Correction...

In my last post, I listed the beer correctly as Cascade Ale, but then inadvertenly referred to it as an "IPA", which it is not.  Either way, the beer lacked pizzaz...apologies to my reader.

Booooring!

So last week's FNP was really a Saturday Night Pint, but really, who's paying that much attention anyhow!  Why not Friday you ask?  Well, because apparently they don't serve alcohol at elementary school functions.  They should, but they don't.  I spent my Friday evening at my son's Fall Festival, and as the volunteer coordinator for that function, I can assure you that alcohol would push parent volunteer rates through the roof!  Volunteer for one hour, get a free beer.  Otherwise, you pay.  I'm pretty sure parents would be fighting over the opportunity to prove their dedication to the school community!

But I digress.  The beer of choice for the week was the Cascade Ale from Six Point Brewing out of Brooklyn, NY.  Now, before any of you accuse my opinion of being tainted due to an intense dislike of a certain baseball team from that area, I really didn't know where Six Point was prior to my choice for the week.  AND, what I really wanted was a draught offering from Bear Republic, but they were out.  So, I went with this one instead.  Unfortunately.

I inserted the illegally borrowed logo above because I forgot to take a picture of my beer.  It really wouldn't have been a very exciting picture anyhow because it was in a Whole Foods liter growler.  What fun is that?  It isn't.  And neither was drinking this beer to be quite honest.  This was a very thin bodied IPA with pretty limited hop flavor and aroma.  I'm pretty sure it was a single hop brew, but I can't be certain since they don't list it on their website.  Maybe it was a disappointing experiment that they decided to go with anyhow.  Not sure.  What I am sure of is that I won't rush to get this one again.  If you like IPAs, this one was a pretty weak offering. 

I'm on a run of beers that I haven't been too excited about, so I am hoping to turn that around this Friday.  Any suggestions?  I have a 4 pack of Brooklyn Black Chocolate Stout, but I'm not sure I can wait until Friday to try that.  There is a 22 oz. Dragon's Milk from New Holland Brewing too, but after the Mad Hatter disappointment, I am less excited about that one.  I guess I'll see what the weather is doing and decide.  Mother Nature apparently doesn't know it's supposed to be fall in Richmond, so if it's 80 degrees again, that may sway my decision.  Until then...

Cheers!
Becky

Holy Smoke! Campfire Smoked Porter & T.W.I.B Notes

Campfire Smoked Porter
Throwback Brewery
N. Hampton, NH
6.4% ABV

Ok, so this week's FNP is especially dear to me for two reasons.  One, the brewery is based in N. Hampton, NH...goooooo New Hampshire!!! And two, it is a brewery owned by two women!! Gooooo women brewers!!!  Oh, and I guess there's the part where this was one of three bottles presented to me as a belated anniversary gift from my pinter in crime.

Throwback Brewery describes this as "full bodied porter", but I found it surpisingly light, maybe medium bodied at most.  It definitely presents some smoke in both aroma and flavor, but isn't overwhelming. Campfire Smoked Porter is a very drinkable "finishing beer" as my pinter in crime described it.  Not one I'm starting my night with, but one that will lull me to sleep in front of the campfire for sure.   

T.W.I.B. Notes
I had the pleasure of adding a few other new brews to my quickly increasing beer portfolio.  New Holland Brewing's Mad Hatter IPA and Bear Republic's XP Pale Ale. 

Mad Hatter was a bit of a disappointment.  It was a thin, watery beer that was lacking a bit in the flavor department.  At 5.25% ABV I was really hoping to have found a "session" IPA, but I can't say this is one I'll go back to.  I am hoping this beer is not indicative of the rest of their offerings since I also picked up a bomber of their oak aged Dragon's Milk. 

Bear Republic's XP Ale was a very tasty medium bodied pale ale.  A nice, smooth beer that went well with our M.Y.O.P (make your own pizza) night!  That's a good one if you're planning on more than a few for the evening (but I still don't recommend operating heavy machinery...like a car).

