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.
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