The Philadelphia region has always been blessed to receive distribution of great beers from around the world that often don't find many other homes away from home. The list is long but has been known to include the likes of some of the most sought-after with limited distribution including Russian River and Cantillon to name just two.
This past week has seen a trifecta of great beer hitting the southeastern Pennsylvania market. Boulevard, Captain Lawrence, and Hardywood Park Craft Brewery.
Boulevard, hailing from Kansas City, has been all around the greater Philadelphia region for the past week showcasing its twenty-five-year history and numerous award-winning beers. I previewed them prior to the week's kickoff and then gave the event at Liberty Taproom in Berks County a little "social love" with a Facebook picture that you can see over here.
A couple of nice looking events in Philly remain from a free tasting (plus a Text-to-Win raffle) this afternoon from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. at Bell Beverage distributors and a showcase at a relatively new spot in South Philly on Moyamensing Avenue. The Bell Beverage event features free tastings. The South Philly event is cleverly called Boulevard on the Avenue and will feature an afternoon of Boulevard beer at Moonshine during the Crafts & Drafts Festival along with food, music, games, and prizes.
In the suburbs, the Pour House in Exton is hosting an Oysters & Brews event where Boulevard will be featured and Iron Abbey in Horsham puts on a Boulevard on Horsham event from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m.
Today also sees Boulevard lining up plenty more free tastings across the region at Wegmans Marketplaces in Collegeville, Downingtown, King of Prussia, Malvern, Montgomeryville, and Warrington.
Also landing this week in the Philadelphia market is Hardywood Park from Richmond, Va. This is a brewery I shared with you a couple of years ago after discovering them on a trip to their turf.
I described them as: "...the top of the list when anyone asks me about Richmond...".
These guys seemed to be ready for big league action right out of the gate. The people and the location demonstrated it and, most importantly, the beer quality did as well.
Seems everyone raves about the award-winning Gingerbread Stout and justly so. I could spend all night, however, with the Belgian Singel, a wonderful Belgian Blonde. Every visit of mine to the DMV (that'd be DC, MD, and Virginia) area finds me in search of their bottles to return home with.
They've got a long laundry list of beers that you just can't go wrong with and I strongly encourage you to seek them out. For those of you that love your beer barrel-aged, they've got you covered in this regard as well. Richmond has had a solid beer scene for quite some time. Hardywood Park is helping to take the region to yet another level.
I'll use another day and space to go into detail of how Richmond just scored another significant notch in its lederhosen with the announcement that Stone Brewing Co. from California will be opening an East Coast operation along the beautifully scenic James River in downtown Richmond (across from Legend).
The last big announcement involves a small (or mid-ish?) size powerhouse from Westchester County New York (Elmsford, not far from White Plains and the Tappan Zee Bridge, to be exact): Captain Lawrence Brewing Company.
After years of personally tracking down their beers in NYC and northern New Jersey, the spectacular brewery will finally be coming to Pennsylvania in a wave release of their beers throughout the next couple of quarters. For those of you that track the players in the game, rep Dan Conway has come over from Left Hand to work for Captain Lawrence spreading the liquid joy around the Philly region.
First up is the hallmark beer of theirs, Imperial IPA. But it was their Rosso e Marrone that first put owner Scott Vaccaro and his brewing crew on my map back in 2008. At the annual Belgium Comes To Cooperstown event at Brewery Ommegang, I declared it to be "...one of the more complex and very interesting with flavors of wood, wine, and Brett...A WOW! beer to be sure..."
Quickly thereafter, I came to learn more about the brewing talents at Captain Lawrence with Cuvee de Castleton, Golden Delicious, and Nor'easter. Those are just a few palate pleasers that we can look forward to seeing in some supply in the future. I'm looking forward to seeing more of their year-rounds as well, including Liquid Gold, Brown Bird, and Smoked Porter.
The rollout begins with Imperial IPA in October, the Smoked Porter in November, and the IPA in December. According to the press release "More styles, including rare and exclusive barrel-aged bottles, will enter the market in early 2015".
Hold on tightly my thirsty friends. If you've not experienced any of these beers, you're in for a treat. And, if 2015 is anything like 2014, we're in for a wild ride around the Philly parts.
Cheers!
Showing posts with label Captain Lawrence Brewing. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Captain Lawrence Brewing. Show all posts
Friday, October 10, 2014
Wednesday, September 07, 2011
NYC trippin' and name droppin', part 2
>> Pictures from New York City (they're mostly beer-related, but not all. That's either a good thing or a sad thing, you decide.)
If you missed Part 1 yesterday, here's a handy link back to it to fill in the blanks, or not.
Financial District - the beginning of my second weekend visit to Patty in NYC began with a walking "tour" of lower Manhattan, taking a bunch of stock photos and walking the streets that I used to walk when I used to do more work in the Financial District. It's a bit of an odd place and not one that I particularly miss too terribly. But, yet fun for walking and sightseeing around.
Grand Central - I hopped the 4/5 subway line northbound and jumped off at Grand Central, taking more pictures along the way, and walking another 15 or so blocks before getting back on the subway to 86th Street. Why 86th Street? Next...
Papaya King - Everyone has their "thing". Since being introduced to Papaya King over 15 years ago by a friend, I like to stop in and grab the two hot dogs, fries, and smoothie drink special. There used to be more locations (including one in Philly's University City), but it appears that they're are now just down this original location as their sole Manhattan site. This one at 86th and 3rd is the nearly 80-year-old institution's original location and the perfect place to begin a zig-zagging walk south through Manhattan. Did I mention that it was another beautiful day?
Upper East Side - ah yes, the Upper East Side. Full of history, architecture, shopping, recreation, and a little bit of everything else. I don't know much of the Upper East Side's history -- other than that's where the Jefferson's moved to — but a leisurely and meandering walk through it is definitely recommended.
