On a completely unrelated note...

On a completely unrelated note I heard on the radio this week that the casinos in Atlantic City are not doing that well financially thanks to competition from neighboring states including Pennsylvania.  Since the private sectory can't make money with the gaming industry Governor Christie came up with the idea to allow the state to take it over?  Genius!  That should guarantee failure.  I'm glad I live in Pennsylvania.  We wouldn't allow such a ludicrous idea to ever get traction let alone become the law of the land.  Unless you count that lousy Liquor Control Board.  There's another great idea.  Allow the state to control every aspect of the alcohol industry including but definitely not limited to how we buy and consume alcohol.  I guess that makes up dumber than the folks in New Jersey.  We have allowed this stupid system to exist for 75 plus years.  That's another thing the good people of New Jersey should consider.  Even if this takeover sounds like a good idea short-term don't expect it to be a short-term solution.  And another thing, did you ever hear of the Johnstown Flood Tax?  Go to THIS PAGE and scroll down to the "Johnstown Flood" tax.   If you consume alcohol regularly in the state of Pennsylvania you are probably familiar with this tax but if not you will probably laugh heartily. 

I have to go to bed now.  I am getting up early tomorrow so I can drive to Delaware to buy a car load of alcohol less the 18% Johnstown Flood Tax and less the 6% sales tax.  Of course it will be for my personal consumption while in the State of Delaware.

Planning is Everything

Friday night and I'm happy to end another work week.  I see TJ's Restaurant and Drinkery in Paoli have tapped a keg of Pliny the Elder from Russian River.  I guess I'll have to go for one right?  Before I settle into my bar stool Scott behind the bar shines up a glass in expectation that I have come in for the Pliny.  I throw him a curve ball.  "I'll have the Jai Alai IPA from Cigar City".  He looks at me in disbelief but I want to enjoy two beers tonight.  I know that if I start with a Pliny then I will only enjoy one beer tonight (unless I have 2 Pliny's which would violate my one-only rule...one of any beer in a sitting only).  Anything after a Pliny will taste mediocre at best.  I enjoyed the heck out of the Jai Alai but the whole time I am staring at that empty, shiny Pliny glass that Scott left in front of me.  As I get to the bottom of the Jai Alai Scott asks "Do you want me to fill that now"?  I nod yes.  I then spend the next 20 minutes or so sipping on that Pliny the Elder and enjoying every second.  My plan worked perfectly.  I enjoyed two beers tonight.

Not Much Going On

There wasn’t a whole lot going on over the weekend. I did manage to get to Union Jack’s Inn on the Manatawny for a couple of beers. I had The Maharajah from Avery Brewing Company. I always enjoy this one. It’s an American Double IPA and it’s a good one. I followed that with Lucky 13 from Lagunitas Brewing Company. This is a big Red Ale at 8.3% abv. I was definitely feeling the alcohol after those two.

Saison Farmhouse Ale Frenzy

Last night after work I did something unusual for me.  I stopped at McKenzie's Brewhouse in Malvern for a beer.  Historically I have not been a big fan of McKenzie's.  I found their beers to be banausic.  Recently I have heard good things about their Saison Vautour and I am in the middle of a Saison frenzy.  OK, McKenzie's has a winner.  This is an excellent farmhouse ale.  I wanted another but I have that darn rule about ordering the same beer twice in one sitting.  So, I ordered something called Two Threads.  It was described as a blend of their French Spring Ale and American Pale Ale aged in French Oak wine barrels.  Since I am not familiar with their beers I had no idea what to expect.  After my initial taste I thought, "Uh oh, is this beer infected or what"?  Then a funny thing happened.  My second swallow tasted better and my third better yet.  It is a dry, funky beer and by the time I was finished I really enjoyed it but it is not for the faint-hearted beer drinker for sure.

Afterwards I stopped at the Sly Fox in Phoenixville for a quick one while waiting on my pizzas to be ready.  I tasted a new one called Belgian Blonde.  It was similar to Saison Vos but not as dry and not as good in my opinion.  I ordered a Saison Vos...now that is good.

Quick Weekend Update

Here's a quick update on beers I tried since the last update on Friday.  Ground Break Saison from Ithaca Beer company was a nice beer.  I am really enjoying Saisons lately.  This one is not as good as the Dock Street I have on tap at home but it is a nice beer.  I had a 2X4 IPA from Bavarian Barbarian Brewing Company.  I thought it was a really good IPA.  In fact it got better the closer I got to the bottom of it.  I had never heard of this brewer before but they are in Williamsport, PA.  There may be a road trip in the near future.  I had a Left Coast Hop Juice from Oggi's Pizza & Brewing Co.  This is a big DIPA but I was not crazy about the taste.  I need to try it again some time in the future.  I finally got to try a Zuur from Brewery Ommegang.  This is a Flemish Sour Old Brown Ale.  It tasted a lot like Rodenbach to me.  I would like to try these two side-by-side one day.  It's hard to believe this was brewed in New York.  Finally I had a Sorachi Ace Pale Ale from the Sly Fox.  It was OK.

