Midtown Manhattan - NY

Yesterday we toasted the 4-year anniversary of our engagement. Amtrak delivered us to Penn Station and within 20 minutes we (and our suitcases) were at Rattle and Hum, named by Draft Magazine as 1 of the top 100 beer bars in the U.S. We discovered brewery decor galore and a chalkboard boasting 40 beers on tap plus 1 cask.

Kelly ordered Pearl Street's Dankenstein Imperial IPA on cask then Kuhnhenn's Foreign Export Stout, a fantastic example of the style. As usual, I opted for a sampler - Schmaltz' He'Brew Messiah Nut Brown Ale, Greenport Harbor's Black Duck Porter (best of the lineup), Sixpoint's Otis (oatmeal stout), and Butternuts' Brutus Imperial IPA.

We had a weekend of drinking ahead so called it quits after lunch and hailed a cab to Brooklyn, where the remainder of our posts will take place.

Winter 2011-12 Recap

We're gearing up for the next great beer adventure, so let's spend one post looking back at the winter's best events.


November
ChurchKey's 21st Amendment and Ninkasi beer dinner featuring:

• 21st Amendment 5-South
• 21st Amendment HQT
• 21st Amendment Roasted American
• Ninkasi Sleigh'r Dark Double Alt
• Ninkasi Maiden the Shade
• Ninkasi Total Domination IPA
• Ninkasi Believer Double Red Ale
• Ninkasi/21st Amendment "Allies Win the War!"
• 21st Amendment Mo' Tcho Risin'

December

Birch and Barley's holiday beer tasting featuring:

• Port Brewing Santa’s Little Helper
• Port Brewing Santa’s Little Helper Bourbon Barrel-Aged
• Lavery Brewing Company Devil Bird
• Evil Twin Soft Xmas
• Evil Twin Before, During, And After Christmas Beer
• The Bruery 4 Calling Birds
• Saint-Germain Page 24 Bière de Noël

New Year's Eve at ChurchKey


January
Justin's 30th birthday at Smoke and Barrel in Adams Morgan
2nd Annual Bootlegger's Beer Dinner at Smith Commons featuring:

• Lost Abbey - Inferno Ale
• Hair of the Dog - Fred
• Cigar City - Guava Grove
• Alaskan - Smoked Porter
• Alchemist - Heady Topper
• Flying Dog - 2008 Horn Dog Barley Wine

Smith Commons on H St. NE

February

President's Day Barleywine Bash at Pizzeria Paradiso in Dupont Circle

March

ChurchKey's "Surly Goes to Washington" event including the sought-after Surly Darkness 2011

Elysian Beer Dinner at Pizzeria Paradiso in Georgetown featuring:

• Nibiru
• Slight Return
• The Perfesser
• Idiot Sauvin
• Perseus Porter
• Arboreal
• Dragon’s Tooth Stout

Roanoke, VA

Greetings, friends. Due to some slack editing (we won't name any names) this post was drafted 8/19/11 and is surfacing now. We're back on track, promise!


So in August 2011 we visited my hometown - Roanoke, VA - and while there, we attended the 14th annual Microfestivus with my parents and uncle.  My dad and I actually went to one of the early Microfestivuses (Microfestivi?) before I met Katie.  I didn't know much about craft beer back then, but it was my first exposure to breweries such as Troegs and St. George.


Microfestivus took place in the heart of downtown in Elmwood Park where I have many fond memories, especially of the annual Festival In The Park - jumping across boulders and even watching one of my best friends play on stage with his ska band.


For a Southwest Virginia city where craft beer hasn't really taken off, we were pretty impressed with the selection.  The line-up featured over 30 different breweries ranging from local Virginia ones like Legend, Starr Hill, Bull & Bones, and Roanoke's very own Roanoke Railhouse, to the more well-known breweries such as Stone, Allagash, Left Hand, and Ommegang.


In general, most breweries brought their recognizable big-sellers, but that's not to say there weren't a few gems here and there.  Some standouts for me were the Legend Quad, Devil's Backbone Turbo Cougar, and Dogfish Head Chicory Stout.  It was also a good opportunity to sample some beers that we've been meaning to try, such as the Boulder Mojo IPA, Ommegang Belgian Pale Ale, and Roanoke Railhouse's new IPA.


