365 Days of Beer

Although Big Daddy Cal couldn't make it out to the Hop Devil Grill for last night's Southampton Publick House event, I decided to go it alone anyways.

And I'm glad I went too, because the beers were awesome, there was a good crowd on hand, and for the 2nd event in a row I won the raffle.

I decided to take advantage of the nice weather and get a little exercise too, so I walked from my office all the way down to the East Village. I know it sounds like it would take forever, but its really not that bad. One time I calculated that it takes me roughly a minute to a 70 seconds to walk one block north or south. Going crosstown can vary because not all of the blocks are the same length. So for me this was about a 25-30 minute walk, which wasn't bad at all.

It also got me thirsty for beer.

I passed many a bar along the way but I guarantee you that none of them had anything of the same quality as that which awaited on the far end of St. Mark's Place.

Arriving at the Hop Devil Grill, I found a seat at the counter and ordered a flight of the Southampton beers. The brewers also brought along some bottles and another beer on draft, which were available next door at the Belgian room.

206) Southampton Bavarian Wheat - I took a few sips and immediately called Big Daddy Cal to let him know he was missing out. Of all the German hefeweizens not produced in Germany, this is the best one I've had. It's not in the same class as the heavy hitters from Germany, but that would be asking a bit much. But its the closest so far. I really liked the banana and citrus flavors that were coming from this, and there was just enough of a hint of spice in there as well.


Bavarian Wheat

Yes, I screwed up and instead of being efficient and taking one group shot of the flight, I did them individually.

207) Southampton Steam Beer - This is only the 3rd steam beer I have had. Basically it is a Californian style where they take lager yeasts and ferment them at higher temperatures to give some ale characteristics. The color is a clear gold. It's not as dark as it looks in the pic below, which is the result of the beer picking up the colors from the counter. This one is hoppy and slightly bitter. Very crisp and easy drinking.


Steam Beer

208) Southampton Secret Ale - This is probably their most commonly found beer. Like the steam beer above, this is only the third altbier I have tasted. This is brewed with 5 varieties of German malts along with imported German hops. Caramel flavors are very well balanced with the hops. Pretty excellent stuff.


Secret Ale

209) Southampton IPA - Rather typical IPA. Citrusy aroma. Not overpoweringly bitter. It's balanced but rather disappointing after the 3 beers I just had.


IPA

210) Southampton Espresso Stout - This was apparently a mystery selection. There was a nice beige head on top but by the time I got around to taking this photo it had disappeared. The color is an opaque black. Aromas are, not surprisingly, full of espresso beans. Kind of a light body, dominated again by the espresso flavors. Finish is bitter. I'm not a big coffee drinker, so this wasn't exactly my favorite. But if I owned a coffee house I would get a liquor license and pour pints of this stuff.


Espresso Stout

It was then RAFFLE TIME! For the 2nd event in a row, I won!

And the prize was great. T-shirt and a Southampton wheat beer glass!


I won these!

I predict victory in the next raffle as well.

I wasn't done yet, so I headed next door to continue the event at the Belgian Room.

211) Southampton Double White Ale - This, to me, was the highlight of the night. I was blown away by how good this was. Flavors and aromas of orange peel, lemon zest, and coriander were just bursting forth. The alcohol content (at 6.8%) is a little higher than most witbiers. But I dare anyone to blind taste this side-by-side with the best Belgian witbiers. Do it. I would not be surprised to find this at or near the top.


Double White Ale

When the summer Hampton season dies down, I will definitely make a trip out east to visit the Publick House and try more of their stuff.

I'm at 211 for the year. Only 154 to go. Again I'm almost a month ahead so things will slow down for the next few weeks, as I have a trip to Japan coming up, and I don't anticipate going to any major beer events for a while. I may have a bottle or three in the next week or so, but I'm going to take it easy.