We finished off the weekend with a trip to Charlottesville for apple picking at Carter Mountain, and our annual trip to Blue Mountain Brewery!  THIS is my idea of an ideal location for a brewpub!  Beautiful mountain views, a beautiful day, and luckily we got there early enough for a spot on their brand new patio!!  I had their Blue Reserved Wet Hop Ale.  If I had been paying more attention, I probably wouldn't have chosen it, but I started drooling after the description of the fresh hops!  They used a Belgian yeast to ferment, and it was noticeable after the first sip.  Not a fan of Belgians, so for me that ruined a perfectly good beer!  I followed it up with their Oktoberfest (I chose saurbraten for lunch), which was decent, but nothing to get too excited over.  Disappointingly they didn't offer bottles of their Black Russian stout, but the nice waitress brought me a sample!  It was darn good!  If we had brought both growlers, I would have brought some home!  We did bring home a growler full of Full Nelson for the Pats/Jets game...

Blue Mountain Brewery
Blue Reserve Wet Hop Ale (L)
ESB (R)

During my weekly beer run at Whole Foods I also grabbed a four pack of Founder's Backwoods Bastard, which is apparently the big brother to Dirty Bastard...can't wait to try that, but the weather needs to cool off again before I do!

Raising  a glass to another great week!
Cheers!
Becky

Rub a Dub Dub, drank me some Old Chub!

Old Chub is an 8% Scottish style ale from Oskar Blues, one of the craft breweries responsible for reviving beer in a can!  GOOD beer that is.  At the top of one of their print ads for another of their beers (Dales Pale) it says "fuh-can-eh".  And sadly, my juvenile sense of humor finds that to be pretty darn funny!  If only I could be that clever!

Anyhow, Old Chub is the second consecutive Scottish ale I have reviewed, and while very good, my unrefined palate preferred last week's offering (Dirty Bastard), and not just because of the name (juvenile humor, remember?).  I was actually going to do a side by side comparison, but my pinter in crime was unavailable once again, and I didn't really want to drink them both myself.  Plus, I was feeling lazy.  It was Friday after all.  The beer pours a dark mahogany color with a thin head, and left little to no lace.  Subdued chocolate and smoky notes are present in the aroma, but I found them to be TOO subdued in the flavor of the beer.  Based on the aroma, I expected a bit more punch in the flavor department.  Not a disappointing beer by any means, and I would certainly drink it again if the mood for a Scottish Ale struck me.  That is if someone was buying, because that stuff is EXPENSIVE! 

On a side note, I was a little concerned about what "chub" actually was.  I was expecting it to be some sort of street slang for something nasty.  So, being the dork that I am, I first "googled" it, then looked it up on the super cool dictionary on my phone.  The first offerings on google were harmless enough since it brought me to the Oskar Blues site.  For those of you still reading, the official "Beck's Phone Dictionary" definition of "chub" is a common freshwater fish, including European and American species.  If there is a perverse definition of the word, I am unaware of it, and prefer to remain so.

No clue what's in store for this week's FNP, but I'm sure I can find SOMEthing!
Cheers!
Becky

Dirty Bastard!!

No, I'm not talking about the S.O.B at the Blue and Gray Oktoberfest who demanded his "deposit" back (let's see if you're really reading this Mr. Fitzpatrick), although he earned the title.  It's the Founders Scotch Ale offering that was lucky enough to be chosen for this week's Friday Night Pint review!  And I gotta say, this one earned a...

...stamp of approval!!! 

This mahongany colored scotch ale was just what the doctor ordered at the end of a day that began with hydroplaning my way up route 95 on my way to a rain soaked Oktoberfest celebration.  I'm pretty sure my shoes are still wet.  Chocolate notes hit you right away followed by a nice, light smoky aroma and flavor.  I find that I like a darker beer best after it warms up a bit, and this one was no exception.  This was the best Friday Night Pint since North Coast's Old Rasputin Imperial Stout, which I believe also earned a Wicked Good Beer stamp of approval.  I love adding diversity to my favorite beers, so I'm ok with adding Dirty Bastard to my hop heavy collection of favorites!  Definitely recommend this one!



Dirty Bastard
8.5% ABV
Founders Brewing Co.
Grand Rapids, MI
The flowers are a nice touch, don't you think?

