Wednesday, May 31, 2006
Another new one
And so the quest continues...
163) Cameron's Long Leg - This is a blonde ale from England. British style blonde ales are a lot hoppier than other versions and this is no exception as you definitely get the strong hop flavor coming through. The hop used in this is the fuggles hop. This also gives it a little bit of an earthy finish. The beer is named "Long Leg" because of the old tradition of wearing stilts to harvest hops.
Cameron's Long Leg
163 new beers down and 202 to go. My buffer is down to 12 as today is the 151st day of the year, but I expected to slow down a bit around this time.
163) Cameron's Long Leg - This is a blonde ale from England. British style blonde ales are a lot hoppier than other versions and this is no exception as you definitely get the strong hop flavor coming through. The hop used in this is the fuggles hop. This also gives it a little bit of an earthy finish. The beer is named "Long Leg" because of the old tradition of wearing stilts to harvest hops.
Cameron's Long Leg
163 new beers down and 202 to go. My buffer is down to 12 as today is the 151st day of the year, but I expected to slow down a bit around this time.
Tuesday, May 30, 2006
Memorial Day Mayhem
I know, the title sounds like a wrestling pay-per-view show.
But it was Memorial Day weekend and mayhem ensued!
You may have already read about Saturday's trip to the north fork of Long Island, but if not, scroll down a bit and be sure to read that. Today I'm here to talk about Sunday's BBQ festivities.
Picked up Chris and Max in my neighborhood, then headed out east again (only into Nassau County), to Jeff's house for a BBQ. Traffic was heavy but manageable. We made a pit stop at the Beverage Barn to pick up 2 12 packs. Tina was working and unfortunately couldn't join us.
I brought along a new beer! So here it is:
162) Tuckerman Headwall Alt - This is a German style brown ale, or altbier, but from a microbrewery in New Hampshire. This was the first time I had tried an altbier, so I have no real frame of reference. I enjoyed the balance of maltiness and hops. The pour, as you can see below, is a rusty copper. This was sent via the Beer of the Month Club, so I have 2 more opportunities to try this and better familiarize myself with the style.
Tuckerman Headwall Alt
After the new beer was out of the way, I proceeded to help Kaval "kill the keg" that he brought over for the BBQ.
It looks huuuuuggeee, I know...
The photo is deceptive and makes the keg look bigger than it is, but it was a 5L, and that's a lot of beer for 2 people to finish off.
So after drinking a lot, and eating lots of hot dogs and hamburgers, what better to do than play a DRINKING GAME?!
The game we played was Drug Dealer, and as you probably all know, you usually designate an Ace card as the cop, while another suit card (we used a Jack) is the drug dealer. Every other card is a number card.
You deal 1 card to each player around the table, and once all the cards are dealt, it is the job of the drug dealer to "make a deal" with another player, by winking discreetly at them.
The person who receives the deal then has to say "the deal has been made." What makes it fun is if the person receiving the deal waits a little bit before announcing this, just to build the tension.
The next step is for the cop to reveal himself and then attempt to point out the drug dealer. If he chooses wrong, the player he chose shows their card and the cop has to take that many drinks. You keep going until the drug dealer is found.
Now, if the drug dealer makes a deal with the cop, he is "busted" and has to chug the remainder of his beer.
We also have some additional rules we play with.
- We took out a number card and replaced it with a King. If the cop chooses the King (who rules over all) the King can raise his finger and hold it there while the cop is forced to drink. You have to show some mercy though, because if the other person gets you in another round, they will make you pay.
- If there is a definite "loser" in the round, such as when the cop goes around the whole table without finding the drug dealer, or if the drug dealer makes a deal with the cop, you have to put on the special crown and sit in a designated spot by yourself for the next round while everyone mocks you and perhaps throws shit at you.
I was the first "loser" because I winked at the cop and was given my proper "coronation". See below:
Joy...
As you can see the crown is actually a modified 12 pack case. Just cut off one of the smaller sides, and make it look like a knight's helmet and you've got it.
So... that's 162 beers down, which I noted is the number of games in a baseball season.
"Only" 203 to go...
But it was Memorial Day weekend and mayhem ensued!
You may have already read about Saturday's trip to the north fork of Long Island, but if not, scroll down a bit and be sure to read that. Today I'm here to talk about Sunday's BBQ festivities.
Picked up Chris and Max in my neighborhood, then headed out east again (only into Nassau County), to Jeff's house for a BBQ. Traffic was heavy but manageable. We made a pit stop at the Beverage Barn to pick up 2 12 packs. Tina was working and unfortunately couldn't join us.
I brought along a new beer! So here it is:
162) Tuckerman Headwall Alt - This is a German style brown ale, or altbier, but from a microbrewery in New Hampshire. This was the first time I had tried an altbier, so I have no real frame of reference. I enjoyed the balance of maltiness and hops. The pour, as you can see below, is a rusty copper. This was sent via the Beer of the Month Club, so I have 2 more opportunities to try this and better familiarize myself with the style.
Tuckerman Headwall Alt
After the new beer was out of the way, I proceeded to help Kaval "kill the keg" that he brought over for the BBQ.
It looks huuuuuggeee, I know...
The photo is deceptive and makes the keg look bigger than it is, but it was a 5L, and that's a lot of beer for 2 people to finish off.
So after drinking a lot, and eating lots of hot dogs and hamburgers, what better to do than play a DRINKING GAME?!
The game we played was Drug Dealer, and as you probably all know, you usually designate an Ace card as the cop, while another suit card (we used a Jack) is the drug dealer. Every other card is a number card.
You deal 1 card to each player around the table, and once all the cards are dealt, it is the job of the drug dealer to "make a deal" with another player, by winking discreetly at them.
The person who receives the deal then has to say "the deal has been made." What makes it fun is if the person receiving the deal waits a little bit before announcing this, just to build the tension.
The next step is for the cop to reveal himself and then attempt to point out the drug dealer. If he chooses wrong, the player he chose shows their card and the cop has to take that many drinks. You keep going until the drug dealer is found.
Now, if the drug dealer makes a deal with the cop, he is "busted" and has to chug the remainder of his beer.
We also have some additional rules we play with.
- We took out a number card and replaced it with a King. If the cop chooses the King (who rules over all) the King can raise his finger and hold it there while the cop is forced to drink. You have to show some mercy though, because if the other person gets you in another round, they will make you pay.
- If there is a definite "loser" in the round, such as when the cop goes around the whole table without finding the drug dealer, or if the drug dealer makes a deal with the cop, you have to put on the special crown and sit in a designated spot by yourself for the next round while everyone mocks you and perhaps throws shit at you.
I was the first "loser" because I winked at the cop and was given my proper "coronation". See below:
Joy...
As you can see the crown is actually a modified 12 pack case. Just cut off one of the smaller sides, and make it look like a knight's helmet and you've got it.
So... that's 162 beers down, which I noted is the number of games in a baseball season.
"Only" 203 to go...
Sunday, May 28, 2006
A Trip to the East End
Saturday I took a drive out east to visit Jeff and Melanie at their place on Long Island, then from there we took the short drive to the North Fork of Long Island for an afternoon of wine tasting and whatever else catches our attention. As you will see, the stuff that caught our attention quickly became the highlight of the trip.
I was supposed to drive someone else from the city out east but as predicted, Lazy Chris was a last minute dropout.
So I packed up a bottle of awesome wine for dinner, the digital camera, and jumped in my car, blasting the new Mute Math record all the way.
Traffic wasn't too bad and the weather held out the whole day, not a drop of rain fell as the forecast had stated. Heading out east on the LIE, we discussed the agenda for today's trip, deciding to give priority to the wineries we haven't been to before.
There are 2 main roads on the North Fork, route 48 and route 25. We went to 48 first, then decided to circle back down 25 on the way home.
The first stop on our list was Roanoke Vineyards.
Roanoke Vineyards is a relatively new winery and I believe they are owned by the same people who own Wolffer Estate on the South Fork. The tasting room is a decent size and it wasn't too crowded.
Tasting here is $5 for either the reds or whites. We all went with the whites because last time we were here we tried the reds. I did like the 2004 Wolffer Late Harvest Chardonnay but didn't get a bottle. The best thing about tasting here is the free cheese & bread they give you.
Free cheese!!!
The next stop was Lieb Cellars, where we were hoping to actually buy some cheese. However, due to a new law that says the wineries can only sell products made within the state, they no longer sell the cheese they used to.
But they were giving away free ice cream! Jeff and Mel each got the $3 flight of whites, while I decided to go with the $3 red flight. I didn't like any of the wines. There were no discernable fruit flavors to be found. Most of them had a strange bell pepper taste to them and the aromas were all oak. Sometimes the finish was rather coarse.
They said they also put some of the wine in the ice cream and I don't know if it ruined it or not but the chocolate raspberry ice cream we tried had a strange aftertaste to it as well.
Since the cheese is no longer being sold here there is really no reason for us to visit Lieb again, since none of us were crazy about their wines.
Shinn Estate is another new winery out east. The owners are Barbara Shinn and David Page, who own Home Restaurant in the city. They have plans to open a bed & breakfast next year on the property. The tasting room was cozy and cool, offering a relaxing place to sit down and try some wine.
Shinn Estate
Tasting here was $8.50 for 5 wines but David let us have all 6 that were available. The highlight was the first one we tried, the 2005 Home Chardonnay. 80% of it was fermented in stainless steel while 20% was fermented in oak. The wine was very balanced all the way through. The notes usually added to these wines by oak were very subtle. At $15 I thought it was a good value and decided to buy a bottle.
Heading further down Rt. 48, we found the new location of Catapano Dairy Farm. It is a small, family owned goat dairy and the main attraction here are their homemade cheeses.
Cheese! That-a-way!
Just follow the sign in the lot to the small shack where all the cheese goodies are located. If goat cheese is not your thing, then perhaps you might be interested in the various goat milk beauty products they have available.
Jeff and Mel picked up some cheese as they usually do here and I decided to get a block of goat milk fudge. I haven't tried it yet but I will be sure to write about it once I do.
Our next intended stop was the Tasting Room on Peconic Lane, but as we drove up we saw the sign out front saying they were closed. Wha?!
We almost pulled the car away but something there across the train tracks caught my attention.
THE PECONIC BAKING COMPANY! YES!
I love their slogan: "Fueled by Frosting"
This is the point in the trip where it became less about wine and more about food! Indeed we were unprepared for the various sweet delights that awaited us inside.
Go ahead... take a gander:
Cake city!!!
There are many more photos available on my new Flickr page. Be sure to check that out and leave me your comments.
Ooh, but you're all probably wondering about the Peconic Baking Company. Okay, so the place definitely has a friendly atmosphere and everything looks delicious. It's in the middle of nowhere and if you are looking to get that nice homemade type of baked goods then this is the place to go.
