Happy New Year (Good Riddance 2009)

This day could not have come quickly enough.  2009 was a lously year for my family.  I lost my father, my brother-in-law and my dog.  I know it is irrational to think that the flip of a calendar can make all of the difference but that is my hope.  And 2009 wasn't going to go away without flicking my earlobe one last time just for the fun of it.  I spent the last 4 days in bed with a fever and the aches and pain that go along with it.  I also haven't eaten solid food or had any alcoholic drinks in 4 days unless you count whiskey which was strickly medicinal.  A shot or two of Tullamore Dew will cure what ails you.  Which brings me to today...New Years Eve.  My wife took the kids and went to her parents primarily because I don't have the greatest disposition when I am sick.  After they left I started to feel a little better.  By this evening I was ready for food and even beer.

On the way home from the grocery store I stopped at the Epicurean Restaurant and Bar in Phoenixville to get a couple of bottles of beer for tonight.  Check out their website (I clicked on the tab that said "Tapas Menu" only to learn that this would not tell you their draught beer selection).  I started for home and somewhere along the way I decided that I would make hot wings for dinner.  Probably not the best choice but that's what I did.  Then something in the oven started to smoke pretty bad.  Perhaps this was yet another ear-flicking curtesy of Year 2009.  My (new) dog couldn't wait for me to let her out of the house which is unusual.  The other unusual thing I noticed as the house filled with smoke is that the smoke detectors never went off.  I will get new smoke detectors ASAP because I would feel pretty stupid if me and the dog died and the house burned down because I didn't have working smoke detectors (which probably only cost $25 a shot).

Anyway, the beers I got from the Epicurean and enjoyed this evening are Orval Trappist Ale, Duvel Belgian Golden Ale, and Delirium Noel.  First of all, they are from Belgium so you know they are great.  If you look carefully in the photo you can see all of my friends who celebrated with me tonight sitting in the kitchen chairs in the background.

Here's to a great 2010!

Chicken and Beer...Sounds Good to Me

I took my two oldest kids to Craft Ale House in Limerick for a snack yesterday.  The kids shared a bucket o' fries and I got some spicey chicken strips.  I forget the actual names from the menu and their website still does not have the food menu online (Incidentally they are celebrating their 1 year anniversary today).  Regardless, the food was great as usual.  The kids got lemonade to have with their fries.  I thought beer would go well with my chicken so I ordered a Great Lakes Eliot Ness Amber Lager.  This is a nice beer as far as lagers go.  I then had a Mad Elf from Troegs.  You have to like barley wines to like this one.  I happen to like barley wines.  All was well in the world.

Happy Birthday Mom

We went to Kimberton Inn to celebrate my mother's 80th birthday tonight.  We had the Wine Cellar and pretty much filled it with family.  The food was great by all accounts.  We ordered pasta with red sauce for our kids and I ordered the duck.  My 5-year-old daughter ate as much of my duck as I did.  I had mixed emotions about the beer.  They had only 3 taps.  That's not great.  But I have to give them credit.  They could have used those 3 taps for Bud, Miller and Coors but that was not the case.  They had Yard's Pale Ale, Brooklyn Lager and Sly Fox "unfiltered wheat beer" which I assumed to be the Berliner Weisse.  Although I applaud the Kimberton Inn for using their 3 taps for 3 beers that are out of the mainstream I am not a big fan of any of the 3.  I started with the Yard's Pale Ale.  I have had mixed reaction to this beer in the past.  Some times I think it is great and sometimes it is a struggle to get through one.  I don't know if it is poor quality control at Yards or maybe the beer is just not taken care of in transportation.  Regardless, I didn't care all that much for the Yard's tonight.  I then tried the Brooklyn Lager.  I have to admit that I haven't enjoyed any beer from Brooklyn Brewery and a lager was not likely to change my mind.  As it turned out my mind was not changed.  I went back to the Yards.  What about the Sly Fox beer?  Assuming it was the Berliner Weisse...no thanks.  That is not something I want to drink.  Interestingly enough, if it happened to be the Royal Weisse from Sly Fox I would have been all over it.  How can the brewer make one really great Weisse and that Berliner Weisse?