Eataly/Flatiron - I made my way to the Flatiron District whereupon I decided to check out what all the buzz is about surrounding the Eataly establishment. Holy cow....and fish, bread, coffee, gelato, wine, produce, pasta, restaurants, bars, and on and on and on. What doesn't this market have? While the wait for Birreria (the upstairs Sam Calagione/Leonardo DiVincenzo/Teo Musso joint brewpub effort) was too long for my liking and timetable, I soaked up the atmosphere downstairs in the sprawling market. Judging from others' comments, the brewpub may or may not impress, but my own impression was strongly formed in the ground floor market.
Gramercy - Just north of Union Square is Gramercy Park, one of the smaller and more attractive residential neighborhoods in NYC. The gated private park in the middle provides residents with their own secluded escape.
Union Square/Greenmarket - Into the autumn months, Greenmarket is a routine sight all around Union Square. Throughout the year, one of NYC's busiest and most eclectic and diverse public squares. For beer, a Heartland Brewery is just off the northwest corner.
Whole Foods/Union Square - The Whole Foods just off Union Square has a nice selection of beer, but no where near the volume and quality of Chelsea or Bowery locations. Still, the lower level where the beer is located gave me a chance to cool off from the increasing heat and a chance to watch the fileting of a grouper and opah and then sample the finished cooked product. So, there you go, a little tip of the day. When bouncing around a city and working up a sweat, duck into a market with a great beer selection to peruse and some free samples of food to enjoy.
Zum Schneider - Finally! After years of being told that this German bar in the East Village/Alphabet City would be well worth the mission to find it, I myself found it and an enjoyable hour or so atop a barstool with a couple of very nice beers. If I wasn't headed off to meet Patty for dinner, it certainly would have been the Schweinhaxen platter and more of the same in the glass. The thing about Zum Schneider is that it's not very close to a subway stop, at least not compared to many of the other beer destinations around the city. But, I'm guessing that, in fact, is what keeps it from becoming anything it doesn't want to be. Your best bet for getting there on foot (cheaters only need take a cab if it's raining!) is taking one of a few trains that stop at Astor Place (and walk east), the 1st Avenue stop along the L-train (and walk south), or the F-train to the 1st Avenue stop (and walk north). Any of these walks, though, will require roughly a 3/4 mile walk. A pleasant walk, but a walk nonetheless, and as I mentioned, I imagine that this is what keeps it from becoming overrun with tourists and über beer geeks. And, that it was makes it so darn nice to visit. Oh, and their exclusive Traunstein beers. And the German staff. And the indoor tree that the building is constructed around. The outdoor umbrella'ed tables and the large windows that open out to them. But let's just keep this all amongst the few of reading this, okay? Sehr gut.
Whole Foods/Bowery - The last of Whole Foods stops in NYC this time around was at the site of the original best of the chain market's beer stores. On Houston Street (we all know it's pronounced How-sten, yes?), there's a full-sized marketplace, a coffee bar, cafe, cheese cave, and one of the city's best retail beer selections. For this Pennsylvania guy on Houston Street, it's never too difficult to find Captain Lawrence and Goose Island (not in PA at all) and limited distribution beers of NY and New England-based breweries that make it only sporadically in southeastern Pennsylavnia. Did I mention that it includes a six-tap growler filling station? Plus, the B- ,the F-, and the D-trains are all just steps away. And if Whole Foods doesn't have what you're looking for, just a few blocks away is New Beer Distributors, also one of Manhattan's better beer retailers.
After closing out the night with some waterfront dining, but nothing too interesting on the beer front (come to think of it, I switched over to wine), we rested up for what we knew would be an energetic day of city walking the following day.
The Spotted Pig - We began this particular Sunday with a solid and delicious brunch, albeit slightly a more expensive than you might imagine or hope for, at the country's oft-cited "first gastropub". I honestly still don't have a firm grasp on the exact criteria for gastropub, but nonetheless The Spotted Pig delivers quality food and beverage in a comfortable atmosphere. Perhaps the ambiance paired with the service made the final bill a bit more palatable...as did the cask-conditioned Sixpoint Autobahn IPA. But, a deviled egg (one deviled egg, sliced into two halves) for $4 and a 14-ounce (maybe 12-ounce, tough to tell) glass of local cask-conditioned beer both seemed high even by NYC standards, particularly gastropub standards.
The remainder of the day was spent walking. Walking the West Village. Walking The High Line. Walking Midtown. Oops, back up. The High Line -- what a great addition to the West Village, Meatpacking District, and Midtown. Stretching from roughly 14th Street to 30th Street and nearly hugging 10th Avenue the distance, the views and the serenity offer locals and tourists alike a respite from the busy streets and more photographic perspectives than you can imagine. Put it on your short list.
B&H electronics - This entry on my trip report has absolutely nothing to do with beer. We stopped in for a new telephoto lens for our camera. I'm not quite sure that in my wild imagination that I could stretch even something remote to tie to B&E Electronics. It just needs to be said that if you're on Manhattan in need of, oh say, anything with a chip in it or related to something with a chip in it, B&H is your place. Prices are fair, selection is astounding, and service is beyond top-notch in a retail culture that we live in today that accepts below-subpar service. It's at 34th and 9th. Wanna know more? Drop a note to me and I'd be glad to fill you in.
Stout - Before heading out on my train ride into an approaching tropical storm (or hurricane, or whatever it was called), Patty saw me off with a quick meal at Stout, just a block from Penn Station. If you're looking for the best beer option, with decent food, within spitting distance of the train station, Stout is it. Sure, you could walk another 5-15 minutes and be at Rattle 'n' Hum, Heartland, Ginger Man, or Pony Bar, but when time is of the essence (as it was for us at that time), Stout fills the need quite well. In our numerous times at Stout, there's never been a particular "wow factor", but that's not really a criticism. The food, the beers, and the service are all at least average, if not above average on some days, and that, on most days, will suit just fine.
That's all for now...
