Writing This Ship: Part 1 - A Return to BCTC at Brewery Ommegang

(Click for a full gallery of BCTC weekend pictures)
You may recall last week when I referred to getting my posting mojo back here in this fabulous space of The Brew Lounge, now crossing into its 12th year. Got the events calendar rolling again first after an uncharacteristic two months off.

Now I've got quite a laundry list of material to share with you. And instead of beginning with the oldest first, how about we kick things off here with a look back to last weekend and the annual Belgium Comes To Cooperstown (BCTC) at Brewery Ommegang in Cooperstown, NY.

I haven't been to Ommegang's hotly sought-after BCTC event since 2013. Needed a couple of years off to focus on writing and selling this little book project that I was working on if you recall ;-)

So of course I was looking to see how much the weekend of festivities had changed in three years. Glad to report that save for the seemingly always-increasing price (this year, $275 for the full-weekend-VIP and $110 for the Saturday tasting tent only), not much has changed...and that's a pretty darn good thing. While the price almost always goes up from year to year, the spirit has remained the same (more on that later). Full disclosure: my admission was provided by the brewery and my +1's was not.

Back in 2013, one of my oldest friends accompanied me to the over-the-top celebration of beer, food, and life in Cooperstown. This time it was my nephew's turn. Me having been to the festival, now, nine times, it's refreshingly interesting to see the festival through a first-timer's eyes and glass. But the routine was the same as always. Check in. Get credentials. Stake out a flat piece of campground. Set up. Grab a beer (or is that vice versa?) and begin to unwind and settle in. Tip #1 to newcomers: This is a must before the afternoon and evening get away from you, darkness falls, and you find your tent and bedding not set up.

As with every other year, making friends out of perfect strangers camping in close quarters was not a problem at all. By the time the tent and canopy was set up, before you knew it, our campsite was nearly one with the good people from NYC and Baltimore that we became friendly with and shared our first few beers - the first of many during the weekend.

Then it was off to the Retail Shop for some purchases. Tip #2 to newcomers: Make your retail purchases at Ommegang's shop on Friday and miss the crowds in there on Saturday. Because, if the night's weather is chilly and you need a hoody, they'll most likely be sold out by Saturday.

A few more beers, a few more friends, and a bit more walkabout and it was time to indulge in the decadent six-course meal that runs the better part of 4-5 hours by the time all is said and done and eaten and drunk. No shortage of beer (Ommegang and Duvel beers only during dinner) or food, live music, and good times to get the night into full swing.

The nighttime is much as you've probably heard - lots of campsite sitting, campsite wandering, beer sharing, bonfire watching, music listening and dancing, and plenty more. My nephew noted that it's really not a lot different than the atmosphere of overnight music camping that he's done in the past.

Saturday morning's cobweb clearing came courtesy of the quaint village of Cooperstown, less than two square miles but home to a beautiful lake, museums, the Baseball Hall of Fame, a farmers market, and more baseball-themed businesses than you could probably imagine. Some went to the lake, some went to the Hall of Fame, my nephew and I went to the farmers market (and brought back some corn-on-the-cob and Camambert cheese from a local farmer for some later campsite cooking), took in some sightseeing (his first time to Cooperstown), and watched a couple innings of baseball at Doubleday Field.

We even squeezed in two beer stops during our excursion in to town. The first was a surprise from a new-ish farm-based brewery in nearby Oneonta/Milford called Willow Creek. Enjoyed the Pale Ale and Stout enough to bring a four-pack home with me.

Then, finally after all these years of passing them by, we stopped and spent around 45 minutes in Cooperstown Brewing Company's tasting room. Learned that the parent company of Cooperstown had recently acquired their contract brewer - Davidson Brothers in Glens Falls. That little newsy bit coupled with a new brewer (since I'd last tasted beers from them), the story became more intriguing for me. Then I tasted the beers and was floored; what an improvement. The Nine Man Golden Ale makes for a tasty, low-alcohol summer refresher. The Backyard IPA is an excellent, English-leaning IPA (not enough of these around imo). And the Old Slugger leans English Pale as well. So happy to have taken the time to get to know these guys all over again.

That was the perfect segue to lunch, a few beers and ciders on the patio with the Duvel/Ommegang family, and ramping up the energy for the mid-afternoon tasting portion of the festival. The Saturday tasting has always been a significant portion of the weekend; now, however, it's bigger than ever. Two full-size tents of breweries and now focused more sharply on New York State breweries - or does it just seem that way just because there's more of them than ever? That was a good thing. Though I miss brewers and reps from breweries no longer participating in the festival, my focus was able to become more trained on the up-and-coming guys I hadn't previously seen. Which made the four-hour session go by seemingly faster than ever.

In this growth, however, a bit of what put the Belgium in Belgium Comes To Cooperstown has slipped. I drank beers ranging all across the spectrum, not just Belgian or Belgian-styled. Yes there were plenty of abbey beers, funky beers, saison, etc. But I also drank lagers, bocks, and saw way more IPAs (and other hop centric beers) than I needed to.

But that didn't make it any worse and, in fact, in some cases was nice to have a "calibration beer" to reset the palate along the way. In alphabetical order, ones that stood out to me included:

• Allagash Nancy (sour)
• Binghamton Purple Rain (gose)
• Brewery at CIA Soigne (saison)
• Ellicottville Raspberry Beret (sour)
• Forbidden Root Sublime Ginger (wheat)
• Galaxy St. Stusan (belgian blonde)
• Moustache Franco 'Murica (saison) and Blueberry & Ginger (tripel)
• Rushing Duck Bauli (saison)
• Sloop Juice Bomb (ipa) and Sauer Peach (berliner weisse)
• Telegraph Obscura Vulpine (barrel-aged red ale)

And apparently there were nearly another 400 beers from close to 100 breweries. If I'd found them all, I probably still wouldn't be upright to share them with you.

There's probably much more to say, but you likely have already stopped reading. I'm constantly amazed both at the number of first-timers that I encounter at the festival. And also amazed at how many I still hear talk about the festival as a bucket list-type of beer event for them.

No doubt it continues to be an unforgettable experience and a Top 10-style beer event experience in the country. Is it the same as attendees recall 10+ years ago? Not in scale or price, but in the spirit, camaraderie, and celebration of great beer, food, and people - Yes, absolutely it is.

Belgium Comes To Cooperstown 2013 at Brewery Ommegang in Cooperstown, NY

(This pretty much pulls the whole of BCTC at Brewery Ommegang into one image.)
2013. Yes, 2013. This is not a typo. While BCTC 2013 is now over four weeks in our rear view mirrors, I'm not here to write about 2014 quite yet. Nope, still must wrap up the 2013 edition.