Unfortunately, regardless of their structure, beer festivals tend to attract (and breed) zealous samplers who want to “get their money’s worth”.  Our major criticism of this event was that tickets were sold in 2 tiers with a wristband allowing either 10 or 21 notches.  We felt this increased the potential for overconsumption as attendees drank to achieve the max.  We wondered if a safer approach would have been charging 1 general admission fee for unlimited tastings, or providing paper tickets that could be shared among groups.


All in all though, Microfestivus was a fun experience (which also showcased some local talent like the cover band Polychrome) and it's encouraging to see a city like Roanoke celebrate the craft beer movement.  Cheers!

Microfestivus - Roanoke, VA - Summer 2011

Washington, DC

What better way to beat the Monday blues than reminisce about a convivial weekend of beer tasting?

On Saturday, our buds Justin and Teri came over to sample two of our bottles and one of their parting gifts from SAVOR:

• Pursuit of Hoppiness, an Imperial Red from Grand Teton Brewing Co. in Idaho
• Black Moon IPA, an American Black Ale from Rock Art Brewery in Vermont
• SAVOR Flowers, a collaboration beer brewed by Jim Koch of Boston Beer Company and Sam Calagione of Dogfish Head

Kelly and I liked the black IPA best but SAVOR Flowers was the most discussed. According to Beer Advocate's style guide it is a Scottish Gruitt / Ancient Herbed Ale which has been said to stimulate the mind, create euphoria, and enhance sexual drive. I will agree to the first two but don't feel comfortable commenting on the third.

The next portion of our evening took place in Northeast, DC beginning at The Red and The Black, a dive bar with a little goth and some Syfy (yes, Mega Python vs. Gatoroid was on TV and the patrons were cheering). It's a strange mix but they have a good beer selection - although no taps! Our choices:

• The Public, a Pale Ale from the capital's own DC Brau for Kelly
• Fat Dog, an Imperial Oatmeal Stout from Stoudt's in Pennsylvania for me
• Lake Erie Monster (the last 2 bottles, lucky bastards), a Double IPA from Great Lakes in Ohio for Justin and Teri

The final leg of our journey was only 0.2 miles farther down H Street: Biergarten Haus. Our previous visit occurred during September's H Street Festival, an eclectic annual event showcasing arts and entertainment - including DC Rollergirls arm wrestling - and the mood Saturday night was just as boisterous.

We spent an hour in the upstairs bar before grabbing a bench on the patio, right in front of live music. We made new friends and even bumped into a mutual acquaintance, Matt, who works at Port City Brewing Co. in Alexandria (to be reviewed at a later date!) So our beer worlds collided but we went all German:

• Hofbrau Dunkel Weizen (the seasonal) and Hofbrau Original Lager for Kelly
• Paulaner Hefe-Weissbier and Hofbrau Original Lager for me
• Köstritzer Schwarzbier and Paulaner Premium Pils for Justin
• Franziskaner Hefe-Weisse and Weihenstephaner Hefeweissbier for Teri

Prost! (Sept. 2010)

I've never had the pleasure of traveling to Deutschland but Kelly spent 3 weeks there during the 2006 FIFA World Cup and vouched for Biergarten Haus' authenticity.

Of course the main drawback is its location. If you're not driving (parking and valet service ARE available) you're fairly limited to bus, H Street Shuttle or taxi. Is it worth the haul? YES...at least once to toss back a liter, nosh on a wurst platter, and see what the hubbub is about.

Wilmington, DE

We spend a lot of time with my retired parents in Wilmington, NC so it was fun to check out the OTHER one on our ride home through Delaware. Iron Hill Brewery has 7 locations: Newark, West Chester, Wilmington, North Wales, Phoenixville, Lancaster and Maple Shade, with a Chestnut Hill site opening later this year.

I created a sampler of the Maibock, Vienna Red Lager, Saison Noir (the Seasonal Belgian Ale) and Bourbon Vanilla Porter. Kelly ordered glasses of the Dunkelweizen and Bourbon Vanilla Porter. The latter was our favorite - fantastic flavor! Our only complaint was the steep price tag on Iron Hill's bottled reserves, ranging from $16.50 to $24.50. Unusually high for a local craft brewery and a deal breaker for us.

I have to add that the food was stellar - some of the best on our trip in fact. I loved the Caribbean Spiced Chicken Breasts (especially that golden pineapple chutney) and Kelly chowed down on the Seafood Pot Pie, bursting with shrimp, scallops, jumbo lump crab and veggies. The riverfront deck was picture perfect so we're giving this spot the seal of approval for anyone passing through Wilmington and looking for well-made beer and food in a scenic setting.