If you missed Part 1 yesterday, here's a handy link back to it to fill in the blanks, or not.
Financial District - the beginning of my second weekend visit to Patty in NYC began with a walking "tour" of lower Manhattan, taking a bunch of stock photos and walking the streets that I used to walk when I used to do more work in the Financial District. It's a bit of an odd place and not one that I particularly miss too terribly. But, yet fun for walking and sightseeing around.
Grand Central - I hopped the 4/5 subway line northbound and jumped off at Grand Central, taking more pictures along the way, and walking another 15 or so blocks before getting back on the subway to 86th Street. Why 86th Street? Next...
Papaya King - Everyone has their "thing". Since being introduced to Papaya King over 15 years ago by a friend, I like to stop in and grab the two hot dogs, fries, and smoothie drink special. There used to be more locations (including one in Philly's University City), but it appears that they're are now just down this original location as their sole Manhattan site. This one at 86th and 3rd is the nearly 80-year-old institution's original location and the perfect place to begin a zig-zagging walk south through Manhattan. Did I mention that it was another beautiful day?
Upper East Side - ah yes, the Upper East Side. Full of history, architecture, shopping, recreation, and a little bit of everything else. I don't know much of the Upper East Side's history -- other than that's where the Jefferson's moved to — but a leisurely and meandering walk through it is definitely recommended.
Eataly/Flatiron - I made my way to the Flatiron District whereupon I decided to check out what all the buzz is about surrounding the Eataly establishment. Holy cow....and fish, bread, coffee, gelato, wine, produce, pasta, restaurants, bars, and on and on and on. What doesn't this market have? While the wait for Birreria (the upstairs Sam Calagione/Leonardo DiVincenzo/Teo Musso joint brewpub effort) was too long for my liking and timetable, I soaked up the atmosphere downstairs in the sprawling market. Judging from others' comments, the brewpub may or may not impress, but my own impression was strongly formed in the ground floor market.
Gramercy - Just north of Union Square is Gramercy Park, one of the smaller and more attractive residential neighborhoods in NYC. The gated private park in the middle provides residents with their own secluded escape.
Union Square/Greenmarket - Into the autumn months, Greenmarket is a routine sight all around Union Square. Throughout the year, one of NYC's busiest and most eclectic and diverse public squares. For beer, a Heartland Brewery is just off the northwest corner.
Whole Foods/Union Square - The Whole Foods just off Union Square has a nice selection of beer, but no where near the volume and quality of Chelsea or Bowery locations. Still, the lower level where the beer is located gave me a chance to cool off from the increasing heat and a chance to watch the fileting of a grouper and opah and then sample the finished cooked product. So, there you go, a little tip of the day. When bouncing around a city and working up a sweat, duck into a market with a great beer selection to peruse and some free samples of food to enjoy.
Zum Schneider - Finally! After years of being told that this German bar in the East Village/Alphabet City would be well worth the mission to find it, I myself found it and an enjoyable hour or so atop a barstool with a couple of very nice beers. If I wasn't headed off to meet Patty for dinner, it certainly would have been the Schweinhaxen platter and more of the same in the glass. The thing about Zum Schneider is that it's not very close to a subway stop, at least not compared to many of the other beer destinations around the city. But, I'm guessing that, in fact, is what keeps it from becoming anything it doesn't want to be. Your best bet for getting there on foot (cheaters only need take a cab if it's raining!) is taking one of a few trains that stop at Astor Place (and walk east), the 1st Avenue stop along the L-train (and walk south), or the F-train to the 1st Avenue stop (and walk north). Any of these walks, though, will require roughly a 3/4 mile walk. A pleasant walk, but a walk nonetheless, and as I mentioned, I imagine that this is what keeps it from becoming overrun with tourists and über beer geeks. And, that it was makes it so darn nice to visit. Oh, and their exclusive Traunstein beers. And the German staff. And the indoor tree that the building is constructed around. The outdoor umbrella'ed tables and the large windows that open out to them. But let's just keep this all amongst the few of reading this, okay? Sehr gut.
Whole Foods/Bowery - The last of Whole Foods stops in NYC this time around was at the site of the original best of the chain market's beer stores. On Houston Street (we all know it's pronounced How-sten, yes?), there's a full-sized marketplace, a coffee bar, cafe, cheese cave, and one of the city's best retail beer selections. For this Pennsylvania guy on Houston Street, it's never too difficult to find Captain Lawrence and Goose Island (not in PA at all) and limited distribution beers of NY and New England-based breweries that make it only sporadically in southeastern Pennsylavnia. Did I mention that it includes a six-tap growler filling station? Plus, the B- ,the F-, and the D-trains are all just steps away. And if Whole Foods doesn't have what you're looking for, just a few blocks away is New Beer Distributors, also one of Manhattan's better beer retailers.
After closing out the night with some waterfront dining, but nothing too interesting on the beer front (come to think of it, I switched over to wine), we rested up for what we knew would be an energetic day of city walking the following day.
The Spotted Pig - We began this particular Sunday with a solid and delicious brunch, albeit slightly a more expensive than you might imagine or hope for, at the country's oft-cited "first gastropub". I honestly still don't have a firm grasp on the exact criteria for gastropub, but nonetheless The Spotted Pig delivers quality food and beverage in a comfortable atmosphere. Perhaps the ambiance paired with the service made the final bill a bit more palatable...as did the cask-conditioned Sixpoint Autobahn IPA. But, a deviled egg (one deviled egg, sliced into two halves) for $4 and a 14-ounce (maybe 12-ounce, tough to tell) glass of local cask-conditioned beer both seemed high even by NYC standards, particularly gastropub standards.
The remainder of the day was spent walking. Walking the West Village. Walking The High Line. Walking Midtown. Oops, back up. The High Line -- what a great addition to the West Village, Meatpacking District, and Midtown. Stretching from roughly 14th Street to 30th Street and nearly hugging 10th Avenue the distance, the views and the serenity offer locals and tourists alike a respite from the busy streets and more photographic perspectives than you can imagine. Put it on your short list.