Everything looked so good so I took a while deciding what I wanted. In the meantime I took photos and tried a bunch of free samples. They had a big plate with 5 or 6 various selections you could try and I went with a raspberry lemon square which was very tasty. They also had cookies, cupcakes, and regular cakes, and everything else you could possibly imagine.
All in all, this will definitely be a place I will go on every future visit to the north fork.
Down the block from the bakery we found the 4th and final winery we would visit on the day, Ackerly Pond Vineyards.
Ackerly Pond is previously known for just producing grapes, but now they produce their own wines as well. The tasting room is really tiny. Two women worked the counter and there appeared to just be enough space for the 3 of us. Conveniently we were the only ones there at the time. Tasting here was $3 to try all the wines they have available.
Their rose was probably the best we had tried that day and their reds were definitely better than the ones we had at Lieb. It's been a while since I've had a red from Long Island that I've enjoyed. In 2000 they had a decent vintage (as did the rest of the world) and I had some reds from Paumanok, Raphael, and Macari that I enjoyed. However, since then nothing has struck me as even being drinkable. Looks like at the moment, white varietals seem to show better fruit characteristics than the reds.
The wine tasting portion of this trip is now over so it was time to get pie!!! Everyone loves pie, don't you?!
So many pies, so little stomach...
Briermere Farms makes the best friggin' pies in the world. People have supposedly travelled thousands of miles just for one of their pies and after tasting one you will understand the obsession. Just look!
Pies!!!
I took forever to decide (and take photos) but I went with the raspberry cream. It's about halfway done by now. SO GOOD!!!!
It's like crack in pie form!
The raspberries are layered generously on top of the absolutely sinful and to-die-for cream. The crust is just perfect. Really if you visit only one place out east, make it Briermere farms. And the Peconic Baking Company. Go there too.
If you are into organic foods there are farmstands everywhere that grow their stuff locally. Other places we passed by but didn't go to are this cute tea cottage just east of Briermere and a place that makes award winning cheesecakes which is also in the same area. We'll save those for the next trip.
You know what?
IT DOESN'T END THERE!!! Bring on more homemade sweets!
On the way back we drove through Riverhead and on Rt. 25 just before the LIE, you can visit Snowflake Ice Cream Shoppe, which has been serving up the good stuff since 1953. Some of you may have recognized them from an episode of Best Of: Ice Cream on the Food Network. The owners, Stuart and Carolyn Feldschuh, have been known to create over 100 new flavors every year!
Jealous? Ye should be...
I was overwhelmed by the sheer amount of choices available at this place. All of it homemade, right in this little shop. Eventually I went with the Peanut Butter Cup, which I woofed down in record time. The cone even had a little amaretto taste to it I believe. It was the perfect way to end the day.
Oh man... so that was our Saturday. I'm going to have to do this trip again, and REAL SOON! I think next time it will be something along the lines of bakery, goat cheese place, maybe a winery, tea place, cheesecake place, pie place, ice cream place, belly explosion. Joy.
I was supposed to drive someone else from the city out east but as predicted, Lazy Chris was a last minute dropout.
So I packed up a bottle of awesome wine for dinner, the digital camera, and jumped in my car, blasting the new Mute Math record all the way.
Traffic wasn't too bad and the weather held out the whole day, not a drop of rain fell as the forecast had stated. Heading out east on the LIE, we discussed the agenda for today's trip, deciding to give priority to the wineries we haven't been to before.
There are 2 main roads on the North Fork, route 48 and route 25. We went to 48 first, then decided to circle back down 25 on the way home.
The first stop on our list was Roanoke Vineyards.
Roanoke Vineyards is a relatively new winery and I believe they are owned by the same people who own Wolffer Estate on the South Fork. The tasting room is a decent size and it wasn't too crowded.
Tasting here is $5 for either the reds or whites. We all went with the whites because last time we were here we tried the reds. I did like the 2004 Wolffer Late Harvest Chardonnay but didn't get a bottle. The best thing about tasting here is the free cheese & bread they give you.
Free cheese!!!
The next stop was Lieb Cellars, where we were hoping to actually buy some cheese. However, due to a new law that says the wineries can only sell products made within the state, they no longer sell the cheese they used to.
But they were giving away free ice cream! Jeff and Mel each got the $3 flight of whites, while I decided to go with the $3 red flight. I didn't like any of the wines. There were no discernable fruit flavors to be found. Most of them had a strange bell pepper taste to them and the aromas were all oak. Sometimes the finish was rather coarse.
They said they also put some of the wine in the ice cream and I don't know if it ruined it or not but the chocolate raspberry ice cream we tried had a strange aftertaste to it as well.
Since the cheese is no longer being sold here there is really no reason for us to visit Lieb again, since none of us were crazy about their wines.
Shinn Estate is another new winery out east. The owners are Barbara Shinn and David Page, who own Home Restaurant in the city. They have plans to open a bed & breakfast next year on the property. The tasting room was cozy and cool, offering a relaxing place to sit down and try some wine.
Shinn Estate
Tasting here was $8.50 for 5 wines but David let us have all 6 that were available. The highlight was the first one we tried, the 2005 Home Chardonnay. 80% of it was fermented in stainless steel while 20% was fermented in oak. The wine was very balanced all the way through. The notes usually added to these wines by oak were very subtle. At $15 I thought it was a good value and decided to buy a bottle.
Heading further down Rt. 48, we found the new location of Catapano Dairy Farm. It is a small, family owned goat dairy and the main attraction here are their homemade cheeses.
Cheese! That-a-way!
Just follow the sign in the lot to the small shack where all the cheese goodies are located. If goat cheese is not your thing, then perhaps you might be interested in the various goat milk beauty products they have available.
Jeff and Mel picked up some cheese as they usually do here and I decided to get a block of goat milk fudge. I haven't tried it yet but I will be sure to write about it once I do.
Our next intended stop was the Tasting Room on Peconic Lane, but as we drove up we saw the sign out front saying they were closed. Wha?!
We almost pulled the car away but something there across the train tracks caught my attention.
THE PECONIC BAKING COMPANY! YES!
I love their slogan: "Fueled by Frosting"
This is the point in the trip where it became less about wine and more about food! Indeed we were unprepared for the various sweet delights that awaited us inside.
Go ahead... take a gander:
Cake city!!!
There are many more photos available on my new Flickr page. Be sure to check that out and leave me your comments.
Ooh, but you're all probably wondering about the Peconic Baking Company. Okay, so the place definitely has a friendly atmosphere and everything looks delicious. It's in the middle of nowhere and if you are looking to get that nice homemade type of baked goods then this is the place to go.
Everything looked so good so I took a while deciding what I wanted. In the meantime I took photos and tried a bunch of free samples. They had a big plate with 5 or 6 various selections you could try and I went with a raspberry lemon square which was very tasty. They also had cookies, cupcakes, and regular cakes, and everything else you could possibly imagine.
All in all, this will definitely be a place I will go on every future visit to the north fork.
Down the block from the bakery we found the 4th and final winery we would visit on the day, Ackerly Pond Vineyards.
Ackerly Pond is previously known for just producing grapes, but now they produce their own wines as well. The tasting room is really tiny. Two women worked the counter and there appeared to just be enough space for the 3 of us. Conveniently we were the only ones there at the time. Tasting here was $3 to try all the wines they have available.
Their rose was probably the best we had tried that day and their reds were definitely better than the ones we had at Lieb. It's been a while since I've had a red from Long Island that I've enjoyed. In 2000 they had a decent vintage (as did the rest of the world) and I had some reds from Paumanok, Raphael, and Macari that I enjoyed. However, since then nothing has struck me as even being drinkable. Looks like at the moment, white varietals seem to show better fruit characteristics than the reds.
The wine tasting portion of this trip is now over so it was time to get pie!!! Everyone loves pie, don't you?!
So many pies, so little stomach...
Briermere Farms makes the best friggin' pies in the world. People have supposedly travelled thousands of miles just for one of their pies and after tasting one you will understand the obsession. Just look!
Pies!!!
I took forever to decide (and take photos) but I went with the raspberry cream. It's about halfway done by now. SO GOOD!!!!
It's like crack in pie form!
The raspberries are layered generously on top of the absolutely sinful and to-die-for cream. The crust is just perfect. Really if you visit only one place out east, make it Briermere farms. And the Peconic Baking Company. Go there too.
If you are into organic foods there are farmstands everywhere that grow their stuff locally. Other places we passed by but didn't go to are this cute tea cottage just east of Briermere and a place that makes award winning cheesecakes which is also in the same area. We'll save those for the next trip.
You know what?
IT DOESN'T END THERE!!! Bring on more homemade sweets!
On the way back we drove through Riverhead and on Rt. 25 just before the LIE, you can visit Snowflake Ice Cream Shoppe, which has been serving up the good stuff since 1953. Some of you may have recognized them from an episode of Best Of: Ice Cream on the Food Network. The owners, Stuart and Carolyn Feldschuh, have been known to create over 100 new flavors every year!
Jealous? Ye should be...
I was overwhelmed by the sheer amount of choices available at this place. All of it homemade, right in this little shop. Eventually I went with the Peanut Butter Cup, which I woofed down in record time. The cone even had a little amaretto taste to it I believe. It was the perfect way to end the day.
Oh man... so that was our Saturday. I'm going to have to do this trip again, and REAL SOON! I think next time it will be something along the lines of bakery, goat cheese place, maybe a winery, tea place, cheesecake place, pie place, ice cream place, belly explosion. Joy.
Thursday, May 25, 2006
BXL Cafe
Today during work I felt like I was definitely in the mood for a decent beer and some food to go with it.
Gave a call to Tina and also to Big Daddy Cal and we setup a little shindig at the BXL Cafe. BXL Cafe is a small Belgian bar and restaurant on 43rd St. near Times Square.
Welcome to BXL Cafe!
After work was done I took the 15 minute stroll uptown (with a stop at the ATM) and met up with Big Daddy Cal.
BXL Cafe is on the same block as the Heartland Brewery Chophouse and is between Spanky's BBQ and Town Hall. The place was crowded but people seemed to stroll in and out at a steady rate. The Belgian beer must take its toll on people.
Come back tomorrow.
The interior is small and cozy and the staff is friendly. Two towers with 5 beers each sit on the bar along with a separate tap for Lindeman's Framboise at the end of the bar. Past the bar is a small area with tables, where we would sit later for dinner but before Tina arrived, Big Daddy Cal and I stood at the bar to get the drinking started.
Classic Belgian beer paraphenalia
He had a Delirium Tremens while I started with a Leffe Blond. After Tina arrived, we sat down at one of the tables and ordered dinner.
Leffe Blond
I had an onion soup which was average, and then a hangar steak with frites on the side. Hangar steak is always a good choice to get if its on the menu. Because it is not the most popular cut, you can usually get a good quality piece of meat. This was no exception. It was cooked to a perfect medium rare and was very juicy. The frites were pretty decent as well.