Saturday Night and I Ain't Got Nobody

It was a dark and stormy night...but I was hungry and thirsty so I decided to go to the Craft Ale House in Limerick for some dinner.  Earlier in the day my wife took the kids to visit with her parents for the weekend which gave me the opportunity to complete some of those projects around the house that had been waiting for me.  I lost track of time and forgot to eat lunch.  Next thing I know it is dinner time and I hadn't prepared anything.  That's how I ended up with the great idea of going to the Craft Ale House for dinner. 

I ordered a Terrapin Hopsecutioner.  I'm not a big fan of these stupid names (what is a Hopsecutioner anyway) but the beer was pretty good.  As you might suspect from the name, it is an IPA and I think I would order this again when I see it.  Next I ordered a Steamworks Lizard Head Red and a fish and chips dinner.  If I was a thinking man I probably would not have ordered this beer with this dinner but that thought didn't occur to me until it was too late.  Regardless, this beer was more malty than I expected.  Clara Peller might have said, "Where's the hops".  So I had an OK beer with an awesome fish and chips dinner.  Yeah, they do the fish and chips right at CAH.

After dinner I sampled a Bell's Christmas Ale.  I had low expectations as I typically don't care for Christmas Ales.  This one was different.  It was not the spicy Christmas Ale I was expecting.  It was a very sweet malty beer.  Definitely not my style.  I ordered a Hercules DIPA from Great Divide without hesitation.  This is a nice DIPA.  Not the best I've had but I enjoyed the heck out of it tonight. 

I wish I could stay here all night at the Craft Ale House.  It occurs to me that my life is a dichotomy.  Often my wife is in the car with the kids and I rush into places like Craft Ale House and have a beer...maybe two and rush back out to the car.  Then there are nights like tonight.  No wife, no kids...and no designated driver.  Either way I'm limited in the quantity of beers I can enjoy.  I guess that's my cross to bear.

Unremarkable

I left work a little early on Wednesday and made my way to The Flying Pig Saloon in Malvern.  I had a Double Aught Czech Pilsner from Bear Republic Brewing Company.  This beer was unremarkable.  There was nothing wrong with it.  It was not unpleasant.  It was simply unremarkable.  So I won't remark further.  I followed that with a Dugana Imperial IPA from Avery Brewing Company.  This is a pretty good Imperial IPA with a nice floral aroma and taste.  The considerable alcohol was well hidden.  On the way home I called for a pizza.  I had a couple of minutes to kill so it's a good thing the pizza joint is next to the Sly Fox in Phoenixville.  I went in and had a Sovereign pale ale.  Like the Double Aught earlier, this beer was also unremarkable.

I went home and tapped the sixtel of Celebration Ale from Sierra Nevada Brewing Company.  I have to say that I am a little disappointed.  I have enjoyed this nice IPA in bottles on many occasions.  I think it tastes better from the bottle. 

Cabin Fever Relief

We had a big snow on Saturday.  Probably about a foot of snow fell at the house.  So Saturday was hard work shoveling snow and goofing around with the kids.  By Sunday I felt like the kids were getting cabin fever so we loaded up the car and went for a ride in the country.  As luck would have it we were out near Union Jack's Inn on the Manatawny about the time the kids fell asleep.  My wife was OK with it so I went into Union Jack's while they slept in the car.  I ordered a Santa's Little Helper Imperial Stout from Port Brewing Company.  This brewer continues to impress me.  I never thought anyone could come close to making a stout as good as Founder's Breakfast Stout but this one does.  I would like to have Santa's Little Helper and Breakfast Stout side by side for the sake of comparison.  And in fact I could have done that at Union Jack's today as they had both on tap.  But with the wife and kids in the car I decided to save that comparison for another day.

Beer and Stink Bugs

On the way to pick up our pizza tonight I stopped in for a quick drink at the Sly Fox in Phoenixville.  I had a Columbus Pale Ale.  This is a pretty nice pale ale, especially at the $2.50 price for happy hour. 

On an unrelated note, I poured myself a Founder's Red's Rye last night and set it on the end table next to my chair while goofing around on the internet.  I knew I was getting close to the bottom of that sixtel and I was going to savor this beer.  I became involved in whatever it was that I was doing and didn't even get to take a sip when I heard the sound of a bug flying around the light on the end table next to me.  Then it stopped.  I grabbed my beer and prudently looked inside before taking a sip.  And there is was.  A stink bug floating on the top.  If it was any other kind of bug I would probably have picked it out of the beer and drank the beer that the bug left behind.  But a stink bug?  I just couldn't do it.  I poured the beer down the sink.  On my way to the basement for a fresh Red's Rye I was lamenting my bad luck and thinking only I could have a stink bug land in my full beer.  I then set the glass down, pulled the tap handle and...you guessed it.  The keg kicked.