B&H electronics - This entry on my trip report has absolutely nothing to do with beer. We stopped in for a new telephoto lens for our camera. I'm not quite sure that in my wild imagination that I could stretch even something remote to tie to B&E Electronics. It just needs to be said that if you're on Manhattan in need of, oh say, anything with a chip in it or related to something with a chip in it, B&H is your place. Prices are fair, selection is astounding, and service is beyond top-notch in a retail culture that we live in today that accepts below-subpar service. It's at 34th and 9th. Wanna know more? Drop a note to me and I'd be glad to fill you in.
Stout - Before heading out on my train ride into an approaching tropical storm (or hurricane, or whatever it was called), Patty saw me off with a quick meal at Stout, just a block from Penn Station. If you're looking for the best beer option, with decent food, within spitting distance of the train station, Stout is it. Sure, you could walk another 5-15 minutes and be at Rattle 'n' Hum, Heartland, Ginger Man, or Pony Bar, but when time is of the essence (as it was for us at that time), Stout fills the need quite well. In our numerous times at Stout, there's never been a particular "wow factor", but that's not really a criticism. The food, the beers, and the service are all at least average, if not above average on some days, and that, on most days, will suit just fine.
That's all for now...
Tuesday, September 06, 2011
NYC trippin' and name droppin', part 1
>> Pictures from New York City (they're mostly beer-related, but not all. That's either a good thing or a sad thing, you decide.)
I've traversed the northeast from a few different directions over the past few weeks and I've done very little to share much of any of it with you.
By far, the majority of the time was spent across two separate weekends in New York City. Weather for both Saturdays was nearly as perfect as one could ask for in order to traverse the city while the Sundays consisted of one complete and utter washout and the other was a marginal and muggy one.
I'll present this to you in an abbreviated note format and mostly chronological. There's probably too much here for one posting, so I'll break this up in to two parts to make it a bit more, dare we say, digestible.
Brooklyn Brewery - happy hour on Friday nights at Brooklyn Brewery runs from 6pm-11pm. From the brewery setting to the relaxed atmosphere of groups of friends to the $4 beers (or $20 for 6...sold by the token), there's no reason not to hang out at Brooklyn Brewery all night. No food is served, but local restaurants deliver and there's a food truck parked out front. Very cool and very happy to have finally made it to the brewery after all these years. Oh, and key takeaway: Beer always tastes best fresh from the source. We all knew that already, right? Pennant Ale reminded me of this golden rule of beer.
Chelsea Market - not so much a stop for beer, but, rather, a great place to stop to "set the base" for beer drinking. Had a great BELT (this sandwich brought to you by the letter 'E' for egg) on toasted sourdough with an herbed aioli spread at Friedman's as a late breakfast sandwich before beginning my Saturday trekking around the city. This is a landmark building and a highly-recommended stop on any NYC visitor's tour around Manhattan. Plus, The High Line (more later) runs directly behind the Market. The hours are great too (7am-9pm, except Sunday, 8am-7pm)
Blind Tiger - There's probably not much to say about the Blind Tiger that hasn't been said before. Still widely considered one of NYC's finest and so much so, in my book, that I was there 3 times in less than 24 hours. I could explain why and how that happened, but it won't really add anything to the story. Okay, it will, and you know I'll get around to talking about it more later.
Governor's Island/Ommegang - I struggled with this one because I knew that it would involve some unknown level of commitment to get to Governor's Island. Yet, everything I've heard about Governor's Island quickly ratcheted this idea up my to-do list. Add to the scenario a Brews, Blues, & BBQ taking place (featuring Ommegang beers) and I had the recipe for a fun excursion off the southern tip of Lower Manhattan. Trouble is, a few thousand other people also seemed to have the same idea on this perfect Saturday. The line and wait at the South Ferry terminal were interminable (well, at 75 minutes, not completely interminable), but the payoff on the other side was worth it. Governor's Island is a walking, biking, beaching, relaxing respite from the hustle and bustle just a 1/4 mile away. The Ommegang "basics" were on tap (albeit with a confusing price schedule that certainly seemed to benefit the customer), barbecued food items were available for separate sale, and live music played at the end of the beach venue. Another bennie? The ferry ride and admission to the festival were both free of charge. The ferry is always free on weekends and holidays (hence the crowd, I suppose) and the beer festival is a weekly gig going into summer, each Saturday featuring a different brewery...this coming Saturday, Breckenridge, and the final one on 9/17, Oskar Blues.
Jimmy's No. 43 - Upon return from Governor's Island, I was faced with napping or continuing my afternoon-long whirlwind tour of Manhattan. Nap, surely I jest! And, as I surely as I jested, I surely continued up to 7th Street, which puts the BBC in Beer Bar Central — McSorley's, Burp Castle, Standings, and Jimmy's No. 43 all on the same block. I'd met Jimmy Carbone, proprietor, for the first time just weeks earlier at Ommegang's BCTC in Cooperstown and promised a visit in the near future. Neither of us knew how soon this time would come. I was proud of myself for blowing off the whole old man napping thing, because after descending the ten or so steps into the subterranean beer bar, I knew that this would be the special kind of place at which I could spend all night. Did, in fact, run into Jimmy, whom I gave my regrets to for not being able to share dinner with. But, after an hour of hanging at the bar with a couple of other interesting characters and running down the local beer scene with the bartender and a couple of customers, I needed to get back for my meetup with Mrs. Brew Lounge. There has got to be a return to Jimmy's in the very near future and food, for certain, must be part of that visit.