Hangar Steak in sauce & shallots AVEC FRITES!!
Finally I had to have another beer so I went with one that many people I know seem to have had but for some reason I haven't gotten around to:
161) Delirium Tremens - 8.5% alc. Its not the best Belgian strong ale I've had, and its not the revelation that some people have told me it would be, but it is a pretty good beer. Perhaps when you take into consideration that its made in a commercial brewery, that makes it even better. Slightly bitter on the finish, but not at all biting. Very easy drinking with the citrusy hop flavors dominating. This was served, like the other beers we had here, in its proper drinking glass.
Double-fist the D.T.
With 161 in the books, that leaves me with 204 to go. This weekend's plans are still in the works but I expect to have another new beer or two, probably bottles.
Gave a call to Tina and also to Big Daddy Cal and we setup a little shindig at the BXL Cafe. BXL Cafe is a small Belgian bar and restaurant on 43rd St. near Times Square.
Welcome to BXL Cafe!
After work was done I took the 15 minute stroll uptown (with a stop at the ATM) and met up with Big Daddy Cal.
BXL Cafe is on the same block as the Heartland Brewery Chophouse and is between Spanky's BBQ and Town Hall. The place was crowded but people seemed to stroll in and out at a steady rate. The Belgian beer must take its toll on people.
Come back tomorrow.
The interior is small and cozy and the staff is friendly. Two towers with 5 beers each sit on the bar along with a separate tap for Lindeman's Framboise at the end of the bar. Past the bar is a small area with tables, where we would sit later for dinner but before Tina arrived, Big Daddy Cal and I stood at the bar to get the drinking started.
Classic Belgian beer paraphenalia
He had a Delirium Tremens while I started with a Leffe Blond. After Tina arrived, we sat down at one of the tables and ordered dinner.
Leffe Blond
I had an onion soup which was average, and then a hangar steak with frites on the side. Hangar steak is always a good choice to get if its on the menu. Because it is not the most popular cut, you can usually get a good quality piece of meat. This was no exception. It was cooked to a perfect medium rare and was very juicy. The frites were pretty decent as well.
Hangar Steak in sauce & shallots AVEC FRITES!!
Finally I had to have another beer so I went with one that many people I know seem to have had but for some reason I haven't gotten around to:
161) Delirium Tremens - 8.5% alc. Its not the best Belgian strong ale I've had, and its not the revelation that some people have told me it would be, but it is a pretty good beer. Perhaps when you take into consideration that its made in a commercial brewery, that makes it even better. Slightly bitter on the finish, but not at all biting. Very easy drinking with the citrusy hop flavors dominating. This was served, like the other beers we had here, in its proper drinking glass.
Double-fist the D.T.
With 161 in the books, that leaves me with 204 to go. This weekend's plans are still in the works but I expect to have another new beer or two, probably bottles.
Wednesday, May 24, 2006
Dogfish Head has the touch!
I need to get a new digital camera.
1) The one we have now is a bulky relic. Some people even think its a digital SLR. HA HA! It's just too heavy and inconvenient to carry around at all times.
2) The quality ain't up to par anymore.
I will correct this soon but in the meantime I have to live with it. I've missed many photo ops recently (Burgers & Cupcakes, Manganaro's, Lenny's just today).
Billy Wagner just closed out the Phillies in game 2 of this series, putting the Mets back up by 5 in the NL East. Alay Soler pitched pretty well after a shaky start. Good news overall. How clutch is David Wright?
Many of my fellow Met-fan friends have admitted to having a man-crush on him.
I came home tonight and felt like having a new beer!
So here goes...
160) Dogfish Head Midas Touch Golden Elixir - The team at Dogfish Head have done it again. It seems they can really do no wrong. Supposedly this recipe is inspired by the oldest known recipe for any fermented beverage. It contains barley, white muscat grapes, honey, and saffron. DH describes it as being "somewhere between a beer, wine and mead" and you can definitely get that sense right from the aroma. The grape notes dominate the nose while the main flavor you are getting from this is honey. Alc. is 9%. An excellent experience of a beer. Note: this beer is produced year round but in limited batches. If you see it at your local beer store, don't hesitate to pick up a four pack!
Dogfish Head Midas Touch - as sweet as honey...
So that makes it 160 beers for the year. 205 to go. Tomorrow is a possible bar night, but I'm not sure yet. If not there are 9 new bottles waiting for me in the fridge.
1) The one we have now is a bulky relic. Some people even think its a digital SLR. HA HA! It's just too heavy and inconvenient to carry around at all times.
2) The quality ain't up to par anymore.
I will correct this soon but in the meantime I have to live with it. I've missed many photo ops recently (Burgers & Cupcakes, Manganaro's, Lenny's just today).
Billy Wagner just closed out the Phillies in game 2 of this series, putting the Mets back up by 5 in the NL East. Alay Soler pitched pretty well after a shaky start. Good news overall. How clutch is David Wright?
Many of my fellow Met-fan friends have admitted to having a man-crush on him.
I came home tonight and felt like having a new beer!
So here goes...
160) Dogfish Head Midas Touch Golden Elixir - The team at Dogfish Head have done it again. It seems they can really do no wrong. Supposedly this recipe is inspired by the oldest known recipe for any fermented beverage. It contains barley, white muscat grapes, honey, and saffron. DH describes it as being "somewhere between a beer, wine and mead" and you can definitely get that sense right from the aroma. The grape notes dominate the nose while the main flavor you are getting from this is honey. Alc. is 9%. An excellent experience of a beer. Note: this beer is produced year round but in limited batches. If you see it at your local beer store, don't hesitate to pick up a four pack!
Dogfish Head Midas Touch - as sweet as honey...
So that makes it 160 beers for the year. 205 to go. Tomorrow is a possible bar night, but I'm not sure yet. If not there are 9 new bottles waiting for me in the fridge.
Monday, May 22, 2006
NY Culinary Festival
The weekend got off to a great start. I went to my friends apartment with two Stone bombers in hand (1 IPA and 1 Arrogant Bastard) to watch the Mets play the Yankees in the first of a three game series.
My team, the Mets, were victorious in the first game, thanks to David Wright's game winning hit. Jump on the bandwagon now, bandwagon-jumping fans!
Then Saturday it was the NY Culinary Festival at Pier 94 along the Hudson River. I first heard about it through the newspaper and thought it would be an interesting thing to check out so I bought tickets for myself, Big Daddy Cal, and Tina on Saturday morning.
I got there quite late in the afternoon and met up with Big Daddy Cal outside the venue. What was strange was the fact that I printed up "tickets" then had to exhange it for another "ticket" (one of those old fashioned "admit one" things). Then and only then did they let you in. I could have just brought my own admit one ticket from an old carnival roll and walk right in. Maybe next year I'll go early, figure out what color they're using, then run over to Staples.
The inside of Pier 94 is basically a big gloomy and gray warehouse. I don't care about that so much as long as everything is easy to find and things are organized. It was a bit weird though, and maybe even a little ghetto.
The information booth at the front didn't really have much information other than a schedule of events and live music. There was no map available either but I guess it wasn't necessary being that the place is just one big room.
Your $20 ticket gets you entry to the place, plus it covers the music and demos. If you wanted to eat any food you had to pay.
HOWEVER...
...in keeping with the "exchanging your ticket for another ticket" theme you had to purchase "scrips" which you could then give to the restaurant booth people in exchange for food.
I understand the need for the scrip system is basically so the restaurants don't have to waste time handling cash and making change but all night there were people pulling out cash at the tables and then being redirected to one of the scrip booths. It was not really clear to everyone how things worked.
The place was pretty big so the crowd had plenty of space to disperse and I never felt cramped or like I was in anyone's way. That was a plus.
I wish there had also been more restaurants on hand. Some that were advertised didn't show up.
And better sound at the demo areas. If you stood in the back you couldn't hear a thing. And other times there were audio difficulties which made some of the chefs sound fuzzy.
Finally, the fact that you have to pay for each dish is a bit annoying. The $20 admission should also have given each guest maybe 5 free scrips to use on food. I could really do without the music acts. And some restaurants should lower their prices and/or offer at least 1 thing for free. Are they there to make money or to promote their restaurants so that sometime in the future we festival-goers may one day want to dine at their establishments?
As an added bonus I found 3 unused scrips in my bag this morning. That's $3 in funny money that I cannot use for anything.
Other than that I had a great time, and ate a lot. For about 6 hours. Tina showed up later after getting out of work and by that time Big Daddy Cal and I were stuffed. Also I ran into Robyn, who has one of the best food blogs in the entire universe. Her pictures are also a lot better than mine. I will have to listen to her and get a separate food blog but I haven't come up with a catchy name yet.
For the beer readers, they had Bass Ale and Stella Artois. I had one of each but neither one counts toward the goal.
Check out some pics!
Cheeses from Artisanal
Crappy pic of a bison slider from Aspen
The bison slider from Aspen was one of the highlights. The meat was tender and juicy and all the toppings were in perfect balance.
Big plate of chocolate "salami"
I don't remember where the chocolate salami was from. Its basically pieces of bread with chocolate bread baked around it and it looks like salami, hence the name.
Chakra roll from Gobo
Sunday I went into Manhattan to do some shopping then I grabbed lunch at Wollensky's Grill since I was in the mood for a burger and they have a pretty good one.
Behold the monstrosity!
As I was leaving the restaurant, John Cleese (of Monty Python) was coming in to ask where the nearest bookshop was. He's a tall dude and even politely held the door open for me as I was leaving. Then I saw him politely blow off an autograph seeker on the street. Ehh... I don't care much about meeting celebrities unless they've really touched my life in some way, which is rare.
So tonight I'm going to a concert then tomorrow night I will go beering, I promise! Remember I'm ahead by 17 days!
My team, the Mets, were victorious in the first game, thanks to David Wright's game winning hit. Jump on the bandwagon now, bandwagon-jumping fans!
Then Saturday it was the NY Culinary Festival at Pier 94 along the Hudson River. I first heard about it through the newspaper and thought it would be an interesting thing to check out so I bought tickets for myself, Big Daddy Cal, and Tina on Saturday morning.
I got there quite late in the afternoon and met up with Big Daddy Cal outside the venue. What was strange was the fact that I printed up "tickets" then had to exhange it for another "ticket" (one of those old fashioned "admit one" things). Then and only then did they let you in. I could have just brought my own admit one ticket from an old carnival roll and walk right in. Maybe next year I'll go early, figure out what color they're using, then run over to Staples.
The inside of Pier 94 is basically a big gloomy and gray warehouse. I don't care about that so much as long as everything is easy to find and things are organized. It was a bit weird though, and maybe even a little ghetto.
The information booth at the front didn't really have much information other than a schedule of events and live music. There was no map available either but I guess it wasn't necessary being that the place is just one big room.
Your $20 ticket gets you entry to the place, plus it covers the music and demos. If you wanted to eat any food you had to pay.