I've started, been interrupted, re-started, got distracted, had a hard drive issue, and yadda yadda yadda. It's finally time to put the bow on the annual extravaganza that is Belgium Comes To Cooperstown at Brewery Ommegang. Every year on the outskirts of the quaint and lovely throwback of a village called Cooperstown, the brewery puts on what has without much argument turned into a bucket-list type of beer festival.

You may have caught up with the pictures that I loaded immediately in the days after BCTC '13. The words, though, have taken me longer to get around to. Remember how I've always boasted that the words come easier to me than the pictures? Hm.

Anyway, to get this all properly shared with you and to close out this tenth anniversary chapter of BCTC at Brewery Ommegang, I'll again thank the brewery for their hospitality and get on with the sharing in abbreviated bullet format. Also, for the sneak peeks and tastes of new beers from Ommegang soon to be hitting retail shelves, look below for where I mention them.

(a-Chouffe-ing we will go)
  Theme - Always the clever theme-setters at BCTC, the brewery played up the Seinfeld theme in ways big and small (and probably some I didn't even notice) throughout the weekend. From the episodes being projected on the side of the building for late-night viewing entertainment, to VIP dinner menu and table decorations, to Costanza's infamous Timeless Art of Seduction (see pictures for the full picture if you dare)

  Weather - Other than a quick storm on Friday evening, Mother Nature offered up a nice respite from last year's heat. If you've been to BCTC multiple times over the years, or followed along with The Brew Lounge's annual chronicle of the event, you know this is always a wild card element of the weekend given the wacky microclimates of the region.

  Organization - More than ever, the brewery has battened down the hatches and turned this festival into a well-run and organized event. Keeping the total attendance under 3,000 seems to have helped the brewery find its sweet spot in terms of optimal crowd control and event management. This year, that included expanded parking, the registration tent pushed out into the field, and golf cart transportation hospitality for campers arriving on Friday with all of their campsite gear. That last feature scored big points with many of the VIP guests, including me, who have asked in past years for a more accommodating option to set up campsites in lieu of being permitted to drive on to the property in order to drop off their cargo.

(Brewery Ommegang, resplendent in red)
  Hop Chef - I love this thing called Hop Chef that they coordinate around the country for a few months leading up to BCTC. The culinary competition, which involves beers from the Ommegang/Duvel family (natch), culminates with the finals during BCTC but I hesitate to say that it's everything that it can/should be. The celebration of food and beer is played up big time in the regional showdowns and would seem to be deserving of a grander culmination. Whether it was the tasting tables running short of samples or the rather tepid gathering by the main stage for the winning chef announcement, there seem to be elements — and I'm not able to put a finger specifically what those one or two things are — missing that would make the Hop Chef competition finals a more wildly successful conclusion than it currently is.

  Extracirriculars - Each year, BCTC offers up a little something new to add to the well-rounded nature of the weekend. This year, it was a bit larger than just a "little something". A ferris wheel gave rides late into the evening and was quite popular with a seemingly never-ending line of eager riders. Our campsite neighbors even found their way up there for a memorable wedding proposal (and acceptance!). Congratulations to Jen and Jeff!! Adding to the extracirriculars, as well, was an ever-expanding vendor area that included everything from homebrew equipment to massage chairs to a phone-charging station. Food options plus plenty of free bottled water were readily available too. If you follow me closely enough around here, you know how big that last bit about abundantly available free/included water is to me.

  Brewery shout-outs - It's easy to give props to the recurring great work on display from long-timers like Allagash, Brooklyn, Dogfish Head, and, of course, host Ommegang/Duvel. And then there are the ones not quite as old, but almost as familiar, like Captain Lawrence, Ithaca, Peekskill, Smuttynose, and White Birch. More interesting, still, every year to me is the emergence of the new guys on the scene. This year, I counted nine breweries that not only have I never had a beer of theirs, I've never heard of them. Notable amongst the ones I did have this year came from the likes of Good Nature (Hypocritte Witte — refreshing with chamomile), Hopshire Farm (Zingabeer — a Belgian pale with a zing of ginger), Port Jefferson (H3 Trippel — nicely balanced for a 10.1%), and Singlecut Beersmiths (Le Von La Saison D'Falle).

(Tastes of more great stuff to come from Brewery Ommegang)
  New beers from Ommegang - Brewery Ommegang plans to keep the hits coming with four new beers that will be hitting the market in coming months. I'm betting that they'll be big hits. I was invited to take a quick sample of them with Innovation Manager, Mike McManus. First up, for you Game of Thrones junkies, Take the Black will be released throughout September as the second beer in the series with serious thematic ties to the HBO show. While the first Iron Throne was a pretty good Belgian ale, I'm liking this one even more as it strikes a very nice balance with licorice root and anise. These are two flavors, when in beer, I'd typically be cautious of. However, back to the word balance, the brewery has done such a nice job with a deft balancing of these flavors in a 7% imperial stout.

I've been high on Grisette this summer, particularly from Sly Fox, as perfect summer thirst-quencher. The Grisette presented by McManus from Ommegang was similarly refreshing, but with a bit more of a pepper spice kick, mostly likely thanks to the pink peppercorns used in the recipe.

Wild At Heart is the 100% Brettanomyces fermented beer due out by around Thanksgiving time in 750ml bottles. This was a "bonus beer" that McManus unveiled at the end of the "new beer" presentation and I could not have been more pleased. The beer was undergoing its house yeast conditioning and was exhibiting wonderful tropical and slightly tart fruit flavors without laying on too much Brett funk that you might expect to find when you hear the word Brettanomyces. The brewery employed two relatively new hops from New Zealand, Topaz and Motueka. You should find this beer to be quite the crowd pleaser, full of flavor and delivering plenty of thirst-quenching refreshment. A small taste of this has me looking forward to grab several bottles of this in November for both fresh drinking and a bit of storage.

Last, but certainly not least, while the retirement (or, at least, retirement from year-round production) of the BPA will come as sad news to many of you (myself included), the Hop House is shaping up to be a very fine replacement. Resplendent with a really nice hop flavor and aroma, the 6% dry-hopped pale ale should be entering the fold by end of 2013.

  That's all? To close with some nuggets from Larry Bennett, who graciously sat with me to discuss his ten years of involvement in both planning and executing the festival, "...drinking really great beers with old friends that make up the 'community' is truly one of the high points of every year. Meeting new friends and meeting old brewer friends in 'tent city' is a fun part of the weekend". I couldn't agree more.

Bennett was one of the four original compatriots that conspired to put together this little beer festival on the brewery grounds on a shoestring budget of not even $10,000 and less than three months of planning in 2004 shortly after he joined the company. Tickets were $25 — sold over the phone and in person — and around 800 locals and people from around the region showed up to camp and drink great beer.