O'Hara's - Prior to heading out in search of dinner, we gathered with some of Patty's co-workers at Ground Zero's unofficial headquarters, O'Hara's, for commisserating over the last ten years since 9/11/01. After ten years, I can't imagine working there day in and day out with the haunting memories of pre-9/11 and the events of 9/11 and beyond. It's affected me personally enough as the casual business and leisure traveler to NYC a handful of times a year. At O'Hara's, the memories are played out each day and night over (primarily) beer and whisky. The atmosphere is real, the conversations are vivid, and the scrapbook of pictures, letters, and mementos makes for one of the most emotional bar visits you could imagine.
Palma - Patty and I moved along to Parma, which had been recommended to me by a top chef from Las Vegas whom I sat next to at Blind Tiger earlier in the day. (See how this all ties together? No? Well, trust me, it does.) She raved about the quality of food being put out from a small space just around the corner from Blind Tiger as well as the quality in the front of the house experience. We followed her advice and after a nice gin and tonic at the cozy bar, we found ourselves into a couple of very decent pasta dishes and a bottle of Italian wine. Now, we too, can highly recommend Parma.
Blind Tiger - Late night stop at Blind Tiger simply due to having dinner just around the corner at Parma. The day had gone on long enough and I was battle-weary; I couldn't tell you what my last T.U.D. of the day was.
Wafel & Dinges Truck - I've been following these guys on Twitter for a couple of years and now I've finally caught up with them. They were parked on 7th avenue across from the 1-train's Christopher Street subway stop and I knew this because of their Tweet earlier in the day (love how that works out so nicely). This is a great way of how using Twitter for business purposes can work so well with a customer base. One with Nutella and Spekuloos and one with ice cream and whipped cream made for the perfect midnight snack before heading back to our hotel. Not that we were really all too hungry at this point, but Belgian Wafels?! And Dinges!! C'mon!
Blind Tiger - Okay, so much for not adding anything to the Blind Tiger story (see above). My third stop in 24 hours at the Blind Tiger coincided with Sunday morning brunch. It also marked the third time in 24 hours seeing bartender Luke Bryan (nah, just kidding, inside joke) and the second time seeing Jen Schwertman. This brunch encapsulated everything that is wonderful about the Blind Tiger: Knowledgeable and friendly service; talented and accomplished kitchen serving up creative and tasty food; and a stellar beer list. There was a special Sunday promotion taking place with Harpoon, so it made perfect sense to pair the Uncle Fester (which, by the way, just exactly what the hell is a Bourbon Barrel-Aged Octoberfest aged on Brettanomyces wild yeast and other funky cultures?! I'll leave it to you style people to figure that one out! But, who cares, because it was pretty friggin' tasty is what it was. Still, does it get judged in barrel-aged category or the experimental category? Ale or Lager? That deserves an LOL for sure) with the beer-battered pancakes served along with bourbon barrel-aged maple syrup. Add in the very, very good Saison Various (a blend of 5 different Saisons made by 5 different sets of Harpoon brewers with 5 different recipes. One had lemongrass, one was a rye beer, some were spiced, and some were hoppy. The blend was put into a Cabernet barrel and aged for 1 month) and the rainy Sunday was off to a perfect start. Plus a couple of people at our table were introduced to Allagash White for the first time and they fell in love (with the beer, not each other!). It's always fun to see people's reaction to a new beer.
Slaughtered Lamb - The only unfortunate thing about taking a walk break here to get out of the thunderstorm downpour was the $12.50 for a 330ml Duvel bottle. Yes, you read that correctly. Even by NYC standards, I can't see this as anything other than an egregious attempt to capitalize on the popularity of better beer. Unfortunately, we didn't ask before we ordered four of them and received a check for $50. Though, with it being a nice round number; kind of makes you wonder. Otherwise, it was a fun flashback to when I stumbled upon this bar (way before StumbleUpon existed) roughly 20 years ago.
Rattle 'n' Hum - It was only a matter of time before I got back to this highly-regarded beer destination just east of Penn Station. Losing track of time, we must have put in at least a couple of hours here tearing through one good beer after another. It's hard to ignore the well-conceived plates of cheese here as well. Good service, beer, and snacks. A+ all around, more satisfied customers. Plus, what else are we gonna do in the middle of a day-long torrential downpour?
Whole Foods Chelsea - How many Whole Foods beer sections can I visit in NYC within a week? Three, if I didn't lose count along the way. This location is not the best of the NYC-based Whole Foods, but it is the closest to Penn Station which makes for a convenient stop before taking the train out of the city. There's not a ton of beer to be found in NYC that can't be found in the beer-rich Philadelphia region. Captain Lawrence and Goose Island are just a couple that I'm always on the lookout for when hopping around NYC's better retail beer stores. Philly's a tough market guys, I understand; just stay in NY and I'll come and get you :-p
Il Bastardo - To close out this particular rainy Sunday, it was yet another stop at Il Bastardo. It began with a stop here in '06 the night prior to my running of the NYC Marathon. Since then, I've been back to this self-described Tuscan Grill, raw bar, and wine bar in the Chelsea neighborhood a handful of times, making it perhaps the restaurant I've been to the second most in Manhattan only behind Blind Tiger.
Coming tomorrow, Part 2 and much more from the city that keeps getting better beer and better with beer.
I've traversed the northeast from a few different directions over the past few weeks and I've done very little to share much of any of it with you.
By far, the majority of the time was spent across two separate weekends in New York City. Weather for both Saturdays was nearly as perfect as one could ask for in order to traverse the city while the Sundays consisted of one complete and utter washout and the other was a marginal and muggy one.
I'll present this to you in an abbreviated note format and mostly chronological. There's probably too much here for one posting, so I'll break this up in to two parts to make it a bit more, dare we say, digestible.
Brooklyn Brewery - happy hour on Friday nights at Brooklyn Brewery runs from 6pm-11pm. From the brewery setting to the relaxed atmosphere of groups of friends to the $4 beers (or $20 for 6...sold by the token), there's no reason not to hang out at Brooklyn Brewery all night. No food is served, but local restaurants deliver and there's a food truck parked out front. Very cool and very happy to have finally made it to the brewery after all these years. Oh, and key takeaway: Beer always tastes best fresh from the source. We all knew that already, right? Pennant Ale reminded me of this golden rule of beer.