HOWEVER...
...in keeping with the "exchanging your ticket for another ticket" theme you had to purchase "scrips" which you could then give to the restaurant booth people in exchange for food.
I understand the need for the scrip system is basically so the restaurants don't have to waste time handling cash and making change but all night there were people pulling out cash at the tables and then being redirected to one of the scrip booths. It was not really clear to everyone how things worked.
The place was pretty big so the crowd had plenty of space to disperse and I never felt cramped or like I was in anyone's way. That was a plus.
I wish there had also been more restaurants on hand. Some that were advertised didn't show up.
And better sound at the demo areas. If you stood in the back you couldn't hear a thing. And other times there were audio difficulties which made some of the chefs sound fuzzy.
Finally, the fact that you have to pay for each dish is a bit annoying. The $20 admission should also have given each guest maybe 5 free scrips to use on food. I could really do without the music acts. And some restaurants should lower their prices and/or offer at least 1 thing for free. Are they there to make money or to promote their restaurants so that sometime in the future we festival-goers may one day want to dine at their establishments?
As an added bonus I found 3 unused scrips in my bag this morning. That's $3 in funny money that I cannot use for anything.
Other than that I had a great time, and ate a lot. For about 6 hours. Tina showed up later after getting out of work and by that time Big Daddy Cal and I were stuffed. Also I ran into Robyn, who has one of the best food blogs in the entire universe. Her pictures are also a lot better than mine. I will have to listen to her and get a separate food blog but I haven't come up with a catchy name yet.
For the beer readers, they had Bass Ale and Stella Artois. I had one of each but neither one counts toward the goal.
Check out some pics!
Cheeses from Artisanal
Crappy pic of a bison slider from Aspen
The bison slider from Aspen was one of the highlights. The meat was tender and juicy and all the toppings were in perfect balance.
Big plate of chocolate "salami"
I don't remember where the chocolate salami was from. Its basically pieces of bread with chocolate bread baked around it and it looks like salami, hence the name.
Chakra roll from Gobo
Sunday I went into Manhattan to do some shopping then I grabbed lunch at Wollensky's Grill since I was in the mood for a burger and they have a pretty good one.
Behold the monstrosity!
As I was leaving the restaurant, John Cleese (of Monty Python) was coming in to ask where the nearest bookshop was. He's a tall dude and even politely held the door open for me as I was leaving. Then I saw him politely blow off an autograph seeker on the street. Ehh... I don't care much about meeting celebrities unless they've really touched my life in some way, which is rare.
So tonight I'm going to a concert then tomorrow night I will go beering, I promise! Remember I'm ahead by 17 days!
Thursday, May 18, 2006
We now return to our regularly scheduled...
...BEER!
Okay beer fans I am back with a new beer.
But first!
Here is a photo of beer #134, the Lev Lion Pale Double Bock.
Lev Lion Pale Double Bock
And now...
159) Hitachino Nest Weizen - Decent version of a German hef from Japan. A little sour to my taste, which kind of interfered with the banana flavors I was looking for.
From Japan!
159 down and 206 to go. I'll hopefully make some more progress this weekend. Check back again soon.
Okay beer fans I am back with a new beer.
But first!
Here is a photo of beer #134, the Lev Lion Pale Double Bock.
Lev Lion Pale Double Bock
And now...
159) Hitachino Nest Weizen - Decent version of a German hef from Japan. A little sour to my taste, which kind of interfered with the banana flavors I was looking for.
From Japan!
159 down and 206 to go. I'll hopefully make some more progress this weekend. Check back again soon.
Impromptu visit to Angelo & Maxie's
So last night I was supposed to go to the Collins Bar for the Dogfish Head randall event but due to a scheduling conflict I couldn't make it. Most of the beer events in the city seem to take place on Wednesday nights and that is now not always an option for me. I'll still go to certain events but it most likely means I will have to catch the aftermath of the events on the following day and just buy individual pints instead of whole flights.
Was out with Tina and I decided that I desired red meat.
Went to the nearest Duane Reade to check the Zagat guide and the nearest steakhouse was Angelo & Maxie's. Overall my impression is it was okay. The meat was good but not the best in the city. While wd-50 is a must-try place, Angelo & Maxie's is the type of place I would go when you just happen to be around.
Like last night.
We were seated promptly without any reservations. It was pretty crowded and it was a typical manly steakhouse though without the gruff service. We actually had a waitress and she was pretty nice and attentive.
Started out with the bread. I liked the bread basket they gave out and you didn't even need butter for any of these. Take a look:
Basket o' Bread
You have those cracker things with the seeds. Onion bread with more oniony goodness stuffed inside. And do you see that long dark piece of bread? Do ya? It's pretzel bread and it was pretzel good.
At any meal you have to drink. This is the only beer related item of this blog. Tina didn't want to get a whole bottle of wine so instead I got beer. Otherwise I was gonna Cab Sav it.
Drinkssss
I got a draft Brooklyn Lager. Other choices available were macros. Tina got an apple martini, which looked pretty good.
My eyes were definitely bigger than my stomach, so I ordered up a French Onion Soup as an appetizer.
Soupe a l'oignon au gratinee
It was a typical steakhouse onion soup. For some good ones in the city try it at La Bonne Soupe or Les Halles. For the best in the world, go to Paris to the Les Halles neighborhood and eat at Au Pied du Chocon which I believe is open 24/7 so you have no fucking excuse not to go.
BRING ON THE MEAT!
Grilled Double Cut Rack of Lamb with Mint Jelly
Tina got the lamb as she often does. I didn't try it but she said it was okay, good quality meat, but a boring version.
Slab of meat
I got the 26 oz. ribeye, ordered medium rare as I always do. The meat was good quality and cooked to order but they should have seasoned it. I maintain that the best ribeye and the best steak period that I have had is at Strip House. They do an expert job with accentuating the natural flavor of the meat. The menu says this is available blackened which maybe I should have done. I do not like combining ribeyes with sauces. This cut is so well marbled the meat doesn't need any help. I would only trust Dylan Prime with putting toppings and sauces on my ribeye.
So, the question on everyone's mind is... did ya finish it?
No.
The aftermath.
I couldn't do it. Maybe it was because I had the soup but I cannot eat as much as I used to. Took the leftovers home in this cheesy looking doggy bag.
Cows.
Tina wanted dessert despite the fact that there are still cupcakes in the fridge. So I said fine. We split the warm chocolate souffle.
Chocolately richness
It wasn't like a real souffle, it was more like a warm brownie smothered in rich fudge. But steakhouses have never really been about the desserts.
Now I know I have let all the beer fans down over the past few days with these foodie posts but tonight I promise I WILL have a new beer. I have plenty of bottles to choose from but as always it will be a "game-time decision."
Check back tomorrow for a beer post, I promise!
Was out with Tina and I decided that I desired red meat.
Went to the nearest Duane Reade to check the Zagat guide and the nearest steakhouse was Angelo & Maxie's. Overall my impression is it was okay. The meat was good but not the best in the city. While wd-50 is a must-try place, Angelo & Maxie's is the type of place I would go when you just happen to be around.
Like last night.
We were seated promptly without any reservations. It was pretty crowded and it was a typical manly steakhouse though without the gruff service. We actually had a waitress and she was pretty nice and attentive.
Started out with the bread. I liked the bread basket they gave out and you didn't even need butter for any of these. Take a look:
Basket o' Bread
You have those cracker things with the seeds. Onion bread with more oniony goodness stuffed inside. And do you see that long dark piece of bread? Do ya? It's pretzel bread and it was pretzel good.
At any meal you have to drink. This is the only beer related item of this blog. Tina didn't want to get a whole bottle of wine so instead I got beer. Otherwise I was gonna Cab Sav it.
Drinkssss
I got a draft Brooklyn Lager. Other choices available were macros. Tina got an apple martini, which looked pretty good.
My eyes were definitely bigger than my stomach, so I ordered up a French Onion Soup as an appetizer.
Soupe a l'oignon au gratinee
It was a typical steakhouse onion soup. For some good ones in the city try it at La Bonne Soupe or Les Halles. For the best in the world, go to Paris to the Les Halles neighborhood and eat at Au Pied du Chocon which I believe is open 24/7 so you have no fucking excuse not to go.
BRING ON THE MEAT!
Grilled Double Cut Rack of Lamb with Mint Jelly
Tina got the lamb as she often does. I didn't try it but she said it was okay, good quality meat, but a boring version.
Slab of meat
I got the 26 oz. ribeye, ordered medium rare as I always do. The meat was good quality and cooked to order but they should have seasoned it. I maintain that the best ribeye and the best steak period that I have had is at Strip House. They do an expert job with accentuating the natural flavor of the meat. The menu says this is available blackened which maybe I should have done. I do not like combining ribeyes with sauces. This cut is so well marbled the meat doesn't need any help. I would only trust Dylan Prime with putting toppings and sauces on my ribeye.
So, the question on everyone's mind is... did ya finish it?
No.
The aftermath.
I couldn't do it. Maybe it was because I had the soup but I cannot eat as much as I used to. Took the leftovers home in this cheesy looking doggy bag.
Cows.
Tina wanted dessert despite the fact that there are still cupcakes in the fridge. So I said fine. We split the warm chocolate souffle.
Chocolately richness
It wasn't like a real souffle, it was more like a warm brownie smothered in rich fudge. But steakhouses have never really been about the desserts.
Now I know I have let all the beer fans down over the past few days with these foodie posts but tonight I promise I WILL have a new beer. I have plenty of bottles to choose from but as always it will be a "game-time decision."
Check back tomorrow for a beer post, I promise!
Wednesday, May 17, 2006
wd-50 & Sugar Sweet Sunshine
Today's post is a beerless post. I know this is primarily a beer blog but this just has to be posted.
Last night went to wd-50 on the Lower East Side and did the 5-course dessert tasting.
OH MY GOD!
It was one of the best things ever. To go with the tasting, we got a bottle of JJ Prum reisling which went excellent with every plate.
Check out the pics!
Forgive me if the names of the dishes aren't accurate. I didn't take a copy of the menu and it was the first day they are running the summer menu, I believe, so the website isn't updated. Most of this is from memory so I might be wrong or forget ingredients.
You actually get 6 courses with the tasting, because this first one is a freebie:
Frozen tangerine with olive oil and basil
This went awesome with the wine. The olive oil added an interesting texture to the icy tangerine bits and the basil was awesome. The pairing of flavors that this restaurant comes up with are amazing.
Okay, 2nd course, first official course of the tasting!
Cornbread ice cream with corn dust and red onion
WOW! Holy shit this was so good. Never would I have imagined this combination would work. But the nuttiness of the corn was perfect with the savory red onion. I really contemplated ordering another one of these.
Onto course #3 (aka 2)...
Tonka bean creme brulee with cherry stuff
This is a new addition to the menu. I love creme brulee and this was awesome. The cherry dust on top was pretty tasty.
