste of pennies on your lips? This beer. So without further ado, here's goes my weirdest brew review yet...

Stone Ruination IPA | Stone Brewing Co.

If you'd have asked me after my first-ever swig of an IPA a couple years ago whether or not I thought I'd ever equal hoppiness to happiness. I'd have stuck my tongue out at you through lips that were puckering at the bitterness of whatever that beer was. However, G and I have both grown to love those cones. (Hence the blog title.) And this brew is truly cream of the crop hop:

Stateside Saison | Stillwater Artisanal Ales

I'll be the first to admit that I'm immediately drawn to buying a beer based on its label. There's not a magical formula or anything that catches my eye  It could vary between Old World-y and German-looking to crisp, modern, and cool. It could be a variety of things. And this one caught my eye because of the dragon. I'm on a bit of a Game of Thrones kick after re-watching the first season just to ease my withdrawals from the most recent season finale. (And to give myself some much needed quality time with the Starks.)

Iowa Craft Brew Festival in Downtown Des Moines

A couple of weekends ago, G and I hit up Des Moines to kick off summertime with ninety degree weather, sunshine, beer, and zombies. Our mission: sample as many beers as possible at the Iowa Craft Brew Festival. It was a gorgeous day to spend on the river enjoying old favorites and tasting new brews. 

The Locust St. Bridge was packed with hundreds of folks sampling hundreds of beers from thirty Iowa microbreweries plus additional breweries from throughout the country.