 The Oktoberfest celebration at Blue and Gray wasn't a total wash out as Mother Nature redeemed herself a bit on Saturday with an overcast but dry (except for the 6 million percent humidity) day.  Things started off a bit slow, but quickly picked up.  Adding in my head has always been a problem and our low budget operation doesn't own any working calculators, so after awhile I just charged $5 for everything.  I can do fives.*  I'm so glad that Oompah band was there becasue they totally helped me concentrate on what I was doing. Thankfully I worked with our brewer Dave who can pour beer lightning fast, and Jimbo who can talk just as fast and confuse the hell out of people so they forget they had to wait for beer.  Quite the trio we were.  

So here I am at Sunday afternoon, impressed as hell with myself that I actually got this posted before the weekend was out!  Already enjoyed a Dogfish 90 with the hubby after his return from NH for the weekend (good thing I was busy so I didn't notice too much that he left me behind-he also returned with a belated anniverary gift that proves I married the right guy...more on that next week), and am looking forward to the pot of chili in the crockpot.  The only question that remains is what to drink with it.  Pretty sure I've got something in the fridge!

Cheers!
Becky
*I wonder if I'lll be fired Monday... 

Better Late Than Never! FNP #7/52

Seems like Friday Night Pints has turned it to mid-week posts!!  Oh well, all for the love of beer! 



Ayinger October Fest (Marzen)
5.4%

 Unfortunately I "rushed" through last week's Friday Night Pint since I was on my way to pour beer for Blue and Gray Brewing at the St. Benedict Oktoberfest.  So, just some quick thoughts on Ayinger's Marzen (October Fest)...I love fall, but am often not the biggest fan of Oktoberfest beer.  This one holds it's own however with a nice medium body and that earthy, spicy hop flavor and aroma you would expect.  A thin lacing coated the glass throughout, but it wasn't in the glass for long!  Overall, a nice representation of the style, and a good choice if you are looking to venture into the land of fall seaonal brews.   

Now, on to bigger and better things!  I spent the rest of the night at my first Oktoberfest (state side of course!) pouring three selections from Blue and Gray Brewing.  We had our Oktoberfest, Fred Red, and Stonewall Stout to offer the revellers, who by far preferred the seasonal brew.  Even members of the local distribution company raved about it and wanted to know why we weren't part of their family (geez, I don't know.  Maybe because you won't give small breweries the time of day you big bullies!).  Stonewall was a close second and Fred held his own (but I think his feelings were hurt...he's usually the preferred brew).  I planned on spending a couple of hours at the Festival, but ended up there until after 10 o'clock wondering when, if ever, the crowd would disperse.  Then it hit me...if you pour it, they will stay!  It wasn't until after the unfortunate news that the beer would no longer flow that the celebration began to wind down.  The pictures below were taken just as the festival began.  No time for pictures later...too many people wanting beer!

Ummm...yeah. You know what's on my Christmas list now, right?



We might have had fewer offerings than Brown, be we're more fun! 

Now I won't bore you with too many details about the rest of my weekend, but I must say, it kicked ass.  Not only was I able to spend some quality time with the boys, I got to visit the Marine Museum (instead of just driving by and commenting on the view from 95), watch the Orioles actually WIN a game at Camden, tour some old warships in Baltimore Harbor, AND visit THREE NEW brewpubs! 

 

Ok, so I lied a little.  I'm only going to bore you with the beer details...just a few, so don't panic!  First stop on the way up was Hops in Alexandria, VA.  We had a gift card, so it was free, and really, how does it get better than free beer?  This place is a bit too commercialized for my tastes (I prefer those rustic brewpubs in the middle of nowhere...), and the beer is good, but nothing that warrants a "wicked good beer" stamp of approval.  My pinter in crime and I shared a sampler to start.  The samples were served in standard sample glasses (I really should be better about photos....) on a "placemat" that gave descriptions of each style.  I liked that aspect because then I was able be a total beer dork and try to guess what was in each, and find out if I was right!  I know, you are wishing you could have this much fun.  The samples included Clearwater Light (OMG, awful!), their Oktoberfest offering, leftover summer wheat, Lighting Bolt Gold, Thorougbred Red, and Alligator Ale (porter).  My favorite was the Alligator Ale, followed closely by the red.  So we ordered one of each to have with lunch.  Yes, we had food too, but who cares about that.  I also took a brief tour of the brewhouse with the manager on duty.  His tour left a little be desired ("First we put the stuff in here, then it goes over there, and then into the storage tanks out back").  Again, WHY am I not better about taking pictures!  Anyhow, not a bad place for a beer and a quick bite if you are in the area.