These days the health department and fire marshal complete thorough inspections for two days prior to the event and the total undertaking runs into the six digits and people travel from far and wide to attend with tickets that sell out with minutes (VIP) and hours (general). Now, a staff of three headed up by Tara Aitchison (who also oversees the store and café) begins planning around the winter holidays with the construction of an overall theme.

Having Duvel Moortgat USA President & CEO Simon Thorpe, previously a Stella exec, on board certainly doesn't hurt given his enthusiastic support of the annual event as well as other events throughout the year like concerts (which can draw 3,000-5,000), family-oriented events, and old-time baseball games. Bennett says that Thorpe loves throwing events such as these, even if they barely break even, because they "bring people in, especially a more diverse group, including more women, than ever, to reach new audiences to experience new beer, but profitability is not the first goal in mind when event planning."

I concurred on the point of introducing new people to new beer. If we still like the term "gateway beer", I suggested that Wild At Heart (see above) will be a great gateway for all of Bennett's and Ommegang's new friends that visit the brewery.

With that, Larry went off to taste some Wild At Heart and I went off in search of the rest of the day's events at one of the country's best beer events/festivals.

(Fireworks at Midnight light up the Cooperstown sky to close out BCTC '13)

(Probably an apt illustration of the love festival-goers feel for BCTC and Brewery Ommegang)

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If it's mid-summer, it must be time to visit Belgium via Cooperstown

I've apparently tagged Ommegang in 83 postings (oops, now 84) here in The Brew Lounge's neck of the woods over nearly eight years. I don't tag my postings willy-nilly. That means I must have written something of substance about this wonderful upstate NY Belgian-spirited brewery in the foothills of the Adirondacks nearly on a once-a-month average since the inception of The Brew Lounge.

For whatever that means.

The point, which I sometimes get around to, is that a decent portion of those postings revolve around one of the favorite annual festivals for beer lovers: Belgium Comes To Cooperstown, or more lovingly known as BCTC.

From its quite humble beginnings ten years ago to a continually evolving and growing amazing display of Belgian beer and all of the sideshow antics that go on around the 48 hours of fun 'n' games, BCTC still holds a place as one of the country's best.

Here's a link to the 83, give or take, spots where Ommegang shows up in TBL's history. Particularly when you get into the BCTC highlights, it's quite evident the path that this brewery has traveled and how it's grown into quite the destination brewery.

A good deal of talking about beer has changed on line since Ommegang began its summer festival. Facebook went from niche-y type website for young people and was later joined by Twitter in becoming full-fledged and viable business marketing tools.

Even around here, you've likely noticed less postings here on The Brew Lounge in favor of quicker/shorter blasts on one or both of these "social" media tools. Not that I am particularly happy about it nor does it make me a better writer (in my opinion...maybe it does for others), but it seems to have generally worked sorta, kinda well. Still, though, it takes some effort for me to figure out what works and what is right for these types of communications in varying situations.

To that point, in the last couple of days leading up to this year's BCTC, I took primarily to Facebook to make the following observations about this year's installment.

As much as I do plan to continue putting up new content here, particularly when it comes to in-event communications be sure to follow me on Facebook and follow me on Twitter.

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Collection of Facebook posts from The Brew Lounge during the week of 7/29

If you're heading to Ommegang BCTC this weekend, I've uncovered some interesting tidbits in my sneak peek of this weekend's festival guide. I'll share with you that....

....The theme is "a beer festival about nothing" (a Seinfeld reference in case you missed it). I can't wait for all the Seinfeld references to pop up (I'm out!) throughout the weekend.

....the Hop Chef showdown on the big stage for all the marble ryes! (there's my second Seinfeld reference...keep 'em coming!) This was a great addition to last year's festival and looking forward to this year's finale.

....there's a "Duvel Art Competition" of some kind. Sounds interesting with appropriate prizes.

....the VIP dinner music will be from the The Hop City Hellcats, which contains a member of the Horseshoe Lounge Playboys that some of you will recall from past BCTCs.

....there'll be a 70-foot ferris wheel from which to observe all the craziness down below. Why is it called "ferris"? As anyone ever asked that question? (oh, Great Google!)

....there's a cigar tent, a massage tent, a cheese producers tent, a phone-charging and wifi tent, other vendors. Wow how they festival has changed/grown over the years.

....Sunday will be sportin' a full brunch; a welcome sight indeed before hitting the road!


If you're heading to Ommegang BCTC this weekend, a sneak peek of this weekend's festival guide is turning up some tasty treats like....

...somewhere around 55 breweries and importers. Just shy of 200 beers. I count 9 breweries that I've never heard of before. Looking forward to finding out what they're all about.

....I have no idea what a Cloak of St. Martin Quad is but they mention blackberries, chocolate, and coffee, so I'm definitely game for it. It's gonna be cool sleeping weather, so a couple of these at 13% sounds like just the ticket.

....Gulden Draak 9000 is making an appearance and it comes highly recommended.

....I've had beers from Silly before, but pretty sure never their sour. Good weekend to rectify that.

....I tasted the Golden Brett and James Bean from Allagash at different points in the past three months and with them on tap during BCTC, you can bet it'll happen again.

....Brooklyn Brewery can bring Local 1 and Sorachi Ace to as many festivals as they'd like. Through the years, I still count them as two of the most interesting and satisfying beers they make outside of the core brands.

....looking forward to Empire from Syracuse to impress as they typically have in the past.

....hm, Lil Opal from Firestone Walker as a 4.3% "Belgian Saison aged for 17 months". Oh my, can't wait.

....Matilda from Goose Island is a very fine enough beer indeed. But, Matilda Lambicus, now what is this?!

....Flander's Drive (sour red) from Green Flash. All signs point to yes please.

....a Belgian strong pale ale from lager-loving Gordon Biersch? Hey, why not? The more the merrier

....Ithaca's got the Brute going on..and also a "mystery beer". Bring it on.

....speaking of Ithaca, Jeff O'Neil's new home over at Peekskill is bringing one called Simple Sour and one called Share The Rainbow.

....Perennial is now in NY and will be showcasing four of its beers.

....can't wait for you guys to try Sly Fox's Grisette, if you've not yet. One of the summer standouts in the mid-Atlantic/northeast.

....only one beer pouring from Victory? It's Helios, so that bodes well. If not more, then I'll be searching out their campsite!

....more folks are finding the tasty goodness with each passing year at White Birch's table.

....and what the heck is a Fuku? Is it FUBAR? I love me a Kölsch. Wit's pretty decent. And don't get me started on my fondness for Rauchbiers. Apparently, they've come up with some type of a hybrid of the three at Kelso. Don't think I won't be trying it.