I did manage to get to Exton Beverage today at lunch to purchase my next keg.  I chose Sierra Nevada Celebration.  I hope to tap it a little later.

Who Says Life is Too Short to Drink Cheap Beer?

I couldn't resist going to TJ's Restaurant and Drinkery in Paoli this evening after work.  They have a "Keg Kicker" happy hour from 4 to 6 pm Monday through Friday.  They pick a couple of draught beers (presumably those they would like to kick) and offer them to you for $3.  If you were not familiar with TJ's you might think they would offer something pedestrian like Yuengling or Blue Moon but you would be wrong.  Today for example, one of those Keg Kicker beers was Port Brewing Company's Hop 15.  This is an awesome DIPA as I have mentioned before and for $3 (regularly $5.50) how could I resist.  I am usually happy to pay $5.50 for a Hop 15 but it tastes even better when you are only paying $3.

A Very Sad Occasion

The world lost a true gentleman last Sunday when my brother-in-law lost his battle with cancer. I could not have asked for a better husband for my sister. He was a man of few words and he would be uncomfortable being the center of attention. However, on our way to his memorial service you couldn't help notice the large rainbow stretching across the sky which was curious because there was no rain that day nor was any expected. Just a few clouds and a lot of blue sky. I'm not saying that Sheldon necessarily made that rainbow happen but if it was possible for him to do so that is how I would expect him to say "I'm with you and I'm OK".

I traveled to rural South Carolina for the service and to visit with my sister and their son and hopefully provide some form of comfort. During my stay I had a couple of beers that I had never had before. With all respect to Sheldon, Debbie and Jason, I now turn my attention to the beer.

Thursday at about lunch time I arrived in Columbia, SC. I made the 15 minute trip from the airport to Hunter Gatherer Brewery for some lunch and refreshment. The atmosphere is nice with exposed beams and brick
work. They told me the building was about 100 years old. The average guest was about 21 by my approximation. We are after all virtually on the campus of the University of South Carolina. First up was the Wheat beer. It was a pleasant American style wheat. Nothing extraordinary but a nice beer. Next up was the Pale ale. This was OK but I didn't enjoy it quite as much as the Wheat. Third was the ESB. This was a nice
beer and I thought any of these beers would make a nice session beer. Finally I had the Ye Olde Bastarde. This was a brown ale with a nice taste and it was nicely balanced. I guess I was just in a nice mood. In
between these beers I had a pulled pork sandwich with cole slaw. When I ordered it I forgot that when in South Carolina if you see a pulled pork sandwich with cole slaw on the menu this really means the cole slaw is on the sandwich. When I first saw the sandwich with that slaw on it I was dissappointed but I have to say that the taste was great. I think it's ironic that for me, the highlight of my visit was the food.

The bartender at Hunter Gatherer guided me to Green's which is a good place to get beer to-go. I got a six-pack of Red Brick Brown Ale from Atlanta Brewing Company in Atlanta (duh). I also got a six-pack of Kashmir IPA from Highland Brewing Company in Asheville, NC. The Red Brick was a good brown ale but nothing that I would go out of my way for in the future. Same could be said for the Kashmir IPA. There was nothing wrong with either beer but there was nothing extreme either.

Friday I found myself in rural South Carolina in towns like Greenwood, Abbeville, and Iva. After a google search and some mis-steps with the locals, I determined that finding a fine craft beer on draught was going to be a challenge. I accepted the fact that I would be drinking bottles for the remainder of my trip. The good news is that South Carolina allows you to buy beer at the supermarket, convenience store, Walmart etc. They are blessed with a legislature that understands that free enterprise should be responsible for the sale and distribution of alcohol and not some liquor control board. The bad news is that the selection was not that great.  I went to the grocery store and came back with a 12-pack of Sam Adams Boston Lager. I never understood how this brewer became so successful. I am not a big fan of Sam Adams. Any port in a storm.