 

Prior to the O's game we stopped in to the Pratt Street Alehouse.  This is a great little place not far from Camden.  I had been there last fall as well for a reunion with some old friends and the Sox/O's game.  I had the Punk IPA which was a pretty good English IPA!  Great flavor, served at the right temperature, and perfect carbonation for my tastes.  Not too prickly on the tongue, but not creamy like a stout either.  I was a little disappointed not to get to try the ESB cask ale, but how long CAN you expect an 8 year old to sit quietly anyhow. 

 

The family seated next to us at Pratt Street found great humor in the fact that I was sporting my Red Sox shirt, Brady his Patriots sweatshirt, and Aaron in his, uhh...Yankees (suck) hat.  The gentleman asked, "So, how does that Yankees hat work over there?"  I replied in a very serious tone "Not real well, but when we met the SOB lied and told me he was a rich Red Sox fan".

 

Ok, the last beer stop of the weekend was on the way home.  It's a place my husband had raved about, having visited several times while travelling for work.  I must say, it was worth the delayed arrival home.



Pub Dog Pizza & Drafthouse
Columbia, MD

Other than the location (sort of a stip mall buried in an office park), Pub Dog is my kind of place!  Dark wood, sort of rustic.  I LOVED the fact that their beer offerings were on huge wooden boards, easily visible, and with descriptions of each (tough to know what you are getting when the beers are name after dog breeds).  They had every NFL game on (good thing too because there were no fewer than 4 different jerseys in the house), but the tvs didn't dominate the atmosphere (they were actually hung with the beer signs...picture here would have been nice, huh?  I'm such a dumbass.).  And the beer was fantastic!  I had the IPA (Hoppy Dog), the Imperial IPA, and the Dirty Dog (a blend of their brown and pale ales...interesting).  Pub Dog only serves pizza, which is fine with me.  They have a great selection, so going with a standard cheese or pepperoni was out of the question.  I chose the Thai Chicken pizza, and ate the whole darn thing (they are individual pizzas FYI).  If I hadn't had to drive home, I would have loved to stay to watch more football and drink good beer!  But alas, the responsible adult in me won over.  Mostly because I knew more beer awaited me in my own fridge, along with a comfy couch and the Pats on t.v.!!

 

So, if you managed to make it through this whole post, thanks for reading!  Now when you are planning your next visit to Richmond, you'll know where to make your pit stops!

 

Next up...this weekend's 9th Annual Oktoberfest at Blue and Gray Brewing in Fredericksburg!

Cheers!

Becky

18 Beer Day! Top of the Hops 9/10/11

Ok, so if I drank 18 beers in one day, you wouldn't be reading this because I would still be too drunk to type.  Or dead.  But 18 2 oz SAMPLES at the Top of the Hops Festival in Charlottesville?  No problem!

Now I know what you are thinking.  Only 18 samples at a festival with unlimited sampling and over 50 breweries in attendance?  What a lame ass!  But truthfully, my goal was to try as many new beers as possible, still be able to safely drive home, AND remember a little something about the beers!  As former President G.W. Bush would say (or post on a really big sign): MISSION ACCOMPLISHED.

Surprisingly my two favorite beers at the festival were NOT IPAs.  In fact, there wasn't one IPA that really wowed me (palate fatigue?-super beer dork term to describe boredom with your beer of choice).  However, my favorite festival beer needs to be mentioned with an asterisk, because I had tried it before from a 22 oz. bomber, but this one was on cask (for more info on cask ales try http://www.camra.org.uk/).  It was Williamsburg Alewerks Bourbon Barrel Porter, and if I hadn't been getting ready to drive home, I would have had many more two ounce samples...this beer was damn good out of a bottle, and ridiculously good on cask.  The flavor was amazing, with the bourbon more dominant than I remember from my first bottle tasting.

It is full bodied without being heavy and is just sooo, smooth.  The perfect fireside beer in my opinion, and if I can get my hands on another bottle (or two), I'm putting one away until at least after Christmas.  That would be a fine beer with which to bring in a new year!