Chelsea Market - not so much a stop for beer, but, rather, a great place to stop to "set the base" for beer drinking. Had a great BELT (this sandwich brought to you by the letter 'E' for egg) on toasted sourdough with an herbed aioli spread at Friedman's as a late breakfast sandwich before beginning my Saturday trekking around the city. This is a landmark building and a highly-recommended stop on any NYC visitor's tour around Manhattan. Plus, The High Line (more later) runs directly behind the Market. The hours are great too (7am-9pm, except Sunday, 8am-7pm)
Blind Tiger - There's probably not much to say about the Blind Tiger that hasn't been said before. Still widely considered one of NYC's finest and so much so, in my book, that I was there 3 times in less than 24 hours. I could explain why and how that happened, but it won't really add anything to the story. Okay, it will, and you know I'll get around to talking about it more later.
Governor's Island/Ommegang - I struggled with this one because I knew that it would involve some unknown level of commitment to get to Governor's Island. Yet, everything I've heard about Governor's Island quickly ratcheted this idea up my to-do list. Add to the scenario a Brews, Blues, & BBQ taking place (featuring Ommegang beers) and I had the recipe for a fun excursion off the southern tip of Lower Manhattan. Trouble is, a few thousand other people also seemed to have the same idea on this perfect Saturday. The line and wait at the South Ferry terminal were interminable (well, at 75 minutes, not completely interminable), but the payoff on the other side was worth it. Governor's Island is a walking, biking, beaching, relaxing respite from the hustle and bustle just a 1/4 mile away. The Ommegang "basics" were on tap (albeit with a confusing price schedule that certainly seemed to benefit the customer), barbecued food items were available for separate sale, and live music played at the end of the beach venue. Another bennie? The ferry ride and admission to the festival were both free of charge. The ferry is always free on weekends and holidays (hence the crowd, I suppose) and the beer festival is a weekly gig going into summer, each Saturday featuring a different brewery...this coming Saturday, Breckenridge, and the final one on 9/17, Oskar Blues.
Jimmy's No. 43 - Upon return from Governor's Island, I was faced with napping or continuing my afternoon-long whirlwind tour of Manhattan. Nap, surely I jest! And, as I surely as I jested, I surely continued up to 7th Street, which puts the BBC in Beer Bar Central — McSorley's, Burp Castle, Standings, and Jimmy's No. 43 all on the same block. I'd met Jimmy Carbone, proprietor, for the first time just weeks earlier at Ommegang's BCTC in Cooperstown and promised a visit in the near future. Neither of us knew how soon this time would come. I was proud of myself for blowing off the whole old man napping thing, because after descending the ten or so steps into the subterranean beer bar, I knew that this would be the special kind of place at which I could spend all night. Did, in fact, run into Jimmy, whom I gave my regrets to for not being able to share dinner with. But, after an hour of hanging at the bar with a couple of other interesting characters and running down the local beer scene with the bartender and a couple of customers, I needed to get back for my meetup with Mrs. Brew Lounge. There has got to be a return to Jimmy's in the very near future and food, for certain, must be part of that visit.
O'Hara's - Prior to heading out in search of dinner, we gathered with some of Patty's co-workers at Ground Zero's unofficial headquarters, O'Hara's, for commisserating over the last ten years since 9/11/01. After ten years, I can't imagine working there day in and day out with the haunting memories of pre-9/11 and the events of 9/11 and beyond. It's affected me personally enough as the casual business and leisure traveler to NYC a handful of times a year. At O'Hara's, the memories are played out each day and night over (primarily) beer and whisky. The atmosphere is real, the conversations are vivid, and the scrapbook of pictures, letters, and mementos makes for one of the most emotional bar visits you could imagine.
Palma - Patty and I moved along to Parma, which had been recommended to me by a top chef from Las Vegas whom I sat next to at Blind Tiger earlier in the day. (See how this all ties together? No? Well, trust me, it does.) She raved about the quality of food being put out from a small space just around the corner from Blind Tiger as well as the quality in the front of the house experience. We followed her advice and after a nice gin and tonic at the cozy bar, we found ourselves into a couple of very decent pasta dishes and a bottle of Italian wine. Now, we too, can highly recommend Parma.
Blind Tiger - Late night stop at Blind Tiger simply due to having dinner just around the corner at Parma. The day had gone on long enough and I was battle-weary; I couldn't tell you what my last T.U.D. of the day was.
Wafel & Dinges Truck - I've been following these guys on Twitter for a couple of years and now I've finally caught up with them. They were parked on 7th avenue across from the 1-train's Christopher Street subway stop and I knew this because of their Tweet earlier in the day (love how that works out so nicely). This is a great way of how using Twitter for business purposes can work so well with a customer base. One with Nutella and Spekuloos and one with ice cream and whipped cream made for the perfect midnight snack before heading back to our hotel. Not that we were really all too hungry at this point, but Belgian Wafels?! And Dinges!! C'mon!
Blind Tiger - Okay, so much for not adding anything to the Blind Tiger story (see above). My third stop in 24 hours at the Blind Tiger coincided with Sunday morning brunch. It also marked the third time in 24 hours seeing bartender Luke Bryan (nah, just kidding, inside joke) and the second time seeing Jen Schwertman. This brunch encapsulated everything that is wonderful about the Blind Tiger: Knowledgeable and friendly service; talented and accomplished kitchen serving up creative and tasty food; and a stellar beer list. There was a special Sunday promotion taking place with Harpoon, so it made perfect sense to pair the Uncle Fester (which, by the way, just exactly what the hell is a Bourbon Barrel-Aged Octoberfest aged on Brettanomyces wild yeast and other funky cultures?! I'll leave it to you style people to figure that one out! But, who cares, because it was pretty friggin' tasty is what it was. Still, does it get judged in barrel-aged category or the experimental category? Ale or Lager? That deserves an LOL for sure) with the beer-battered pancakes served along with bourbon barrel-aged maple syrup. Add in the very, very good Saison Various (a blend of 5 different Saisons made by 5 different sets of Harpoon brewers with 5 different recipes. One had lemongrass, one was a rye beer, some were spiced, and some were hoppy. The blend was put into a Cabernet barrel and aged for 1 month) and the rainy Sunday was off to a perfect start. Plus a couple of people at our table were introduced to Allagash White for the first time and they fell in love (with the beer, not each other!). It's always fun to see people's reaction to a new beer.