Moving right along...
Pumpkin cake with pumpkin & cream cheese sorbet
I think thats what he said it was. At this point I was blacking out and all that was running through my head was "yummmmmmmmm...."
In fact I forgot to take a photo of the next dish, which was manchego cheesecake with foamed pineapple and thyme sauce. I just ate it, then looked at the camera. Oops.
The final "official" course...
Carmelized banana with chocolate ice cream
Yes I know the photo sucks. The dessert, however, was amazing. I love chocolate & banana and anyone who doesn't like this combo I feel sad for.
Finally... since we were there for a birthday, and I had told them of this when I made the reservation, we got this little surprise...
IN YOUR FACE!!!!
This is chocolate cake with a candle on top, inside a carmelized sugar tube. FREAKIN' AWESOME! And the cake was perfect, not too rich or sweet. Just the perfect end to the meal...or in our case "extended dessert. "
AND YES IT DOESN'T END THERE!
On the way home I stopped into Sugar Sweet Sunshine and took home a six-pack of cupcakes, a piece of NY cheesecake, and a slice of the peanut butter icebox pie.
Behold!
Can't wait to see how long those last. As for the uber-delicious peanut butter ice box pie?
I started eating it on the subway. It was very tasty.
It didn't make it to West 4th St.
I have a picture of the aftermath but for some reason this stupid Blogger photo adding thing isn't working right and its not adding my photo. Jackasses. It's just a photo of the empty cup, and its not all that exciting really.
Anyways, in beer news, there is a great event tonight at Collins Bar. Read one of my old entries for information about that. I have to go somewhere tonight but I will try to stop in for a quick one. Hopefully I will get a picture or two out of it as well.
Last night went to wd-50 on the Lower East Side and did the 5-course dessert tasting.
OH MY GOD!
It was one of the best things ever. To go with the tasting, we got a bottle of JJ Prum reisling which went excellent with every plate.
Check out the pics!
Forgive me if the names of the dishes aren't accurate. I didn't take a copy of the menu and it was the first day they are running the summer menu, I believe, so the website isn't updated. Most of this is from memory so I might be wrong or forget ingredients.
You actually get 6 courses with the tasting, because this first one is a freebie:
Frozen tangerine with olive oil and basil
This went awesome with the wine. The olive oil added an interesting texture to the icy tangerine bits and the basil was awesome. The pairing of flavors that this restaurant comes up with are amazing.
Okay, 2nd course, first official course of the tasting!
Cornbread ice cream with corn dust and red onion
WOW! Holy shit this was so good. Never would I have imagined this combination would work. But the nuttiness of the corn was perfect with the savory red onion. I really contemplated ordering another one of these.
Onto course #3 (aka 2)...
Tonka bean creme brulee with cherry stuff
This is a new addition to the menu. I love creme brulee and this was awesome. The cherry dust on top was pretty tasty.
Moving right along...
Pumpkin cake with pumpkin & cream cheese sorbet
I think thats what he said it was. At this point I was blacking out and all that was running through my head was "yummmmmmmmm...."
In fact I forgot to take a photo of the next dish, which was manchego cheesecake with foamed pineapple and thyme sauce. I just ate it, then looked at the camera. Oops.
The final "official" course...
Carmelized banana with chocolate ice cream
Yes I know the photo sucks. The dessert, however, was amazing. I love chocolate & banana and anyone who doesn't like this combo I feel sad for.
Finally... since we were there for a birthday, and I had told them of this when I made the reservation, we got this little surprise...
IN YOUR FACE!!!!
This is chocolate cake with a candle on top, inside a carmelized sugar tube. FREAKIN' AWESOME! And the cake was perfect, not too rich or sweet. Just the perfect end to the meal...or in our case "extended dessert. "
AND YES IT DOESN'T END THERE!
On the way home I stopped into Sugar Sweet Sunshine and took home a six-pack of cupcakes, a piece of NY cheesecake, and a slice of the peanut butter icebox pie.
Behold!
Can't wait to see how long those last. As for the uber-delicious peanut butter ice box pie?
I started eating it on the subway. It was very tasty.
It didn't make it to West 4th St.
I have a picture of the aftermath but for some reason this stupid Blogger photo adding thing isn't working right and its not adding my photo. Jackasses. It's just a photo of the empty cup, and its not all that exciting really.
Anyways, in beer news, there is a great event tonight at Collins Bar. Read one of my old entries for information about that. I have to go somewhere tonight but I will try to stop in for a quick one. Hopefully I will get a picture or two out of it as well.
Monday, May 15, 2006
Kickin' it Asahi style
Got a haircut today after work. I love the fresh cut feeling but I hate when the little hairs are digging into your neck and getting into your shirt. Awful.
Anyways, back to the task at hand which is to try 365 different beers that I have not had before.
Tonight I had noodles for dinner. Look at the pic. I think this contained at least 130% of my recommended daily allowance for sodium.
Noodz!
And... what would dinner be without...
BEER!
158) Asahi Brewmasters Select - Instead of my usual prose style reviews, this time I will kick it haiku style.
nice amber color
hard to find beer from Japan
it tastes like soy sauce
Okay so it doesn't taste like that, but it is nice and malty for a lager. I wish this were more widely available.
Issho ni nomanai?
158 beers in the books and 207 to go. Perhaps soon I will post a list, both those I have had this year plus my all-time list.
Tomorrow I will be dining at wd-50 and I am looking forward to trying their dessert tasting menu.
Yes, that will be my dinner. Screw my health.
Anyways, back to the task at hand which is to try 365 different beers that I have not had before.
Tonight I had noodles for dinner. Look at the pic. I think this contained at least 130% of my recommended daily allowance for sodium.
Noodz!
And... what would dinner be without...
BEER!
158) Asahi Brewmasters Select - Instead of my usual prose style reviews, this time I will kick it haiku style.
nice amber color
hard to find beer from Japan
it tastes like soy sauce
Okay so it doesn't taste like that, but it is nice and malty for a lager. I wish this were more widely available.
Issho ni nomanai?
158 beers in the books and 207 to go. Perhaps soon I will post a list, both those I have had this year plus my all-time list.
Tomorrow I will be dining at wd-50 and I am looking forward to trying their dessert tasting menu.
Yes, that will be my dinner. Screw my health.
Sunday, May 14, 2006
Is this how the Germans do it?
The Mets are killing me lately. Another bad loss and they have the off-day to think about it going into the series against Albert Pujols and the Cards, then back to NY for the subway series against the Yankees. Their lead in the NL East is down to just 1 game and I am really concerned about the team. They seem to have lost that swagger that they had earlier in the season.
Tonight for dinner I am again having sausages (this time with mushrooms) and pairing that with a new beer while watching the close of the Nets/Heat game.
Beer w/ Dinner (Sausages with sauteed mushrooms)
157) Erdinger Weissbier (Hefe-Weizen) - I also bought this bottle from Beer Garden here in Queens. An excellent German Hef. with the requisite refreshing fruity citrusy qualities I've come to expect from the Germans. Pours with a huge foamy head. The finish leans towards the sweet side. It's on some bottle lists around the city I believe so I will have to recommend this to Big Daddy Cal, as this is his favorite style.
Mmm... foamy!
So that's now 157 beers down and 208 to go. I am way too addicted to this photo thing now. It makes my blog look a lot better doesn't it? I may have another new one tonight but check back tomorrow for any new updates.
I feel like going for some gelato tonight for some reason.
Tonight for dinner I am again having sausages (this time with mushrooms) and pairing that with a new beer while watching the close of the Nets/Heat game.
Beer w/ Dinner (Sausages with sauteed mushrooms)
157) Erdinger Weissbier (Hefe-Weizen) - I also bought this bottle from Beer Garden here in Queens. An excellent German Hef. with the requisite refreshing fruity citrusy qualities I've come to expect from the Germans. Pours with a huge foamy head. The finish leans towards the sweet side. It's on some bottle lists around the city I believe so I will have to recommend this to Big Daddy Cal, as this is his favorite style.
Mmm... foamy!
So that's now 157 beers down and 208 to go. I am way too addicted to this photo thing now. It makes my blog look a lot better doesn't it? I may have another new one tonight but check back tomorrow for any new updates.
I feel like going for some gelato tonight for some reason.
Another Photo!
This photo thing is almost as addicting as the beer.
This is the Ridgeway Bitter which was beer #135. I had 1 more bottle left and so I figured, why not take a photo.
Enjoying this now with a couple of portobello mushroom sausages. Excellent!
This is the Ridgeway Bitter which was beer #135. I had 1 more bottle left and so I figured, why not take a photo.
Enjoying this now with a couple of portobello mushroom sausages. Excellent!
Labas!
Okay, so going forward I am going to try to put a photo of each beer that I drink. I'm about 40% done with the overall goal so if I start now and I can at least say I posted a majority of my beers with photos.
I started drinking this one already when it occured to me I should take the photo. I still need a better digital camera and a newer, smaller one that I can carry around with me.
Right now Police Academy is on Comedy Central. What a classic 80s comedy. The scene of Commandant Lassard getting a BJ from the hooker during his slideshow then seeing Mahoney come out from under the podium is priceless.
156) Utenos - Labas! Labas = hello in Lithuanian. That is one of 2 words that I know but when I used to attend Lithuanian summer camp I was able to sing the national anthem, which I have since forgotten. This beer is from Lithuania and I picked it up yesterday at Beer Garden on Hillside Ave. Being half-Lithuanian I picked up a bottle of this for my mother as well as a Mother's Day present. This is also the free glass I got. It has a Michelob Ultra logo on it but big deal, it was free. This is your run of the mill lager style beer but as you can see the pour is quite hazy and it is not overly carbonated. Its nice to have a lager of some depth for a change. Yeasty aromas dominate... nice change over the standard corn smell of most macro lagers. The taste is almost like a hefeweizen.
Utenos - from Lithuania
156 down and 209 to go! There will be more drinking today as I watch the Mets game but I don't know if I'll post right away or not.
I started drinking this one already when it occured to me I should take the photo. I still need a better digital camera and a newer, smaller one that I can carry around with me.
Right now Police Academy is on Comedy Central. What a classic 80s comedy. The scene of Commandant Lassard getting a BJ from the hooker during his slideshow then seeing Mahoney come out from under the podium is priceless.
156) Utenos - Labas! Labas = hello in Lithuanian. That is one of 2 words that I know but when I used to attend Lithuanian summer camp I was able to sing the national anthem, which I have since forgotten. This beer is from Lithuania and I picked it up yesterday at Beer Garden on Hillside Ave. Being half-Lithuanian I picked up a bottle of this for my mother as well as a Mother's Day present. This is also the free glass I got. It has a Michelob Ultra logo on it but big deal, it was free. This is your run of the mill lager style beer but as you can see the pour is quite hazy and it is not overly carbonated. Its nice to have a lager of some depth for a change. Yeasty aromas dominate... nice change over the standard corn smell of most macro lagers. The taste is almost like a hefeweizen.