On Saturday we went to the Outback Steakhouse in Anderson, SC. They had Fat Tire from New Belgium Brewing on tap. The server told me it was a Belgian White beer simiilar to Blue Moon. I knew better. It is
actually a refreshing amber ale. This was my first draught in a while and I ordered a second one for good measure. I then went to Walmart and picked up a six-pack of Terrapin Rye Pale Ale. Things were starting to
look up. This is a really nice pale. Of course I am always partial to Rye's for some reason. God bless Walmart.

Sunday I was traveling home. I had a layover in Atlanta. I stopped in a TGI Friday's in the airport. I asked about the draught beers and as the server went down the list it was all the usual suspects (Bud, Miller...).
Then she said Sweetwater. I was not familiar with this brewer but the server said the brewer was from Atlanta. Great, pour me one! That's when the trouble started. My server told me that it was Sunday and as such they were not allowed to serve alcohol until 12:30pm. Luckily it was 12:20pm at the time. I told her I can wait. It would seem Georgia's beer laws are as stupid as Pennsylvania's. I guess a beer at 12:20pm would be sinful but 10 minutes later God would be OK with it. How do these politician's get elected? When it finally came out it was a nice enough beer. Turns out to be a Sweetwater 420 Extra Pale Ale. I could have had a couple of these but it was time to go home.

After a severe lack of draught beer for a couple of days I couldn't help but stop somewhere on the way home from Philadelphia International Airport. And what better place than TJ's Restaurant and Drinkery in Paoli. I had a Big Eye IPA from Ballast Point. This is more like it. What a nice IPA. Floral, not too bitter. Satisfied, I made my way home.

On Monday, still suffering from a lack of draught beer in my system I took my wife and my mother to the Craft Ale House in Limerick, PA. I tried the Mama's Little Yellow Pils from Oskar Blues. This is a very nice
pilsner so I ordered one for my mom. I then ordered a Yard's ESB. The brewer calls this a keg-conditioned ESB. I thought it was a pretty good beer but not to be confused with a cask-conditioned beer. Perhaps
marketing at work? Finally, I ordered a Double Simcoe from Weyerbacher. This was a little harsh with alpha acids but a great tasting double IPA. I coaxed my mom into trying it. She was not a big fan.

Quick One at TJ's

In between Christmas parties today I found myself with about 10 minutes of free time.  As it happens we were not far from TJ's Restaurant and Drinkery in Paoli.  Time enough for one beer.  The kids were asleep in the car and my wife was OK with it so in I went.  I ordered a Rogue I2PA (I squared PA, or Imperial India Pale Ale, get it?).  This is a fine tasting IIPA without being overly bitter.  I'm ready for another but time does not allow today.

A Cold and Snowy Saturday

Saturday afternoon and the snow was coming down.  I wasn't going to go to TJ's Restaurant and Drinkery for the anniversary celebration but the snow changed my mind.  Always the contrarian, if people are going to stay away because of the snow I am going to go.  I will have all that good beer to myself.  Boy was I wrong.  The place was packed.  But...since I was there already I made my way inside and ordered a Pliny the Elder from Russian River Brewing Company.  As I have stated before (and as evidenced by the "Favorite IPA's" at the top of this blog) this is a great DIPA.  I had to drink it standing up as I was unable to get a seat due to the crowd.  One of my beer drinking rules is that I will drink one beer standing up.  If a seat does not become available by the time that one is done I will not stand for another.  So despite the fact that they had a phenomenal lineup on, it was time to go.


Next stop was the Sly Fox in Phoenixville.  I thought it was kind of funny that on this cold and snowy night I was in the mood for a Royal Weisse but that is what I ordered.  I placed a to-go request for a couple orders of hot wings and crab dip and a Renard D'or for the wait.  This Belgian-style golden is a nice change of pace but it is not as good as their Saison Vos.

TJ's For Lunch - Great

My wife called with a really great idea this morning.  "Take me over to pick up my car at the shop and we can have lunch together...at TJ's".  It was a great idea because I love TJ's Restaurant and Drinkery in Paoli and because she and I don't have lunch together nearly often enough.  We both had the Cajun Chicken sandwich (my usual) and it was great.  I had a Bear Republic Racer 5 from the cask.  It too was great.  In fact the only thing that kept "great" from being "excellent" was that I had to pick up the tab.  Small price to pay for a great lunch, great beer and great company.

P.S.  I just looked at TJ's website and I see that the Racer 5 has been replaced by Port Brewing Hop 15.  If you haven't had this DIPA you owe it to yourself to get one.  See list of my favorite IPAs at the top of this blog.