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A chouffe-ing we will go

One little guy (and one big one) is ready to head north for the weekend.

Ommegang Hop Chef in Philadelphia: April 23, 2013

Hop Chef. Is it a foodie event? Is it a beer geek event? It doesn't take long to discover it's both.

Building on the wild popularity of last year's Hop Chef competition, Ommegang has once again taken its Hop Chef competition on the road for regional faceoffs leading up to the finals showdown in Cooperstown, NY on August 3, 2013 at the brewery's even more wildly popular Belgium Comes To Cooperstown (BCTC) annual event.

Last night, a few hundred fans of great beer and food showed up at Union Transfer for the Philadelphia installment. The event was the kickoff to four regional events where local chefs incorporate Ommegang's beer into the creation of one dish. The concept behind the usage of one of the ales can include any or all of the following: Simple Pairing (concept should be fairly obvious); Incorporation (as used in the cooking process); Mimicking (matching specific flavor(s) between food and chosen beer); Story-telling (as in, explaining the creative process from sourcing to preparation); and Experimental (the wild card element where beer is meant to be the "main star of a dish").

The participating chefs were: Mike Deganis from Alla Spina; Eli Kulp from Fork; Lucio Palazzo from La Calaca Feliz; Yun Fuentes from JG Domestic; Nick Macri from Southwark; and Pat Szoke from The Industry.

Like last year, the friendly Tweet wars began heating up in the weeks leading up to last night's event. The doors opened to the public at 7 p.m. and the chefs were awaiting their fans with:

Mike Deganis used Ommegang's Belgian Pale Ale (BPA) to braise lamb necks which were served with mint fregola, fava beans, and a BPA vinaigrette

Eli Kulp whipped up a plate called "Ode to Cooperstown" that consisted of a foie dog with kimchee relish served on an Abbey Ale Potato roll with Abbey Ale mustard, Abbey Ale "Pretzel Jack" with mustard powder, and "Hall of Fame Crab Fries"

Lucio Palazzo found Ommegang's Witte to work best as a consommé to serve with his lamb barbacoa taco which was accompanied by a hominy tortilla, watercress, and radishes

Yun Fuentes made an Ommegang Rare Vos glaze on his duck arepa consisting of duck confit, jamon, and cherry-fig marmalade

Nick Macri showcased Ommegang's Hennepin in Hennepin-cured coppa with pickled chilies, "ballpark" nuts, grains of paradise bread crumbs, and an orange and coriander sauce

Pat Szoke took Ommegang's Three Philosophers and used it to braise beef short ribs served with with pickled long hots and a Three Philosophers cheddar sauce

With samplings aplenty and an open bar in the back of the venue providing full pours of even more beers from Ommegang (including the becoming-more-elusive Game of Thrones/Iron Throne Belgian Blonde), the crowd was definitely abuzz with the flavors and aromas of great food and beer coming together.

On stage, brewery representative Megan Maguire kicked things off by welcoming all to the event and laying out the ground rules. Throughout the evening, emcee Marissa Magnatta from the WMMR Preston and Steve Show, kept the show interactive by inviting each chef up on stage to describe their inspiration for their chosen dish and beer. Last year's winner, George Sabatino (at that time, of Stateside fame), was also on stage to discuss his experience with the competition.

The end result? You might think I wouldn't get to the point.

First, for what it's worth, my top vote went to Fork's Eli Kulp and his team that assembled what I considered to be the best taste and the best presentation of the food plate paired with what has long been one of my favorite beers, the Abbey Ale, from Ommegang. My runner-up vote went to the Yun Fuentes from JG Domestic and his tasty duck and ham served with Rare Vos, another solid and food-friendly beer from Ommegang. Fuentes coincidentally took home the "People's Choice" award from votes tallied from attendees.

Southwark's Nick Macri took home the honor from the official judges as Philadelphia's Hop Chef 2013. His plate of cured meat and accompaniments that seemed to cover all the flavor bases deservedly caught the palate of judges in their eyes as the best of the evening amongst a table full of tough competition.

Macri will face off against the winners from Boston (competition to be held during week of May 20), Chicago (week of June 17), and Albany (July 8). The finals will go down at the annual BCTC event on August 3 as a separate ticketed event on brewery grounds.

Congratulations to Macri, Fuentes, Ommegang, and everyone involved in a tasty evening in Philadelphia. As many of us already understand: Great Beer (does indeed) Deserve Great Food!

Roll pictures.....

(Overlooking the concert/event space at Union Transfer from the second floor)
(Hop Chef Philly 2013 winner Nick Macri from Southwark)
(Hop Chef Philly 2013 People's Choice winner Yun Fuentes from JG Domestic)
(Pat Szoke and The Industry team)
(Lucio Palazzo and La Calaca Feliz team)
(Mike Deganis from Alla Spina)
(Hop Chef Philly 2013 judges, hard at work)
(Hop Chef Philly 2013 judges, front and center)
(Hop Chef Philly 2013 judges. Back: Arthur Etchells, Cory Baldwin, Collin Keefe; Front: Caroline Russock, Scott Schroeder, Danya Henninger, Will Blunt)
(Eli Kulp from Fork breaking down his "Ode To Cooperstown")

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Writing this ship, Part II (all over the place, part 1)

If you keep up around here at The Brew Lounge on a regular basis, this may be an easy post to get through. In my continued effort to clear the backlog and bring us all up-to-date around here — and, in part, make amends for my perhaps perceived absence — Part II here focuses on a bunch of miscellaneous TBL activities from July 2012 through December 2012 mostly focused from New York through Delaware.

July
  - There was Ommegang's BCTC as has come to be a summer tradition since 2004. Of course, I wrote about it here at TBL as well as over at After Hours. They were both popular features and definitely gained some traction over there at TWT. Check 'em both out if you had previously not. Jury is still out whether I'll be making the trek again this year. The streak may finally be broken.

  - Also in July was the excellent Russian River beer dinner at the lovely Yardley Inn along the banks of the Delaware River. I wrote about it, as well, over at After Hours. I can only imagine that it was probably the only beer dinner where Russian River's beers were featured where there was a table that did not touch a drop of the five excellent beers set in front of them. They were close-minded wine people, whaddya want?

August
  - August brought an invitation to an excellent venue for a beer festival in Doylestown I'd not yet been to in the past. Certainly not your typical festival at not your typical place with not your typical beer festival people. I recommend keeping your eyes open for it this year if you've also not been.

September
  - You probably know that Sly Fox is up and running with their new production facility (and Tastin' Room) in Pottstown, Pa. The land around the brewery creates the perfect space for outdoor events. In September, they moved their Kan Jam from Phoenixville to Pottstown and added some excellent live music all day long.