Nothing Interesting Here

It was kind of a boring Friday night.  First stop was TJ's Restaurant and Drinkery in Paoli.  I ordered a Honey Rye from Lake Placid Pub and Brewery.  It was not an unpleasant beer but also not what I was looking for.  This was one of those beers you could enjoy after mowing the lawn.  I wanted something bigger and bolder so I ordered a Russian Imperial Stout from (are you ready for this?) Bierbrouwerij Grand-Café Emelisse.  This is apparently a brewpub in the Netherlands.  The chalkboard listed a price of $7.25 or $7.50 something like that.  I can't remember but it doesn't matter because it was a kegkicker special which means I got it for $3.00.  This was a very nice beer but I would never pay full price for one.  For $3.00 it was a bargain. 

I didn't see anything else on the chalkboard that was interesting and that I didn't have recently.  So I headed for the Flying Pig in Malvern.  I ran into the same problem here.  Nothing interesting on tap that I haven't had recently.  I tasted a Derailed Black Cherry Ale from Erie Brewing Company but this was too sweet for my taste.  I ordered a Piraat Ale because you don't see this on tap every day.  It was good as usual.  Anything from Belgium is going to be good, right?.  The 10.5% alcohol doesn't hurt either. At least not on the night that you are drinking it.  This is actually brewed by Brouwerij Van Steenberge N.V.  I'm not sure why it is called a Belgian IPA but what do I know?

I had to get home and pour a Saison DuPott's.  Ahh...that's so good.

Holiday Fun in the Sun

It was a 100 degree day here in eastern PA and we decided to go out for a ride to get the kids to fall asleep in the air conditioned car. It worked like a charm as usual only this time by the time I got to Union Jack’s Inn on the Manatawny they were all awake. Not wanting to waste a trip I went in anyway. I enjoyed a 2XIPA from Southern Tier Brewing Company. I enjoyed this one just as I did the last time I had one. It has a very good citrus flavor. Having rehydrated, it was back to the car to get the kids to a playground. Did I mention it was a 100 degree day? Anyway, we had a good time, albeit brief, at the playground. We ended up at my sisters house for a quick dip in the pool and then on to Dairy Queen for an ice cream dinner. Not a bad holiday.

Fireworks and beer (not simultaneously)

It seems like just last week we were at Sesame Place and we were right back again this Saturday.  So after a day of water rides and roller coasters and finally fireworks at 9:00 there was still enough time to go to Isaac Newtons for a beer or two.  Naturally the kids were asleep before we left the parking lot of Sesame Place.  I started with a Duvel Green.  After a day like today this was the perfect beer.  As far as I'm concerned it is just as good as the regular Duvel without the big alcohol punch.  The only problem I had with this beer is that I finished it in about 10 minutes.  At least that saved me time to have another.  This time I chose Undercover Shut-Down Ale from Lagunitas.  I had this beer before and enjoyed it a lot.  Same thing this time.  It is bitter and sweet with big alcohol (9.7%).  It was a nice ending to a great day. 

In other news I tapped a new keg yesterday.  It is Saison DuPotts from Dock Street Brewing Company.  I love these farmhouse ales and this one is a great example of this style.  It is 5.75% abv and has a wonderful dry finish.  We had a party yesterday to celebrate the Fourth of July and I discovered one thing about this beer.  It is one of those rare beers that I really enjoy and yet my Mom can enjoy as well.  Even though I had her beloved Miller Lite at the house she chose to have a Saison DuPotts.   Awesome.

Friday before the holiday

On Friday I had lunch at the Flying Pig in Malvern.  I ordered a Lake Erie Monster from Great Lakes Brewing Company to go along with my excellent cheese steak.  The chalkboard called this an IPA but one sip told me this was an imperial IPA.  I started to regret ordering this one because of the big alcohol (9% abv) and I had to go back to work but this was a really nice beer.  Then, despite my better judgement I ordered a cask-conditioned Sawtooth ESB from Left Hand Brewing Company.  This was a pleasant beer but I really didn't give it much of a chance since it was following that imperial IPA.  I'll look for this one again.

After work I stopped in to the Drafting Room in Exton.  I started with a Carnevale from The Lost Abbey.  This is a pretty good Saison but a little spicey for me.  It was actually probably a very good traditional Saison and I guess I have come to enjoy the Americanized version.  I then had a Red Rocket from Bear Republic Brewery.  Since it is from Bear Rebuplic you know it must be good.  It is a full flavor beer meaning to me that it is both hoppy and malty.  I guess some would call that well balanced.  I love this beer.  Then I had a 16th Anniversary Ale.  Every year Troegs Brewing Company brews a beer to celebrate another anniversary for the Drafting Room.  This 16th Anniversary is a Belgian IPA.   As I have said in the past, this is not my style of beer.  Belgian beer...great!  IPA...great!  Belgian IPA...not so great.