Utenos - from Lithuania
156 down and 209 to go! There will be more drinking today as I watch the Mets game but I don't know if I'll post right away or not.
Testing photos
So I'm experimenting with this automatic photo upload thing but its a bit of a pain as I can't figure out how to get all the photos into one entry.
Below is a picture of a Mickey Mouse shaped pancake I made for breakfast this morning. Tasty!
M-I-C-K-E-Y-M-O-U-S-E
Below is a picture of a Mickey Mouse shaped pancake I made for breakfast this morning. Tasty!
M-I-C-K-E-Y-M-O-U-S-E
Saturday, May 13, 2006
I was happy in the haze of a drunken hour...
I AM IN NO WAY MISERABLE AT THE MOMENT!
So on Thursday, I went uptown and was roaming the streets. Bought a whole bunch of truffles at Myzel's Chocolates on 55th, then as I was heading down 5th Ave, I popped into the Trump Tower.
Thank God for public spaces.
As I was strolling through I stumbled upon none other than Trump Bar, as recently promoted on the Apprentice.
Mr. Trump only has 3 taps available, Guinness, Stella, and a Sam Adams seasonal. Figures as he is only interested in big business and in his world big business = quality. .
How long before we have a Trump brand beer?
Let it be said that if that should happen I want money for the idea as I've written about it here as of 5/13/06.
I ordered a Guinness, served in a friggin' pilsener glass. 8 bucks. Yeah.
After that had a Brooklyn Pilsener served in a pint glass at Brooklyn Diner. The Mac & Cheese is quite awesome.
Friday I stayed away from beer and I did so as well this morning. Went food shopping and then stopped off at Beer Garden on Hillside Ave. in Queens to pick up a new stash. Also got a free pint glass with my purchase.
But come dinner time... It's On!
So I started with a Yuengling... That doesn't count and I pretty much chugged it as I was cooking a flank steak.
But then... I had a new beer.
155) Kasteelbier Donker - This is a strong Belgian brown ale. 11% alcohol and you can smell it right at the start. Pours a dark brown with a thick head. This is a very, very sweet beer, balanced out with the alcohol. Definitely a dessert suitable beer. Be careful...
155 down leaving "only" 210 to go.
Most importantly, this was my 350th beer ever! Thanks to Tomoyo for bringing this bottle direct from Belgium.
Well its Saturday night, which means there is much drinking to be done. I wonder how many ounces of beer get drank every Saturday night in NYC.
See you again soon...
Oh! Before I go, don't forget about the awesome event scheduled for Wed. night at Collins Bar. Big Daddy Cal and I were planning on going elsewhere after hitting up Collins Bar 2 weeks in a row, but this event looks too good to pass up on.
See below, taken from the Collins Bar page:
For those of you that don't know, Randall the Enamel Animal is an organoleptic hops transducer (a converted water filter) that is stuffed full of fresh hops. The filter is then hooked up to a keg, forcing the beer (usually Dogfish Head 90 Min. IPA, since Sam Calgione of Dogfish Head designed the crazy thing) through the "hop filter" just before it hits your glass. The alcohol strips the oils off the hop leafs transcending the beer to another level.
THE LOWDOWN: On Wednesday, May 17th at 6pm we will be running THREE Dogfish Head beers through THREE DIFFERENT RANDALLS:
90 MINUTE IPA
120 MINUTE IPA
APRIHOP ALE
We will also have INDIAN BROWN on draught and WORLD WIDE STOUT 2003 (22.1% ABV) in bottles.
Going... to... be... awesome...
Tuesday night in the city, don't forget about the Triple Threat event at the Hop Devil Grill. Sixpoint, Smuttynose, and Southern Tier square off against each other. I won't be able to attend, but don't miss this battle! Cheaper than a PPV boxing match, and guaranteed to go 12 rounds!!
So on Thursday, I went uptown and was roaming the streets. Bought a whole bunch of truffles at Myzel's Chocolates on 55th, then as I was heading down 5th Ave, I popped into the Trump Tower.
Thank God for public spaces.
As I was strolling through I stumbled upon none other than Trump Bar, as recently promoted on the Apprentice.
Mr. Trump only has 3 taps available, Guinness, Stella, and a Sam Adams seasonal. Figures as he is only interested in big business and in his world big business = quality. .
How long before we have a Trump brand beer?
Let it be said that if that should happen I want money for the idea as I've written about it here as of 5/13/06.
I ordered a Guinness, served in a friggin' pilsener glass. 8 bucks. Yeah.
After that had a Brooklyn Pilsener served in a pint glass at Brooklyn Diner. The Mac & Cheese is quite awesome.
Friday I stayed away from beer and I did so as well this morning. Went food shopping and then stopped off at Beer Garden on Hillside Ave. in Queens to pick up a new stash. Also got a free pint glass with my purchase.
But come dinner time... It's On!
So I started with a Yuengling... That doesn't count and I pretty much chugged it as I was cooking a flank steak.
But then... I had a new beer.
155) Kasteelbier Donker - This is a strong Belgian brown ale. 11% alcohol and you can smell it right at the start. Pours a dark brown with a thick head. This is a very, very sweet beer, balanced out with the alcohol. Definitely a dessert suitable beer. Be careful...
155 down leaving "only" 210 to go.
Most importantly, this was my 350th beer ever! Thanks to Tomoyo for bringing this bottle direct from Belgium.
Well its Saturday night, which means there is much drinking to be done. I wonder how many ounces of beer get drank every Saturday night in NYC.
See you again soon...
Oh! Before I go, don't forget about the awesome event scheduled for Wed. night at Collins Bar. Big Daddy Cal and I were planning on going elsewhere after hitting up Collins Bar 2 weeks in a row, but this event looks too good to pass up on.
See below, taken from the Collins Bar page:
For those of you that don't know, Randall the Enamel Animal is an organoleptic hops transducer (a converted water filter) that is stuffed full of fresh hops. The filter is then hooked up to a keg, forcing the beer (usually Dogfish Head 90 Min. IPA, since Sam Calgione of Dogfish Head designed the crazy thing) through the "hop filter" just before it hits your glass. The alcohol strips the oils off the hop leafs transcending the beer to another level.
THE LOWDOWN: On Wednesday, May 17th at 6pm we will be running THREE Dogfish Head beers through THREE DIFFERENT RANDALLS:
90 MINUTE IPA
120 MINUTE IPA
APRIHOP ALE
We will also have INDIAN BROWN on draught and WORLD WIDE STOUT 2003 (22.1% ABV) in bottles.
Going... to... be... awesome...
Tuesday night in the city, don't forget about the Triple Threat event at the Hop Devil Grill. Sixpoint, Smuttynose, and Southern Tier square off against each other. I won't be able to attend, but don't miss this battle! Cheaper than a PPV boxing match, and guaranteed to go 12 rounds!!
Thursday, May 11, 2006
Rock Art event at Collins Bar
Last night I met up with Big Daddy Cal as I usually do on Wednesdays for drinking. We headed over to the Collins Bar for the Rock Art Brewery premiere in NYC. The place was a little more crowded than the last time we went so we headed to the small back area and got a table. Complimentary cheese and bread were also available in the back along with the usual free popcorn.
This was our first event at Collins Bar and unlike beer events at other locations in the city, they didn't have a flight available, so we just bought by the pint.
The first one was on me:
152) Rock Art Whitetail Ale - This one is pale gold in color and is pretty light bodied. Hints of citrus and a little wheat but overall it was pretty one dimensional. I thought the finish was a bit dry and not refreshing.
After downing some cheese and bread, the next one was on Big Daddy Cal:
153) Rock Art American Red Ale - Supposedly the finish of this beer is called the "super glide" by the brewers. Sure it was a clean finish but again this was nothing special. Aromas were decent - roasty and woodsy even but there was none of this in the flavors. Actually I got some of that sweet molasses taste from the back end of it that I'm not very fond of.
That was all we had at Collins Bar. I didn't try the other one that would have been new to me (Stock Ale). Overall I wasn't impressed by the Rock Art stuff. I had their barleywine last year and it wasn't very good at all.
We got a bit hungry so this week was a repeat of last week and we headed down the block like a couple of lazy bums to the House of Brews.
I ordered a southern fried chicken salad which was rather good. Had it with a bottle of:
154) San Miguel Premium Lager - This lager is imported from the Phillipines. It was pretty average for the style and I got it only because I wanted to knock something off my list, get something from afar, and have something that wasn't too filling.
After that we called it a night. 154 beers down and now 211 to go. I've rebuilt that 20-day buffer over the past couple of weeks as today is only the 131st day of the year.
I may tackle #155 tonight, which would also be my 350th different beer ever. Since that's something of a milestone, I want it to be a decent choice, and I have a selection of 5 bottles to choose from, any of which will probably be a suitable candidate. Stay tuned...
This was our first event at Collins Bar and unlike beer events at other locations in the city, they didn't have a flight available, so we just bought by the pint.
The first one was on me:
152) Rock Art Whitetail Ale - This one is pale gold in color and is pretty light bodied. Hints of citrus and a little wheat but overall it was pretty one dimensional. I thought the finish was a bit dry and not refreshing.
After downing some cheese and bread, the next one was on Big Daddy Cal:
153) Rock Art American Red Ale - Supposedly the finish of this beer is called the "super glide" by the brewers. Sure it was a clean finish but again this was nothing special. Aromas were decent - roasty and woodsy even but there was none of this in the flavors. Actually I got some of that sweet molasses taste from the back end of it that I'm not very fond of.
That was all we had at Collins Bar. I didn't try the other one that would have been new to me (Stock Ale). Overall I wasn't impressed by the Rock Art stuff. I had their barleywine last year and it wasn't very good at all.
We got a bit hungry so this week was a repeat of last week and we headed down the block like a couple of lazy bums to the House of Brews.
I ordered a southern fried chicken salad which was rather good. Had it with a bottle of:
154) San Miguel Premium Lager - This lager is imported from the Phillipines. It was pretty average for the style and I got it only because I wanted to knock something off my list, get something from afar, and have something that wasn't too filling.
After that we called it a night. 154 beers down and now 211 to go. I've rebuilt that 20-day buffer over the past couple of weeks as today is only the 131st day of the year.
I may tackle #155 tonight, which would also be my 350th different beer ever. Since that's something of a milestone, I want it to be a decent choice, and I have a selection of 5 bottles to choose from, any of which will probably be a suitable candidate. Stay tuned...
Wednesday, May 10, 2006
A quick entry
Last night I went to see a show at BB King's Blues Club and they had a house beer on tap, so I had that as my #150 beer.
150) BB Kings Blues Brew - Pretty bad. Like a flat Heineken with carbonation re-added. Why couldn't they make a BB Kings porter? It would go so well with the rich food they serve at this place.