  - Every year, the reputation of Yards' Smoke 'Em If Yous Got 'Em event seems to grow. It helps that craft beer lovers are finding their way to these unique beers more than ever. And, that there's excellent professional and amateur barbecue served up along side.

  - That was in September. So was the Dogfish Dash in Milton, Del. Good thing I do this running thing, especially when the the decadent Yards event was the week before.

October
  - As I was gearing up for the Harrisburg Marathon in November (well, actually, for the NYC Marathon, but I think we all know what happened there), there was one last beer dinner to squeeze in that'd been on my mind for quite some time at Anthony's Coal-Fired Pizza. Here's the recap of a dinner at their Horsham, Pa. location with Victory Brewing Company as the beer pairing companion.

November
  - Not much to share with you from the beer world in November as I finished training for what would become my new all-time best marathon finishing time at the Harrisburg Marathon. But, as I can recite, to the second, each of eight marathon finishing times, I can also tell you the first beer I had after each marathon. Typically, I aim for something local to complete the association of the the race, the place, and the beer. In this case, it was a post-Marathon lunch and beer at nearby Tröegs in Hershey and the beer was a Scratch #78 Fresh Hop Ale. What they're doing at the brewery simply adds to making Hershey the Sweetest Place On Earth. If you haven't been, add it to your short list.


December
  - December, like November, was a fairly quiet month for me in terms of getting out into the beer events circuit. One that I wouldn't skip, however, was the Sly Fox Anniversary breakfast. It was one of several things that I would find over many of the last several "lost months" that went undocumented here in the pages of The Brew Lounge. While there are many beer events that can justify taking vacation time from work, breakfast with the Sly Fox folks is one that will both entertain and nourish you. I've added a few pictures here for your enjoyment.

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Random videos of music and beer

For some reason, videos taken recently did not upload cleanly to YouTube, therefore I had to do a bit of techie magic which I don't even pretend to understand. But, here they are finally. Doing the file conversion process was a slow process, but it seems to have worked. I've got some more that I'll work on in the coming week or so. Think Belgium.

Enjoy this interlude, a work-killer if you happen to be trapped at your desk on this fine Friday.

Belgium Comes To Cooperstown, 2012
~ During the tasting session of the annual BCTC festival, Sly Fox's Patrick Mullin and Corey Reid coordinated a special, timed opening of the brewery's Ichor Quadrupel. It went over quite well. [Link to Sly Fox/BCTC video]

~ Much later in the evening, art lit up the night in the form of fire dancing and Brothers Past on the concert stage. Not hard to jam with these guys at all; I want to see more of them in the future. See if you agree. [Link to Late Night at BCTC]

Breastfest
~ Going back over a month, I'd referenced the 80s hard rock/metal band, Metal Shop, that played at the awesome Breastfest charity beer festival in San Francisco. Here's a clip of their version of a Whitesnake classic. [Link to Metal Shop at Breastfest]

Philly Beer Week
~ Going way back, all the way to Philly Beer Week in June, the video quality may be so-so (that may even be generous), but the audio will illustrate what a solid band and local treasure Hoots & Hellmouth is. They played after the Philly Beer Run at Dock Street's Music Fest. [Link to one video of Hoots & Hellmouth and then a link to a second video]

Enjoy, then get back to work!

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Belgium Comes To Cooperstown, 2012

Belgium Comes To Cooperstown 2012

(click above to view full gallery of BCTC '12 pictures)
(First, please check out my filing over at The Washington Times and then come on back for more details.)

The more things change, the more things change...and stay the same. The best thing about this annual event at Brewery Ommegang in Cooperstown, NY is that it is still as much fun and a celebration of the craft brewing industry as it ever was. And yet, most long-time returning attendees will agree that the festival looks almost nothing like it did in the early years.

As Ommegang has continued its phenomenal growth through the years, evident in the brewery's building growth on the property, so too has the popularity of the festival. The festival continues to sell out each year at increasingly faster paces. This year when tickets were made available on April 2, Ommegang tweeted that the VIP tickets had all been purchased within 46 seconds. The remaining non-VIP tickets were sold out later that day.

Compared to the early years, the festival looks like a tightly-run ship. Mind you that not any of us ever complained in those early years about parking our car next to our campsite, bringing a camper/RV, seeing rare/out-of-state beers being poured at the festival, having random bonfires break out across the property, or welcoming dogs that came with their beer-loving companions.

But, as a festival grows up, so too do some of the rules that need to change. Though, I am fairly certain that not one VIP who paid over $200 for their ticket is pleased with not being able to drive their car to their campsite to do a simple dropoff before parking their car potentially as far as 1/2 mile walk away in the field. This is still one rule that I cannot wrap my head around and wish a VIP-pleasing compromise could be reached.

Humorously, I heard one VIP claim, "I'd give up the whole VIP dinner to be able to drop all my camping supplies off from my car at my campsite rather than lugging it all from the field. I made six trips and must have walked nearly two miles doing it."

But, I am digressing from the theme here.

Each year seems to bring a "most" of something related to the weather. There's been the most wet, the most cold night, the most windy, the most perfect (last year). This year's will likely go down for quite some time as the most hot. With temperatures in the mid-90s and humidity levels feeling like they weren't far behind, setting up camp was a slow and exhausting but necessary task before the night's events began.

But the exhausting heat was no match for that bit of refreshing beer consumption, meeting new friends, and catching up with old ones at our respective campsites. The hours were quickly whiled away and it was time for a fresh change of clothing for the evening. Another sign of change at the festival is the presence of two shower trailers that give attendees a chance for a somewhat more dignified freshening-up during the course of the weekend.

Friday night's VIP dinner was once again executed to near perfection and shone as an example of what can happen when you have plenty of highly-motivated volunteers. As in years past, the six-course dinner overflowed with beers from the Duvel-Moortgat family and foods to satisfy both red meat-lovers and otherwise alike. The beers flowed, the food was more than enough to create a solid base for the weekend (or at least the evening), and once again the Horseshoe Lounge Playboys rocked the dinner tent with the sounds of their hillbilly dance music. To call the dinner anything short of a decadent Belgian beer dinner would not be doing it justice.

The "dinner party", even at roughly four hours long, quickly segues into a roving campsite party that lasts into the wee hours of the night and the following morning. Scheduled group meetups, homebrew tastings, rare beer sharing, fun 'n' games, and other related debauchery ensues as the brewery does its part to contribute with live music, a raging bonfire, and movies/videos played on the side of a brewery building.