Northampton, MA

Northampton is a college town with diverse venues for dining and drinking. We enjoyed both activities tremendously at The Dirty Truth on Main Street. The dimly lit interior with red walls and black accents struck me as a contemporary wine bar, but the long line of taps quickly corrected that notion.

We hopped up to a bar table and spread open the artful menu. Now, I realize this is a beer blog but allow me two sentences to gush about our food...grilled corn on the cob with herbed citrus compound butter to start, then pulled BBQ duck breast sliders (with impossibly delicious carrot jam that they make in-house and would not sell to me). Kelly was presented with a humongous, glass dish of baked mac and cheese jacked up with cayenne pepper and a couple add-ons.


As for the liquid portion, I sat out the first round - content in foodie paradise - then ordered Beer of the Gods, an American Blonde Ale from High and Mighty Beer Co. in MA. It would have paired better with the currywurst but I still deemed it unoriginal. (Kelly thinks I'm being harsh, but hey, I want impressive brews in my glass and assume our readers do too.)


Kelly enjoyed:

• De Ranke's Noir De Dottignies, a Belgian Dark Strong Ale and nice change of pace from the American styles he had been favoring
• Bear Republic's Apex, a double IPA which he couldn't resist

On our final day, we appropriately moseyed over to Northampton Brewery, the oldest operating brewpub in New England. The brewery itself is located in a restored carriage house (c. 1894) but years of renovations have expanded the facility to include a basement, new kitchen, sunroom, and 150-seat rooftop beer garden where we sat!

We both ordered 4 samples:

• Scuba's Marzen, Blackberry Porter, Hoover's Porter, and Black Cat Stout for Katie
• Summer Fling, Scuba's Marzen, Blackberry Porter, and Blue Boots IPA for Kelly

Inside, Kelly also tried Black Cat on cask. Our only complaint is that Northampton did not have any unique or experimental beers aside from the subtle blackberry porter. This could be a product of our timing though, and we thought the history and outdoor dining made the trip worthwhile.

Greenfield, MA

Hello again faithful followers, this post highlights two different beer havens from the small Western Massachusetts town of Greenfield.

Right off Main Street is The People's Pint, a quaint little brewpub recommended by our good friends Justin and Teri Housenger.  After an intense night of partying at my best friend's wedding, we weren't super-motivated to try more beer, but I pulled it together and ordered a sampler. (It's all for the blog.)

I enjoyed Farmer Brown, obviously a brown ale; Pied PIPA, an American IPA; the Double IPA; and the Oatmeal Stout on cask.  Nothing too crazy, but every style was well done and it was a great spot for lunch.

The next stop on the tour through Greenfield was Ryan & Casey Liquors, another outstanding recommendation from the Housengers. Definitely one of the better stores I've visited, and the local selection was incredible.  In addition to the crazy amounts of liquor and wine, packed beer freezers lined every wall plus Belgian and American bombers were kept at room temperature in the middle of the store.

While I could have spent an hour or more pondering the selection before me, Katie was recovering in the car so I had to be decisive.  This was my stash, mostly local but I had to splurge on some Port and Grand Teton as well (and please feel free to be jealous):

• Element Brewing Dark Element - Black IPA
• Element Brewing Vernal - Dunkel Wheat Wine
• Grand Teton Pursuit of Hoppiness - Imperial Red Ale
• Grand Teton Trout Hop - Black IPA
• Haverhill Brewery Triskelion - Barley Wine
• Middle Ages Brewing Dragonslayer - Russian Imperial Stout
• Paper City Brewing Fogbuster Coffee House Ale - American Porter
• Paper City Brewing Hop Monster - Double IPA
• Port Brewing Panzer - Imperial Pilsener
• Port Brewing Shark Attack - Imperial Red Ale
• Pretty Things December 6th, 1855 EIP (East India Porter) - English Porter
• Wachusett Larry - Double IPA

I must say, while this looks like a run-of-the-mill liquor store from the outside (flickering neon sign included), it's a top notch beer store on the inside and I easily could have spent our life's savings in there.  Luckily, I did not.  And the 10% off cases (boxes of 12 bombers) helped ease the burden!

If you're ever in Western Mass and want to find one of the best local beer selections, I recommend this place highly.