Speaking of Heineken, I had this at lunch today:
151) Heineken Premium Light Lager - Better than the Beck's Light, slightly below the Amstel Light, still near the bottom of your list of beer choices.
151 down and 214 to go. Up next is a Collins Bar event celebrating the arrival of the Rock Art Brewery to NYC.
I have had their Ridge Runner Barleywine but it wasn't so great. Looking at the rest of their lineup they don't really have anything that's highly rated but I'm going to check it out anyway. Check back tomorrow for the review. Expect me to try my 350th career beer tonight unless they are serving full pints of the Rock Art stuff.
150) BB Kings Blues Brew - Pretty bad. Like a flat Heineken with carbonation re-added. Why couldn't they make a BB Kings porter? It would go so well with the rich food they serve at this place.
Speaking of Heineken, I had this at lunch today:
151) Heineken Premium Light Lager - Better than the Beck's Light, slightly below the Amstel Light, still near the bottom of your list of beer choices.
151 down and 214 to go. Up next is a Collins Bar event celebrating the arrival of the Rock Art Brewery to NYC.
I have had their Ridge Runner Barleywine but it wasn't so great. Looking at the rest of their lineup they don't really have anything that's highly rated but I'm going to check it out anyway. Check back tomorrow for the review. Expect me to try my 350th career beer tonight unless they are serving full pints of the Rock Art stuff.
Monday, May 08, 2006
Derby Weekend!
What a weekend it was on the beer front. I have 7 new beers to write up among other things. On Friday I went home and cooked dinner (a healthy salad topped with tofu) and opened up a new bottle.
143) Ybor Gold Gaspars Porter - This was a porter with chocolate and coffee overtones. Not as medium bodied as most porters, this one ran a little lighter. Though it is from Florida so I imagine the weather doesn't really inspire one to make heavy beers.
Saturday I met up with Big Daddy Cal at none other than the OTB. It was the 132nd running of the Kentucky Derby. As I usually do with this race, I just bet the horses that have the worst odds in hope of getting lucky. There is just too big a field to really predict what is going to happen. Lawyer Ron and Brother Derek really got screwed with their post positions. I don't even think any horses have ever won from that far out. Had they been closer I think they could have challenged Barbaro. I didn't win any money this year but I didn't spend much either.
After placing our bets we headed over to the nearby Ginger Man to watch the race and have a few beers.
144) Franziskaner Hefe-Weissbier - This was really quite spectacular. Has a much deeper gold color than most hefeweizens. All the desired characteristics one could want in this style are here and they each stand out in their own way yet blend together to make one hell of a beer experience. Very refreshing!
145) Youngs Special London Ale - Strong and hoppy. Good malt character in there too but I think the hops were the dominant player here. But this was quite a spectacular beer. Went down very smooth and the alcohol sneaks up on you.
We debated at this point whether or not we should keep drinking. Later that evening we were scheduled to meet up with a group to do some karaoke.
We decided to drink on!
146) Reissdorf Kölsch - Ok, so we just went for one more before heading out. Only the 3rd kölsch style beer I have had. This was a pretty refreshing beer but I probably should have had it first out of this drinking session of 3.
On the way to the karaoke place, where you can rent a private room just like in Lost in Translation, we started singing Rockwell's "Somebody's Watching Me" and "She Drives Me Crazy" by the Fine Young Cannibals. It was decided at this point that the karaoke theme for the night would be "the 80s."
The karaoke was a good time and we made everyone sick by singing songs like "Glory of Love", "Bad", and "Love Shack".
We were hungry afterwards so we went down to the West Village and tried to get into the Spotted Pig but the wait was 75 minutes at 10:30 pm. Walked over instead to the Corner Bistro and had a bistro burger. Good stuff. Very tasty and very messy.
At the Corner Bistro, I had another opportunity to have a new beer!
147) McSorleys Black and Tan - This is now contract brewed by Miller. It was probably the worst stout I have ever had, but it was only $2.50 and it washed down the burger.
Sunday I took the LIRR out to Long Island to pick up my car. A massive crack had mysteriously appeared on the windshield last week so while I was in Orlando I had it replaced.
Having to take the train out there is a real pain in the ass. I can't believe I used to do that as a commute. Then waiting for a cab is also an awful experience. Luckily it was slow so I got one quickly.
My mom had went to Whole Foods the other night and picked up a few beers for me to aid me in my quest. Help always comes from those who love you most.
Went over to Jeff's house to watch the Mets and Jose Lima get their asses kicked and we shared a bottle of:
148) Ruddles County - Yup, we both went to Ruddles County and drank up all their beer. Suckas! Actually no this is an ESB from England. Bitter and hoppy but not the best ESB. I'm still in love with the Fullers which tastes like candy.
Sunday night over dinner I opened another bottle that I had in the fridge:
149) River Horse Hop Hazard Pale Ale - This beer comes out of New Jersey and its an American Pale Ale (APA). I got a hint of coffee notes on the back end. That was a surprise. I wasn't a huge fan of this beer.
So that in a nutshell was my weekend. The next beer is somewhat of a milestone for the year so I'm going to try to make it something a little more special. However, I won't have any beer tonight. After all that eating and drinking this weekend my body needs a rest.
149 down and 216 to go so I am 40% done for the year and yet again I have a huge lead.
Coming up this week at the Collins Bar is an event to celebrate the arrival of Rock Art Brewery in NYC. I'm debating but I should be up for that.
143) Ybor Gold Gaspars Porter - This was a porter with chocolate and coffee overtones. Not as medium bodied as most porters, this one ran a little lighter. Though it is from Florida so I imagine the weather doesn't really inspire one to make heavy beers.
Saturday I met up with Big Daddy Cal at none other than the OTB. It was the 132nd running of the Kentucky Derby. As I usually do with this race, I just bet the horses that have the worst odds in hope of getting lucky. There is just too big a field to really predict what is going to happen. Lawyer Ron and Brother Derek really got screwed with their post positions. I don't even think any horses have ever won from that far out. Had they been closer I think they could have challenged Barbaro. I didn't win any money this year but I didn't spend much either.
After placing our bets we headed over to the nearby Ginger Man to watch the race and have a few beers.
144) Franziskaner Hefe-Weissbier - This was really quite spectacular. Has a much deeper gold color than most hefeweizens. All the desired characteristics one could want in this style are here and they each stand out in their own way yet blend together to make one hell of a beer experience. Very refreshing!
145) Youngs Special London Ale - Strong and hoppy. Good malt character in there too but I think the hops were the dominant player here. But this was quite a spectacular beer. Went down very smooth and the alcohol sneaks up on you.
We debated at this point whether or not we should keep drinking. Later that evening we were scheduled to meet up with a group to do some karaoke.
We decided to drink on!
146) Reissdorf Kölsch - Ok, so we just went for one more before heading out. Only the 3rd kölsch style beer I have had. This was a pretty refreshing beer but I probably should have had it first out of this drinking session of 3.
On the way to the karaoke place, where you can rent a private room just like in Lost in Translation, we started singing Rockwell's "Somebody's Watching Me" and "She Drives Me Crazy" by the Fine Young Cannibals. It was decided at this point that the karaoke theme for the night would be "the 80s."
The karaoke was a good time and we made everyone sick by singing songs like "Glory of Love", "Bad", and "Love Shack".
We were hungry afterwards so we went down to the West Village and tried to get into the Spotted Pig but the wait was 75 minutes at 10:30 pm. Walked over instead to the Corner Bistro and had a bistro burger. Good stuff. Very tasty and very messy.
At the Corner Bistro, I had another opportunity to have a new beer!
147) McSorleys Black and Tan - This is now contract brewed by Miller. It was probably the worst stout I have ever had, but it was only $2.50 and it washed down the burger.
Sunday I took the LIRR out to Long Island to pick up my car. A massive crack had mysteriously appeared on the windshield last week so while I was in Orlando I had it replaced.
Having to take the train out there is a real pain in the ass. I can't believe I used to do that as a commute. Then waiting for a cab is also an awful experience. Luckily it was slow so I got one quickly.
My mom had went to Whole Foods the other night and picked up a few beers for me to aid me in my quest. Help always comes from those who love you most.
Went over to Jeff's house to watch the Mets and Jose Lima get their asses kicked and we shared a bottle of:
148) Ruddles County - Yup, we both went to Ruddles County and drank up all their beer. Suckas! Actually no this is an ESB from England. Bitter and hoppy but not the best ESB. I'm still in love with the Fullers which tastes like candy.
Sunday night over dinner I opened another bottle that I had in the fridge:
149) River Horse Hop Hazard Pale Ale - This beer comes out of New Jersey and its an American Pale Ale (APA). I got a hint of coffee notes on the back end. That was a surprise. I wasn't a huge fan of this beer.
So that in a nutshell was my weekend. The next beer is somewhat of a milestone for the year so I'm going to try to make it something a little more special. However, I won't have any beer tonight. After all that eating and drinking this weekend my body needs a rest.
149 down and 216 to go so I am 40% done for the year and yet again I have a huge lead.
Coming up this week at the Collins Bar is an event to celebrate the arrival of Rock Art Brewery in NYC. I'm debating but I should be up for that.
Friday, May 05, 2006
Tom Glavine = New Big Unit
Tom Glavine is pitching like the new Big Unit. I still suspect that the former Atlanta Brave and current Braves spy is going to screw us over come August, but so far, so good from Tommy G.
Last night I went to the Mets game w/ Jeff, Chris, and our favorite... Cracka.
All in all it was a beautiful night for baseball and the Mets beat up on the lowly Pittsburgh Pirates to improve their record to 19-9. Good win for the team heading into the Atlanta series.
It was also a great night to get in some new beers.
Since I had to take the LIRR out to Shea I picked up a bottle of:
140) Blue Point Summer Ale - Nice refreshing beer with a citrus character to it. Drank it right out of the bottle so I don't know how the pour looks.
141) Kona Longboard Lager - At Shea, we stopped by the field level Brewhouse and got a pint of this, which is brewed in Hawaii. Again the draft pints are 25 cents cheaper than the pint bottle of Sudweiser. That's a deal you can't beat, especially when this is a pretty good lager. Actually one of the better ones I have had. If you go to Shea and want to try something other than a Bud, go with the Kona.
142) Redhook ESB - I thought I had this in the past but alas it was not on my list so it is a new beer. Its an average beer and nowhere as good as a Fullers. Redhook seems to be all over the place around here but I don't really think they're a standout brewery.
142 down and 223 to go. Hope everyone gets drunk this weekend. Check back again for my next update!
Last night I went to the Mets game w/ Jeff, Chris, and our favorite... Cracka.
All in all it was a beautiful night for baseball and the Mets beat up on the lowly Pittsburgh Pirates to improve their record to 19-9. Good win for the team heading into the Atlanta series.
It was also a great night to get in some new beers.