Based upon how late and how wee of an hour the previous night was defined as, any number of activities filled each person's Saturday morning. Slumbering around the campsite and brewery property was perhaps the simplest and least taxing option. Swimming at Otsego Lake which extends north from the heart of Cooperstown would have been the more refreshing option. Checking out the village of Cooperstown, complete with its farmers market, charming shops and residential neighborhood, and the Baseball Hall of Fame is always a fun diversion. Going for a bike ride or a run shows the most fortitude from the person with the Friday night most under control.

Having a few more beers was not out of the question either and became the most obvious way for most to prepare for the mid-afternoon kickoff of the tasting portion of the weekend festival. VIPs gained early access to the tasting tent, for a modest 30 minutes, and first tasted some of the event's most eagerly anticipated beers. Ones coming from domestic craft breweries with names like Allagash, Captain Lawrence, Lawson's, Peekskill, Stillwater, and White Birch and nearly a dozen Belgian importers.

Some notable buzz from around the tasting tent included:
~ Sly Fox going through four sixtels with a non-stop enthusiastic line of fans probably faster than any other table. Grisette was a big hit.
~ Terence Sullivan flew all the way in from Sierra Nevada to pour a special magnum of vintage Bigfoot Barleywine.
~ Spider Bite Beer Company from Long Island had people buzzing with its saison, lambic, and berliner weiss.
~ Speaking of berliner weiss, Jeff O'Neil has his new shop setup at Peekskill Brewery and brought a berliner weiss that was also perfect for the heat and humidity of the day.
~ Allagash and Lawson's may have had the longest lines throughout the event. Allagash's Peeterman was perhaps one of the most talked about beers of the festival and when it and the Coolship Resurgam were kicked, bottles of Mattina Rossa kept the crowd satisfied.
~ Consensus seemed to hold that the White Birch Tripel IPA struck a nice balance of Belgian Tripel and American-hopped ale.
~ Captain Lawrence created quite a buzz with its Hops 'n' Roses, one that I was too late to the party to try.
~ Pretty cool to see 21st Amendment make an appearance with its Monk's Blood.
~ The Lambrucha and the Posca Rustica from Vanberg & Dewulf were both excellent, funky choices for a hot summer afternoon.

While the four-hour tasting session was underway, numerous vendors were plying their own products from Belgian waffles to burgers to tie-dyed tshirts to homebrewing equipment. There was likely no greater anticipation, though, than for the conclusion of the multi-city build-up to the Hop Chef competition. After similar competitions were held in Washington, DC, Albany, and Philadelphia, the final four were brought to Cooperstown. Jeff Eng represented Washington, Jaime Ortiz represented Albany, and George Sabatino represented Philadelphia after each winning their respective competitions. Tommy Harder was invited back as a result of winning last year's competition at BCTC. Harder heads up the kitchen at NYC's well-regarded Blind Tiger Ale House.

Sabatino from the rather new Stateside on Passyunk Aveune in Philly took home the title of Hop Chef. More pictures can be found via link to Foobooz and video from Philadelphia's City Paper.

For as long as a four-hour tasting session might initially sound, it feels like it ends in the blink of an eye. Then it was back to campsites for continuing tastings and eats. The stories could go on for pages and some just simply are not meant for sharing unless you were there.

As I have pointed out in the past, BCTC is truly an event that should be experienced by lovers of great beer. I realize that some have a strict aversion to camping. More than any other year, I heard of attendees taking advantage of local bed & breakfasts and other lodging in nearby Cooperstown and the surrounding area. Taxi service to the brewery is available until 4 a.m. so staying off property is certainly an option.

Each year I've attended save for one, I've stayed for the full weekend of festivities and recommend this as the best way to experience this top-10 festival. BCTC has developed into a festival with so many options for attendees that staying for any less takes away from the full experience.

And, if you still haven't registered your visit over at my column in Communities section of The Washington Times, please do so before you leave here. Every click counts!

Link here to a full picture gallery.

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Anyone still looking for Ommegang BCTC '12 tickets?

I'm holding two VIP tickets for sale at $200 each ("convenience charge" waived for your convenience!).

Every year, there seems to be a flurry of folks looking for tickets at the last minute. If this year, you're one of those people or know someone who is, drop an e-mail to me via this link.

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Hop Chef Came To Philadelphia: July 10, 2012

(Click the picture for a full gallery of event pictures)
I was in northern California last week. Sonoma, Sebastopol, San Ramon, Oakland, and of course, San Francisco. Much more on that to come.

But, while I was away...

It was a shame to have missed the highly-anticipated Philadelphia version of Ommegang's Hop Chef held at World Café Live in Philly last Tuesday July 10. The Chefs had been to Ommegang in Cooperstown, NY, baited and berated each other on Twitter, and showed up ready to prove they were the best at incorporating an Ommegang beer into their kitchen creations.

A celebrity panel of judges including Mat Falco (Philly Beer Scene), Arthur Etchells (Foobooz), Drew Lazor (City Paper, Saveur, among others), Emilio Mignucci (DiBruno Bros.), and Jen Carroll ("Top Chef" and hot chef about town and, reportedly, NYC) would have the final say. And, so would the people as they cast their vote for People's Choice.

I would have been there in a heartbeat with my media pass. But, since I was a few thousand miles away, I enlisted trusty Brew Lounge foot soldier, Mike Rizzo to file his report on the event. You should probably see an immediate improvement in the food pictures over what I might have otherwise submitted for your review. I knew he was good with a camera and that he's got some of that foodie thing going on too, so I figured it would be a winning combination.

Just hours after the event, I received the quickly-filed words and pictures from Rizzo. I've finally had a chance to pour through the results, so let's see what he's uncovered for us.

"The food was some of the best that I have eaten in Philly and I have been to many of the top restaurants in and around the city. There was plenty of Ommegang to be had as they had a table setup on the dining floor and all the Taps on the elevated bar were tapped with Ommegang beers. I never had to wait more than a few minutes to get topped off."

Sounds like a great way to open an event review. From the opening sentences, I knew the disappointment that I could not attend was real. Let's see how the pairings worked out.

"I think it would of worked much better had they been pouring the paired beers at each chef's table so that as you picked up the food, you received the correct beer. To me and others that I saw, it became more of a 'get what you can food-wise and hope that you have the correct beer on hand'. I found myself many times either having an empty beer or the wrong paired beer when I got to the table. There was usually a wait for the food and you did not want to get out of line to get beer while you were waiting for the food in fear of the food running out. They should have had people pouring the beers at each station for people tasting the food, to ensure you knew you were tasting it as it was meant to be."