My second favorite (don't worry, I'm only giving details on the top two, the rest I'll just list with a note or two...) was Buffalo Sweat Stout by Tallgrass Brewing out of Manhattan, KS.  With a name like Buffalo Sweat, I of course had to try it!  It was a creamy, sweet stout without the sometimes overpowering roasted flavor of stouts.  Just my style!  It has the sweetness of a milk stout, but the flavor was not quite the same.  Can't put my finger on the difference, but I can assure you that a comparison tasting is in my future! 

Another thing that made this one of my favorites was the staff at the booth!  Now, I'm not sure if the gentleman at the booth was an employee of Tallgrass or not, but he was very eager (not annoyingly so like some beer geeks) to share information about the beer, and actually seemed interested in whether or not I liked it.  Refreshing!  Up to that point very few of the individuals pouring even bothered with a friendly Cheers!, or Enjoy!, never mind actually telling me anything about the beer.  When I met up with Matt (http://www.staythirstyblog.com/), the generous provider of my festival ticket, he pointed out that many of those pouring were probably volunteers or distributors, and not actually employees of the brewing companies.  Well, I hadn't really thought of that (duh) but here are my thoughts on that (because I know you care...): 1) Is it really that friggin' hard to be FRIENDLY?  I'm not asking for a hug, just be nice!  2) You are pouring (and probably drinking for free) great beer!  How can you not be having a blast?!  and 3) Hey beer companies, do you realize that the perception of your beer can be influenced, for better or worse, by the people who represent it at any and all times? 

Overall, I thought the festival was great!  It ran smoothly and, strangely enough, there was rarely a wait at all for beer.  It was well organized and easy to find the breweries I was interested in trying.   I was very thankful for the slice of pizza halfway through the day, otherwise things could have gone a little differently! 

It was great to catch up with Matt and his cohorts for the day.  Thankfully they were the ones who insisted I head over to the Cask Garden, which I had been avoiding due to the constant throng of people.  It was also fun attending different beer festivals together with my good friend Dottie!  She had a DD so she doesn't remember any of the beer she tried...  

Below are some pictures from the festival in case you care to see what you missed...wish I had gotten more and better, but it was hard to juggle the camera, my beer, the map, and my phone (and yes, I was one of those annoying people wandering around while texting...29 times to be exact according to Dottie).  Oh, and the list of the OTHER 16 beers that I sampled that day follows.  Cheers!!



I have no idea who Bob Fenwick is, but I think his sign holders ditched to go to the festival.



Family of railroaders, so this one was of interest.  Decent beer.  Unfriendly people.



What's with all the plaid? 




The V.I.P section.  Screw them.




Random corn hole boards. 





I think Starr Hill was there, but I'm not sure.


The other 16 beers, in no particular order:
Clawhammer Oktoberfest-Highland Brewing Co, Asheville, NC
Vienna Lager-Devil's Backbone Brewing, Roseland, VA
Black Lighting IPA-Duclaw Brewing, Abingdon, MD
Hoppyum IPA-Foothills Brewing, Winson Salem, NC
Oktoberfest-Foothills Brewing, Winston Salem, NC
Tasgall Ale-Highland Brewing, Asheville, NC (I really like this one too.  It could easily have been in the top 2)
Double IPA-Long Trail Brewing, Bridgewater Corners, VT (so disappointed.  Tasted like penicillin-only beer dumped)
Old Rasputin-North Coast Brewing, Fort Bragg, CA
Railhouse IPA-Roanoke Railhouse Brewery, Roanoke, VT
Boxcar Pumpkin-Star Hill Brewing, Charlottesville, VA
Oasis-Tallgrass Brewing, Manhattan, KS
Alpha Ale-Wild Wolf Brewing Co., Nellysford, VA
The Next 4 were all cask ales
Doggie Style IPA-Flying Dog Brewery, Frederick, MD
IPA-St. George Brewing Company, Hampton, VA
471 Double IPA-Breckenridge Brewery, Denver, CO
Espresso Stout-South Street Brewery, Charlottesville, VA


Already looking forward to next year's Top of the Hops!  Who's in?