Slaughtered Lamb - The only unfortunate thing about taking a walk break here to get out of the thunderstorm downpour was the $12.50 for a 330ml Duvel bottle. Yes, you read that correctly. Even by NYC standards, I can't see this as anything other than an egregious attempt to capitalize on the popularity of better beer. Unfortunately, we didn't ask before we ordered four of them and received a check for $50. Though, with it being a nice round number; kind of makes you wonder. Otherwise, it was a fun flashback to when I stumbled upon this bar (way before StumbleUpon existed) roughly 20 years ago.
Rattle 'n' Hum - It was only a matter of time before I got back to this highly-regarded beer destination just east of Penn Station. Losing track of time, we must have put in at least a couple of hours here tearing through one good beer after another. It's hard to ignore the well-conceived plates of cheese here as well. Good service, beer, and snacks. A+ all around, more satisfied customers. Plus, what else are we gonna do in the middle of a day-long torrential downpour?
Whole Foods Chelsea - How many Whole Foods beer sections can I visit in NYC within a week? Three, if I didn't lose count along the way. This location is not the best of the NYC-based Whole Foods, but it is the closest to Penn Station which makes for a convenient stop before taking the train out of the city. There's not a ton of beer to be found in NYC that can't be found in the beer-rich Philadelphia region. Captain Lawrence and Goose Island are just a couple that I'm always on the lookout for when hopping around NYC's better retail beer stores. Philly's a tough market guys, I understand; just stay in NY and I'll come and get you :-p
Il Bastardo - To close out this particular rainy Sunday, it was yet another stop at Il Bastardo. It began with a stop here in '06 the night prior to my running of the NYC Marathon. Since then, I've been back to this self-described Tuscan Grill, raw bar, and wine bar in the Chelsea neighborhood a handful of times, making it perhaps the restaurant I've been to the second most in Manhattan only behind Blind Tiger.
Coming tomorrow, Part 2 and much more from the city that keeps getting better beer and better with beer.
Friday, February 12, 2010
A Tasty Secret from Joe Sixpack
Buried inside of Joe's weekly update was this little nugget: "Psst... Captain Lawrence is coming to Philly soon. You heard it here first."
Wednesday, September 09, 2009
The Belgian Café provides better relief than Brad Lidge
I'm going to keep this one short, because I'm in deep with the Ebenezer's crew and Sean Paxton for still not sharing all the goodness that was my New England journey and Ebenezer's Belgian Beer Feast/Festival. This Monk's review will now be the second food/beer event that I've covered since returning from Maine. I promise that one day very soon you'll get to hear all about it. Just think, all of the internet hubbub will have died down by then and you'll be all refreshed and ready to hear about it all over again!
In case you lost track, after the tragedy above Monk's Cafe (which, emphasis added, had nothing to do with Monk's itself) over a week ago, Monk's was reopened this past weekend but didn't want to impact its customer base yet another day. So, the scheduled dinner with Scott Vaccaro of Captain Lawrence in West Chester county New York was moved to its sister restaurant, The Belgian Café.
Scott's a great speaker who brought a lot of energy, passion, and expertise to the beer dinner. After being introduced by Fergie Carey (proprietor) and George Hummel (emcee...but, had never had a Captain Lawrence?!), Scott jumped into his background in brewing and the history of the brewery. Having started homebrewing at 17, making his way through UC Davis brewing school, and making a pitstop at Sierra Nevada, Scott opened Captain Lawrence on a shoestring budget in 2005.
Fast forward a few years and Scott and his team are making some of the country's most interesting and celebrated beers...beers that often involve less-than-ordinary ingredients, collaborations with other brewers, barrel-aging, and blending. It didn't take long for his brewery to be recognized for its award-winning brews at the Great American Beer Festival in both 2007 and 2008.
Like I said, I'm going to keep this (relatively) brief. Suffice to say that this was an all-star dinner of brewers, writers, beer geeks, and...well, who else would there be? I've sprinkled a few pictures below, and I'm sure you'll recognize some of the rock stars. Without further ado, here's the menu with some shorthand notes from yours truly. Enjoy...
First Course
Grilled Watermelon; basted w/Cuvee de Castleton, thai basil, orange zest & ginger
~ paired with Cuvee de Castleton; made with muscat grapes & brett. aged in oak
Notes: Batch #3 of the Castleton; watermelon done grilled didn't tickle me much in any way, but the beer was perfect and actually went even better with the dessert (read on)
Second Course
Lancaster County Frittata; with local eggs, corn, tomatoes, & zucchini
~ paired with NY3; a 6% dry hopped amber farmhouse collaboration ale (between Southampton, Ithaca, and Captain Lawrence)
Notes: I love me some breakfast for dinner, so the frittata worked very well for me; this beer, brewed for NY Beer Week, sourced with New York State hops and honey, dry-hopped with Willamette, and finished a "Belgian Yeast that Phil Markowski found" got better as it warmed, losing its initial ash-y taste and letting the honey come through a bit later on
Third Course
Roasted Quail; stuffed with wild rice, walnuts, & local peaches; lacquered with xtra gold and pureed peaches
~ paired with Xtra Gold; a 10% Triple that has tons of hops
Notes: "tons of hops"? sure thing...as in Amarillo. Even though I'm not always a fan of picking apart a small bird, sifting through its bones, this was a tasty dish. Another beer that might actually had been better paired with the dessert.