This is an interesting coincidence because it reminds me of how at last summer's Belgium Comes To Cooperstown event at Ommegang, I found myself sipping on a beer intended for a bowl of mussels that was still be completed by the chef. Granted, they're busting their tails to keep up with the line and demand, but at a pairing contest, you surely do want the benefit of beer (and enough of it) to consider with the plate of food. Not a show stopper, but interesting to note from an organizational perspective.

"I did not see many people from Ommegang there offering advise or explaining the beers that they brought. It seemed that they were just pouring them and keeping the lines moving."

I wonder if there wasn't an Ommegang informational-type table where attendees could learn more about, maybe take home some product sheets of, Ommegang's family of beers. That would seem to have made sense. I know regional representative, Megan Maguire, loves to talk about their beers and I'm sure she was doing a bunch of that as she circulated. In a crowded event, you can't catch everything that's happening, so maybe Mike missed the Ommegang representation.

"As for how the beers were paired, Three Philosophers was the runaway chef's favorite, being paired with four dishes, all desserts. Witte, Abbey, and BPA were used in two dishes each and Rare Vos and Hennepin were both used in one."

That makes sense. Three Philosophers has got the maltiness going on as well as the cherry addition which makes this great for both drinking by itself and incorporating into food dishes.

Next, Mike provides a chef-by-chef rundown along with some brief notes.

Judges' Winner: George Sabatino of Stateside — 1536 East Passyunk Avenue, 215-551-2500, [website link]
~ Smoked Beef Cheek with Watermelon Rind, Pickle, and Beer-Boiled Peanuts — paired with Abbey Ale
~ Three Philosophers with Head-To-Tail Cherries — paired with Three Philosophers

No beef cheek; I overheard it was short rib instead cooked for 3 days, and it tasted like it. My 2nd best plate

They had 2 simple pairings, but you had to know this before getting to the table which had lines

Dessert was very good too

People's Choice Winner: Scott Schroeder of South Philadelphia Tap Room — 1509 Mifflin Street, 215-271-7787, [website link]
~ Line-caught Blue Fin Tuna Crudo, Crispy Pancetta, Frozen BPA-soaked Melon — paired with BPA
~ Chef Nicholas Elmi of Rittenhouse Tavern and formerly Le Bec Fin's Hot Roast Beef Sandwich — paired with Abbey Ale

No desserts, only chef that didn’t do one

My favorite food was the hot roast beef sandwich - foie gras, etc...mustard seeds, went back for seconds on this one

Tuna has BPA melon frozen balls, may have been too cold not much flavor off of it

Overly salted

No one told a story about the Abbey Ale which was the pairing rule for the roast beef sandwich

Jonathon Cichon of Lacroix — 210 West Rittenhouse Square, 215-790-2533, [website link]
~ Blue Crab & Watermelon — paired with BPA
~ Cherry Beignet — paired with Three Philosophers

I love both blue crab and watermelon alone, so I thought I would like this one together. But, the flavor was lacking

Beignet was great with homemade ice cream

Jason Cichonski of Ela — 627 South Third Street, 267-687-8512, [website link]
~ Liquid Corn Diver Scallop with Chanterelle Mushroom, Crunch Mustard, and Pickled Corn — paired with Hennepin
~ Aged Cheddar Panna Cotta with Sour Cherry, Chocolate, and Candied Rye — paired with Rare Vos

Great scallop, liquid corn in the middle of it

Ran out of scallops less than hour into event. Many people heard how good/different it was, but I was lucky enough to get in early and get to try one of everything before the crowds came in

Very balanced with the Hennepin

Joe Cicala of Le Virtu — 1927 East Passyunk Avenue, 215-271-5626, [website link]
~ Line-caught Blue Fin Tuna Crudo, Crispy Pancetta, Frozen BPA-soaked Melon — paired with BPA
~ Chef Nicholas Elmi of Rittenhouse Tavern and formerly Le Bec Fin's Hot Roast Beef Sandwich — paired with Abbey Ale

Ravioli was great

Check out the pictures and you can see how much butter they use to start a cream sauce. I always wondered why it was so tasty dining out and never tasted quite so good at home

Cooked in Witte, I think he was only chef I saw cooking with beer, other than SPTR who had beer in the mushroom broth that the beef was topped with

Dessert was with Three Philosophers; very tasty as well

Nick Elmi of Rittenhouse Tavern — 251 South 18th Street, 215-732-2412, [website link]
~ Hamachi and Sea Urchin with Wheatgrass, Citrus, and Coriander — paired with Witte
~ Cheese and Cherry Pie, Pistachio, and Lardo — paired with Three Philosophers

Witte with Hamachi and sea urchin; had some foam on it as well

Thought there was too much going on

Also was not easy to eat for a small plate meal

Dessert was good and paired well with Three Philosophers

What do you think? Did you like this format? I did and may use it occasionally in the future. Many thanks to Mike Rizzo for stepping in to provide coverage from this tasty and fun event.

Have you been somewhere, are going somewhere, or would like to volunteer to provide coverage to a beer-related event that could make for good content here in the pages of The Brew Lounge? Drop a note to me.

Mike's picture gallery can be found over at Google Albums

Additional Coverage from:
In Search Of Beer: http://insearchofbeer.org/2012/07/12/statesides-sabatino-takes-philly-hop-chef-title
City Paper: http://www.citypaper.net/blogs/mealticket/And-the-Hop-Chef-winner-is.html
Grub Street: http://philadelphia.grubstreet.com/2012/07/what-you-missed-at-hop-chef.html and http://philadelphia.foobooz.com/2012/07/11/about-last-night-hop-chef
PhillyBurbs: http://www.phillyburbs.com/lifestyle/food/brewery-ommegang-crowns-stateside-s-sabatino-philly-hop-chef/article_01fe99e2-cb98-11e1-8433-001a4bcf6878.html
Philly Eater: http://philly.eater.com/archives/2012/07/11/george-sabatino-scott-schroeder-win-hop-chef.php
Philadelphia Magazine: http://blogs.phillymag.com/the_philly_post/2012/07/12/hughe-dillon-ommegang-hop-chef/

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.

Belgium is going to stay a while longer in Cooperstown at Ommegang

Ommegang Belgium Comes to Cooperstown (BCTC) 2011

Belgium came to Cooperstown again this year. So did I. I've pretty much settled on declaring this year the best installment yet of the annual Belgium Comes to Cooperstown (BCTC) event. So then why has it taken me this long to get some wrap-up words and pictures to you, you may ask? That, my friends, would be a perfectly acceptable and good question to ask!

Let's get to it then.

Instead of getting into time-consuming lengthy paragraph after time-consuming lengthy paragraph after lengthy time-consuming paragraph (and not to mention, superfluous wordiness that would serve only to fill the page and make me look/sound more eloquent than I really am, does that make sense?!), here's a quick hit list of what made this year's BCTC the best one yet from this guy's perspective. The only order that these points are in is the order that they come to mind.