Since I had to take the LIRR out to Shea I picked up a bottle of:
140) Blue Point Summer Ale - Nice refreshing beer with a citrus character to it. Drank it right out of the bottle so I don't know how the pour looks.
141) Kona Longboard Lager - At Shea, we stopped by the field level Brewhouse and got a pint of this, which is brewed in Hawaii. Again the draft pints are 25 cents cheaper than the pint bottle of Sudweiser. That's a deal you can't beat, especially when this is a pretty good lager. Actually one of the better ones I have had. If you go to Shea and want to try something other than a Bud, go with the Kona.
142) Redhook ESB - I thought I had this in the past but alas it was not on my list so it is a new beer. Its an average beer and nowhere as good as a Fullers. Redhook seems to be all over the place around here but I don't really think they're a standout brewery.
142 down and 223 to go. Hope everyone gets drunk this weekend. Check back again for my next update!
Thursday, May 04, 2006
Collins Bar, House of Brews, and upcoming events
Last night I met up with Big Daddy Cal for our usual Wednesday night drinking tour. Our first stop was to be the Collins Bar and since I know they don't serve food we each grabbed a hot dog from that venerable old NY institution, Gray's Papaya, on the way up.
With that part out of the way, we proceeded to Collins Bar, finding two seats at the bar right up front. The place is pretty narrow and cozy, and there are chalkboard menus above the bar.
The taplist is not the most extensive selection in the city but where the Collins Bar shines is in its bottled selections. The list is updated frequently and instead of being your typical encyclopedic, "our list is bigger than yours" bottle list, they keep it down to a reasonable amount of selections and include a few rarities on the list.
That shows me the bar cares about each bottle on their list, and it is reassuring to me as a drinker that the rare bottle I pick from the list is more likely to be available because the list is kept up to date. Nothing is more frustrating than asking for 3 or 4 bottles only to be told "sorry, we're out of that one..."
Big Daddy Cal opened with the Brooklyner Weisse, while I started with:
136) Sierra Nevada Pilsner - This was available on draft and was the first time I had seen this. It was crisp and refreshing, and did a good job of washing away the hot dog. The finish was nice and sweet. An excellent pils.
Next up Big Daddy Cal had a Bear Republic Red Rocket Ale, also on draft, but I decided to delve into the bottled selection and had one of the best new beers I've had this year:
137) Harviestoun Old Engine Oil Special Reserve - This is a Scottish old ale, and what makes this one so special is that it was aged for six months in single malt whiskey casks, giving a nice blend of flavors. The pour was as black and opaque as engine oil. Flavors were an awesome mix of whiskey, sweet caramel, and malt. One of the most robust beers I have had in a long while. You know it is good stuff when you start thinking about it the day after.
I raved so much about it that Big Daddy Cal had to get himself a bottle before we headed out.
In the midst of all that drinking we worked up a decent appetite, but in the interest of continuing with the drinking theme we headed down the block to the House of Brews. The bar wasn't that crowded so we took our place right in the middle.
Big Daddy Cal had a bottle of Schneider Weisse while I went with a bottle of:
138) Lion Stout - This excellent 8% abv stout comes from the other side of the world, in Sri Lanka, home of Arthur C. Clarke. Malty and sweet.
After eating I decided to finish up with:
139) Sagres - This lager comes from Portugal. Slightly better than the usual lager suspects but still a middle of the road selection. I was told by the bartender that they will be phasing this out of their rotation.
So another successful night adds to the tally. 139 down and 226 to go. Much work remains to be done but I am ahead by two weeks.
On the way out of the House of Brews I picked up a copy of the Ale Street News. It's really a great resource for those seeking great beer. Some items and articles of note:
Be sure to read Ms. Mug's article about what to do when the beer you order is not so fresh. This is something that happens at even the best beer bars in the city and we've all gotten a bad bottle or spoiled beer at some point in our lives.
The Breweries and Brewpubs directory is one of the best things ever. And its right in the centerfold of the paper. Sure there are resources online but there's nothing like sitting down and looking at it all on one page, the old fashioned way. With the weather getting nice, it gets me thinking about the beer related trips I will have to take this summer.
First on my list of desired road trips is Eastern Pennsylvania, which is really the mecca of east coast beer. There are so many top breweries and brewpubs in close proximity to each other. Places like Victory, Weyerbacher, Yuengling, and Stoudts. I'd also love a return trip to the Lancaster Brewing Company.
Also one of these days I'm going to have to go out east to Long Island and visit the Southampton Publick House, consistently rated as one of the top brewers on the coast.
Some interesting events are coming up as well.
First, the Brewtopia World Beer Festival returns to NYC on 10/20-10/21 this time at the Jacob Javits Convention Center. Hopefully this time around there will be plenty of space for everyone to enjoy the beer without being packed in like sardines.
Standings will host Mets Victory night on May 24 with selections from Victory in PA.
Chelsea Brewing Co. and Heartland Brewery have some interesting new releases. I will have to pay both of these places a visit in the coming weeks.
At Jimmy's No. 43, this May there will be a selection of spring beers mostly of the hefeweizen and witbier variety.
So there is a lot on tap, so to speak. Check back again soon for my next update!
With that part out of the way, we proceeded to Collins Bar, finding two seats at the bar right up front. The place is pretty narrow and cozy, and there are chalkboard menus above the bar.
The taplist is not the most extensive selection in the city but where the Collins Bar shines is in its bottled selections. The list is updated frequently and instead of being your typical encyclopedic, "our list is bigger than yours" bottle list, they keep it down to a reasonable amount of selections and include a few rarities on the list.
That shows me the bar cares about each bottle on their list, and it is reassuring to me as a drinker that the rare bottle I pick from the list is more likely to be available because the list is kept up to date. Nothing is more frustrating than asking for 3 or 4 bottles only to be told "sorry, we're out of that one..."
Big Daddy Cal opened with the Brooklyner Weisse, while I started with:
136) Sierra Nevada Pilsner - This was available on draft and was the first time I had seen this. It was crisp and refreshing, and did a good job of washing away the hot dog. The finish was nice and sweet. An excellent pils.
Next up Big Daddy Cal had a Bear Republic Red Rocket Ale, also on draft, but I decided to delve into the bottled selection and had one of the best new beers I've had this year:
137) Harviestoun Old Engine Oil Special Reserve - This is a Scottish old ale, and what makes this one so special is that it was aged for six months in single malt whiskey casks, giving a nice blend of flavors. The pour was as black and opaque as engine oil. Flavors were an awesome mix of whiskey, sweet caramel, and malt. One of the most robust beers I have had in a long while. You know it is good stuff when you start thinking about it the day after.
I raved so much about it that Big Daddy Cal had to get himself a bottle before we headed out.
In the midst of all that drinking we worked up a decent appetite, but in the interest of continuing with the drinking theme we headed down the block to the House of Brews. The bar wasn't that crowded so we took our place right in the middle.
Big Daddy Cal had a bottle of Schneider Weisse while I went with a bottle of:
138) Lion Stout - This excellent 8% abv stout comes from the other side of the world, in Sri Lanka, home of Arthur C. Clarke. Malty and sweet.
After eating I decided to finish up with:
139) Sagres - This lager comes from Portugal. Slightly better than the usual lager suspects but still a middle of the road selection. I was told by the bartender that they will be phasing this out of their rotation.
So another successful night adds to the tally. 139 down and 226 to go. Much work remains to be done but I am ahead by two weeks.
On the way out of the House of Brews I picked up a copy of the Ale Street News. It's really a great resource for those seeking great beer. Some items and articles of note:
Be sure to read Ms. Mug's article about what to do when the beer you order is not so fresh. This is something that happens at even the best beer bars in the city and we've all gotten a bad bottle or spoiled beer at some point in our lives.
The Breweries and Brewpubs directory is one of the best things ever. And its right in the centerfold of the paper. Sure there are resources online but there's nothing like sitting down and looking at it all on one page, the old fashioned way. With the weather getting nice, it gets me thinking about the beer related trips I will have to take this summer.
First on my list of desired road trips is Eastern Pennsylvania, which is really the mecca of east coast beer. There are so many top breweries and brewpubs in close proximity to each other. Places like Victory, Weyerbacher, Yuengling, and Stoudts. I'd also love a return trip to the Lancaster Brewing Company.
Also one of these days I'm going to have to go out east to Long Island and visit the Southampton Publick House, consistently rated as one of the top brewers on the coast.
Some interesting events are coming up as well.
First, the Brewtopia World Beer Festival returns to NYC on 10/20-10/21 this time at the Jacob Javits Convention Center. Hopefully this time around there will be plenty of space for everyone to enjoy the beer without being packed in like sardines.
Standings will host Mets Victory night on May 24 with selections from Victory in PA.
Chelsea Brewing Co. and Heartland Brewery have some interesting new releases. I will have to pay both of these places a visit in the coming weeks.
At Jimmy's No. 43, this May there will be a selection of spring beers mostly of the hefeweizen and witbier variety.
So there is a lot on tap, so to speak. Check back again soon for my next update!
Wednesday, May 03, 2006
Decisions, decisions...
Note to self: Never again buy a case of just 1 beer. 24 bottles of 1 beer is too many to have laying around. If you're going to have company over then that's ok, but for everyday drinking a case will only distract you from your goal.
The problem here is that I have some new bottles to drink but then I have this slew of other bottles taking up space in my fridge. They need to go at some point but I feel overly pressured to drink them just to make space.
Anyways, I got another shipment from the Beer of the Month Club and had two of those beers over the weekend.
134) Lev Lion Pale Double Bock - Despite the name this is actually a Bohemian pilsener. Very crisp with a frothy head but not as complex as Pilsener Urquell.
135) Ridgeway Bitter - This was also a refreshing brew but again nothing that deep. Had that hoppy bitterness that I like but I would have like to see a stronger malt character to balance that out.
135 down leaving me 230 to go.
Tonights drinking will take place at the Collins Bar in Hell's Kitchen. It will be my first visit there and I am pretty excited. They seem to update their list daily and they have some items I have never seen before, including a limited production brew from Rogue. Check back tomorrow with my full review.
The problem here is that I have some new bottles to drink but then I have this slew of other bottles taking up space in my fridge. They need to go at some point but I feel overly pressured to drink them just to make space.
Anyways, I got another shipment from the Beer of the Month Club and had two of those beers over the weekend.
134) Lev Lion Pale Double Bock - Despite the name this is actually a Bohemian pilsener. Very crisp with a frothy head but not as complex as Pilsener Urquell.
135) Ridgeway Bitter - This was also a refreshing brew but again nothing that deep. Had that hoppy bitterness that I like but I would have like to see a stronger malt character to balance that out.
135 down leaving me 230 to go.
Tonights drinking will take place at the Collins Bar in Hell's Kitchen. It will be my first visit there and I am pretty excited. They seem to update their list daily and they have some items I have never seen before, including a limited production brew from Rogue. Check back tomorrow with my full review.