Fourth Course
Cioppino; local tomatoes, clams, mussels, shrimp, & cod
~ paired with Captain's Reserve IPA; an imperial IPA
Notes: Though this IPA might have gone better with the quail than did the Triple, this here was probably my favorite pairing of the evening. The pineapple sweetness and bursting hops were nicely balanced, barely disguising this as an "imperial" IPA. Chinook, Columbus, Cascade, and Amarillo if I have my notes correct.
Fifth Course
Pear Tart; w/ bleu cheese crust
~ paired with Smoke from the Oak; smoked porter aged in apple brandy barrels
Notes: 125 cases were made and its official release will be at the brewery this coming Saturday, 9/12. Nice beer, went pretty well with the dessert, the crust bursting with bleu cheese. In my opinion (is this where I put FWIW? or IMO?), the Cuvee de Castleton and its fruit flavors and moderately funky edge went even better with the fruit tart and its funky bleu cheese crust.
Oh, and since I really didn't comment above about The Belgian Café's ability to pull off this dinner, allow me to do so right about here and now. This dinner cruised along nicely with an ending time just shy of two hours after its beginning. The staff worked the square room effortlessly and efficiently. Perhaps the only drawback was the at-times overbearing din of the high decibel crowd.
But, at the same time, have you ever seen everyone who attended the same Monk's Beer Dinner as you? With the dining crowd stretched out from the "exclusive" front window seating to the sometimes-participating back room at Monk's, and the tables in between, you just never will see everyone attending the dinner all at once. That was no problem at The Belgian Café.
Come to think of it, I wouldn't mind more dinners moved up the Art Museum neighborhood to mix things up from time to time at Monk's.
Scott's a great speaker who brought a lot of energy, passion, and expertise to the beer dinner. After being introduced by Fergie Carey (proprietor) and George Hummel (emcee...but, had never had a Captain Lawrence?!), Scott jumped into his background in brewing and the history of the brewery. Having started homebrewing at 17, making his way through UC Davis brewing school, and making a pitstop at Sierra Nevada, Scott opened Captain Lawrence on a shoestring budget in 2005.
Fast forward a few years and Scott and his team are making some of the country's most interesting and celebrated beers...beers that often involve less-than-ordinary ingredients, collaborations with other brewers, barrel-aging, and blending. It didn't take long for his brewery to be recognized for its award-winning brews at the Great American Beer Festival in both 2007 and 2008.
Like I said, I'm going to keep this (relatively) brief. Suffice to say that this was an all-star dinner of brewers, writers, beer geeks, and...well, who else would there be? I've sprinkled a few pictures below, and I'm sure you'll recognize some of the rock stars. Without further ado, here's the menu with some shorthand notes from yours truly. Enjoy...
First Course
Grilled Watermelon; basted w/Cuvee de Castleton, thai basil, orange zest & ginger
~ paired with Cuvee de Castleton; made with muscat grapes & brett. aged in oak
Notes: Batch #3 of the Castleton; watermelon done grilled didn't tickle me much in any way, but the beer was perfect and actually went even better with the dessert (read on)
Second Course
Lancaster County Frittata; with local eggs, corn, tomatoes, & zucchini
~ paired with NY3; a 6% dry hopped amber farmhouse collaboration ale (between Southampton, Ithaca, and Captain Lawrence)
Notes: I love me some breakfast for dinner, so the frittata worked very well for me; this beer, brewed for NY Beer Week, sourced with New York State hops and honey, dry-hopped with Willamette, and finished a "Belgian Yeast that Phil Markowski found" got better as it warmed, losing its initial ash-y taste and letting the honey come through a bit later on
Third Course
Roasted Quail; stuffed with wild rice, walnuts, & local peaches; lacquered with xtra gold and pureed peaches
~ paired with Xtra Gold; a 10% Triple that has tons of hops
Notes: "tons of hops"? sure thing...as in Amarillo. Even though I'm not always a fan of picking apart a small bird, sifting through its bones, this was a tasty dish. Another beer that might actually had been better paired with the dessert.
Fourth Course
Cioppino; local tomatoes, clams, mussels, shrimp, & cod
~ paired with Captain's Reserve IPA; an imperial IPA
Notes: Though this IPA might have gone better with the quail than did the Triple, this here was probably my favorite pairing of the evening. The pineapple sweetness and bursting hops were nicely balanced, barely disguising this as an "imperial" IPA. Chinook, Columbus, Cascade, and Amarillo if I have my notes correct.
Fifth Course
Pear Tart; w/ bleu cheese crust
~ paired with Smoke from the Oak; smoked porter aged in apple brandy barrels
Notes: 125 cases were made and its official release will be at the brewery this coming Saturday, 9/12. Nice beer, went pretty well with the dessert, the crust bursting with bleu cheese. In my opinion (is this where I put FWIW? or IMO?), the Cuvee de Castleton and its fruit flavors and moderately funky edge went even better with the fruit tart and its funky bleu cheese crust.
Oh, and since I really didn't comment above about The Belgian Café's ability to pull off this dinner, allow me to do so right about here and now. This dinner cruised along nicely with an ending time just shy of two hours after its beginning. The staff worked the square room effortlessly and efficiently. Perhaps the only drawback was the at-times overbearing din of the high decibel crowd.
But, at the same time, have you ever seen everyone who attended the same Monk's Beer Dinner as you? With the dining crowd stretched out from the "exclusive" front window seating to the sometimes-participating back room at Monk's, and the tables in between, you just never will see everyone attending the dinner all at once. That was no problem at The Belgian Café.
Come to think of it, I wouldn't mind more dinners moved up the Art Museum neighborhood to mix things up from time to time at Monk's.
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