And I speak to this as a VIP attendee (all-weekend, all-access), which in my opinion is the optimal way to experience the weekend. We tried the non-VIP (tasting festival-only) approach a couple of years ago and, for my appetite, it came off not nearly as ideal as staying for and taking in the whole weekend.

The Property - for first-timers, oh heck for veterans alike, the setting of the brewery in the foothills to the Adirondacks is the first thing that strikes visitors to the brewery. There's little chance that Ommegang's brewery setting is not a top ten or even top five in the country. Witnessing the sun set over the brewery and the lifting, passing fog in the morning as day breaks is beauty to behold. It sets the scene perfectly for a weekend of ideal beer karma. It doesn't hurt that the property used to be home to a hop farm in a former life.

The Growth - the new Visitor Center/Retail Shop and new Café Ommegang are just the two most recent additions to the brewery. And what new additions they are! To sit in a climate-controlled pub and enjoy any number of Ommegang, Duvel, and related beverages is simply amazing. The café's menu features Belgian-themed items such as mussels, fries, assorted aioli for dipping, stews, crepes, ice-cream, and waffles. And even though the retail shop no longer comes with the aromas of a working brewhouse, it also is climate-controlled and much more spacious. Both are absolute joys to explore. Seeing these new facilities first-hand makes the "no RVs" ruling for the festival more obvious. Speaking of growth and expansion, I just saw a Facebook posting from the brewery announcing the installation this week of a 40-head bottle filler that will reportedly triple their bottling capacity to more quickly meet skyrocketing demand.

The Organization - the early wild-west years of this festival are behind us. Sure, there are ways in which to bemoan this. But, at the end of the day, I think all agree that organization and control -- for an endeavor of this size -- are not bad words. There's control, but there's not too much control. The fun is organized but only to the point of being reasonably safe and where the fun can still be organic. Now if we could only do something about special festival permits for out-of-state breweries and the silly (not to mention, wasteful) drink ticket regulations.

Simply put: the job that lead organizers Tara Aitchison and John Tuchowski and the whole team of employees and volunteers that it takes to pull off this awe-inspiring event impresses more with each passing year.

The Dinner - sure, as some have said, it's not totally necessary and of course only adds to the overall ticket price. But, the way in which it adds to the total weekend experience is important in my opinion. After an afternoon of setting up camp and mingling amongst campsites, having a dinner prepared and delivered table side with copious and virtually unlimited amounts of beer to choose from is just what is needed for most. The dinner was seven courses this year and does draw out over a few hours, but, to me, that makes it for the better. The duration provides plenty of time to take in the food and beer at a leisurely pace, wander around the property, and dance to the always entertaining Horseshoe Lounge Playboys.

The Tasting Event - every year it seems that I taste less beer than I go into the tasting festival intending to. In some ways, that disappoints me and in some ways it doesn't really matter. I seem to take away more from the tasting tents in the personal interactions that I have with longtime and new friends alike. (Plus, it's important to keep in mind that there will still be another 8-12 hours of debauchery to take in, depending upon how one counts their hours.)

So, did I regrettably miss Captain Lawrence's Rosso e Marrone (I've had it before and is spec-friggin-tacular)...Ithaca's Brute (bottles at home)...Ommegang's Eleven by Volume (brewed just for the festival...or, so they say :)...Malheur Dark Brut (still waiting)...Ithaca Fula (still don't know what this was supposed to be). Sure. But, the beauty of the beer world that we are fortunate enough to partake in is that there's (usually) always another great beer lurking around the next tap handle.

Of what I did taste, however, there were some clear-cut winners. For the sake of brevity, I'll simply list Ithaca Le Bleu (again and again, please!), Allagash Coolship (this project has been well worth the wait), Ommegang Aphrodite (this will likely evolve nicely over a couple of years), Lagunitas Lucky 13, Shmaltz Jewbelation (reminds me of a vertical I must get around to doing at home), Stillwater (anything by Strumke works for me), Lawson Session in the Rye (what a great concept serving it "regular", regular-dry hopped, and cask-conditioned), White Birch (the tripel/barleywine blend aged in wood, wow!),  Allagash Vrienden (oh, if this could be a couple of ticks less than its advertised 9.3%, I'd drink this all night long), Pretty Things (some of the more interesting beer being made in the Northeast)...and a lot of homebrew. I'm still scratching my head as to how I could have forgotten to box up a few bottles of my own Sour Cherry Chocolate Imperial Stout. This was the perfect venue for sharing and tasting.

The Extracirriculars - multiple bands during and after the Saturday tasting portion of the festival. Numerous food options from waffles to barbecue to wood-oven pizza to chocolates. A "Mussel Tussle" (for VIPs only) with six different chefs doing mussels prepared with Ommegang beers six different ways was an extraordinary addition to this year's festival. (I'd only request that they include the beers that were used in cooking also for tasting/pairing under this tent.) Fun movies, firepits, and late night musical entertainment. A 15 minute fireworks display over the brewery to cap off Saturday night. Plenty of extracirriculating from campsite to campsite. What else could be asked for?

This 'n' That - Beer Sessions Radio. Didn't know where else to put these guys here in my wrap-up. The last time I saw Ray Deter was at 2010's BCTC and I can easily recall discussing our mutual affection for Petrus Aged Pale Ale just before going our separate ways. (I seem to recall him also joking about getting lost so far from NYC!) So, it was fitting that I hung around for nearly an hour watching and listening to co-hosts Jimmy Carbone (Jimmy's No. 43) and Dave Brodrick (Blind Tiger) conduct an on-site taping for Beer Sessions Radio. They were joined by Phil Leinhart (brewer) and Larry Bennett (marketing) from Ommegang, Dann Pacquette (Pretty Things), Simon Thorpe (Duvel/Moortgat USA), and Naomi Neville (Allagash National Sales Manager).

I feel like I should end with an apology for the late, half-arsed, and scattershot approach to sharing BCTC '11 with you. Plus, there's a ton of parentheticals, which I realize doesn't lend to easy reading. It doesn't feel up to standards...particularly for an event that is one of the best in the land. But for now, well, I'll leave it that. 'Til next time.

You can find all 100 or so pictures that I uploaded to Picasa over there.

Need last minute tickets to Ommegang's BCTC?

Psst, hey buddy! I know where you can get up to 4 VIP tickets and up to 2 general admission tickets (plus camping) to this weekend's annual Belgian fest in Cooperstown, NY.

Let me know if you're interested and I can hook you up with the sellers. Bryan@BrewLounge.com

And, if you're going...you're in for a great weekend