A nice day for a beer or six

 Forty degrees and sunny yesterday, so we got out of the house to enjoy the day.

First stop: Hayes' Public House, about 45 minutes away in Buffalo MN. Good beers in a fun Irish-type pub setting. They've also got firepits and tables out front, and a patio on the roof with a great view of Buffalo Lake.

I'm a big fan of smoke beers, so I went straight for the Folliard's Smoked Irish Ale, pulled from a cask.

It's a Real Tasty Beer, although it wasn't all that smoky. A beer engine really makes for a smooth, creamy beer, but CO2 does release the aromas more efficiently.

I'm also a big fan of Schwarzbier, and they just happened to be pouring their Black Lager.

Medium body, chocolatey, and malty. Another real good beer. (That's Paris and Choo waiting for me to join them in the raising of the glasses; Kathy is just off-camera to the right.)

Heading back in the general direction of home, and after some Navigator misnavigation, we were at Bauernhof Klause Tap Haus & Bourbon Room in St Michael MN. There's a surprising number of good beers on tap, and an even more suprising number of bourbons on the shelf! Kinda spendy, but you have to pay for quality.

I've always said that a great name sells the beer, so I was drawn immediately to WarPigs Waking the Witch. I'm pretty sure this is brewed by 3 Floyds, but they might contract it out to Summit. In any case, it's a terrific Black IPA, malty and roasty and grassy.

The shot of Whistlepig Old World Cask Finish Rye 12 year required a chaser, so I ordered a nice, clean Third Street Minnesota Gold. Billed as a premium lager, it was refreshing and surprisingly flavorful.

We're running short on beer at home, so we made a quick stop at Northbound Liquor to stock up. No idea what we bought, though; it's still out in the car.

Finally, not that we needed a reason, but Aegir Brewing is right on the way home. They didn't have anything new on tap, but I enjoyed several Oaked Whiskey Rye IPAs and Allfathers Porters.

And now, a restful Sunday!