McKenzie Brew House Belgian Beer Reserve Dinner : 1/21/2010

(Sign of good things to come) McKenzie Brew House tries to be many things to many people with varied tastes in eating, drinking, and entertainment. Sports, karaoke, poker, dancing, jazz, brewpub, wine, restaurant, and social gathering spot are just a few ways in which McKenzie aims to serve their clientele. Last Thursday evening at their original location in Chadds Ford, it was a full sit-down Belgian Beer Reserve Dinner <--click for the full menu. Owner Bill Mangan welcomed the crowd and in case there were any newcomers to good beer in attendance, he reminded all that beer is a wonderful compliment to food and that it has been too long since they last conducted a beer and food pairing dinner at the brewpub. (Don Russell, aka Joe Sixpack; Ryan Michaels, head brewer; Gerard Olson, brewer) This one was the first of what they expect to be more of the same...at both locations. Brewers Ryan Michaels and Gerard Olson worked with the kitchen to come up with a Belgian Farmhouse Beer Dinner menu. I described the food on the menu as good, solid (almost like comfort...though, certainly not boring) food that went well with the five different farmhouse ales. There wasn't anything too far "out there" that couldn't please the less adventurous palate. The beers, though, were anything but average and really rewarded everyone in the room looking for anything but your "typical" beer. In this way, this sort of beer dinner can be the perfect way to introduce newcomers to beer and its food pairing capabilities. (Ryan Michaels describes the process of making his farmhouse ales) Don Russell was an invited guest (as was I, I should add) and worked with Bill, Ryan, and Gerard to introduce the evening and each course. It was clear from the beginning that everyone was excited for this dinner. I was particularly excited as I was hoping that this dinner could be yet another vehicle to bring more light to the great work that is coming out of the brewhouses at McKenzie. For those uninitiated or those continued naysayers, you'll see that in addition to the standard brews that are available year-round there are some very interesting and well-done beers coming out with the turning of every season. And, in the case of this dinner, that was exactly what was available. (I don't normally include pictures of myself, but it was Mary Bigham of WC Dish and Chester County Cuisine and Nightlife) When we arrived into the recently remodeled and unveiled lower level (called Metro), the room had been outfitted with eight tables, almost wedding reception-like. I joked that I half expected Don, Ryan, and Gerard to be announced down the staircase and into the room! Each place setting had five glasses awaiting their share of beer. All that was left for the servers was to bring the beer and food. (5 cheeses, 1 very good beer...the Saison Brune) The dinner proceeded at a real nice pace, ending at a little over two hours. The first course was an ample serving of five different cheeses to go with the just-funky-enough Saison Brune, certainly funkier than the saison brune I'd had the night prior at Sly Fox...some of which could be attributed to the close to a year that it spent in a Chaddsford Winery oak barrel. I can't imagine many better pairings with beer, particularly a funky farmhouse ale, than with cheese...in this case, the blue cheese (cow's milk-Ireland) and the manchego (sheep's milk-Spain). The blue cheese was just so creamy and so pleasingly tart that I could have left after this course without complaint. (Better than your average house greens...much better) But, alas, more food and beer was brought. Beet and goat cheese salad is one of my (Patty's too) favorite salads, one that often goes well in a beer dinner. I believe the last memorable one that I had was the Monk's Cantillon/de la Senne dinner in Philly back early last year ('09). Ah yes, here's the link...no goat cheese, though, in that one. Crap, now I'm not going to be able that Cantillon dinner out of my head. (Don Russell describing the history of grisettes, unbeknownst to him, he had an accompanying visual over his shoulder) While the salad was very enjoyable, I'm afraid there were too many strong flavors on the plate to allow the Grisette to shine. The red onions, the cheese, the vinaigrette dressing was all too much for my palate to pick up the delicate flavors in the low alcohol Grisette. A light moment here for me occurred when I snapped the picture of Don explaining the meaning of the word grisette while a buxom blonde appeared over his shoulder on the television. That reminds me of a tip for establishments conducting beer dinners: try to reduce distractions...at least the obvious and direct distractions. I'd forgotten about this until just now, but all through the evening the presence of the numerous large-screen televisions that were turned on (though, silenced) and music from the speakers detracted from the guys as they were speaking to the room. (See bass, eat bass, chase with gold medal-winning Saison Vautour, savor, repeat) It's possible that the next course of sea bass and the award-winning (twice gold) Saison Vautour was my favorite of the evening. The fish was perfectly baked for me, meaning not overcooked and the beer was just as I hoped...nicely funked with the brettanomyces addition. The braised fennel on the side was a nice contrasting texture from the fish and was not as fennel-y as I might have imagined. The whole course made me seriously consider buying more Saison Vautour bottles to keep the one that I have at home company. (roasted pork loin with Biere d'Hiver) The next course was all about sweet and spice...and it was nice. It also reminded me that I still have a Biere d'Hiver from 2007 (maybe '08?) in the cooler at home. The other one that I had opened in the past was quite a gusher, so it will be interesting to see how this next one fares when I open it. It's filled with all sorts of wintry spice flavors that helped it play nice with the raisins and apricot glaze that accompanied the pork loin. (ah, sweet dessert with an introduction to a wonderful new beer, the Cuvee McK) Then, it was time for dessert. While the Cuvee McK was one of the most noteworthy beers of the evening and the cake was a nice and tasty layering of espresso and cream in a sponge cake, it unfortunately didn't work all that well together. I'm not sure if it was the espresso that was throwing me off, but I needed to scarf down and enjoy the cake by itself, rinse with water, then work on the beer by itself. The beer, a year-long barrel-aged version of the Biere d'Hiver, was amazing. It must have picked up complexities being aged for almost a year, because I found it to be the most interestingly complex beer of the evening. So complex that my palate only has a handful of words for it. Mike, though, was in attendance too and wrote a whole bunch more descriptive words over at BeerAdvocate that you might wish to check out. This is a beer that's available in the bottle from either location...I believe somewhere around $13-$15 was mentioned as the price...well, well worth it I would say. (A round of applause from the roughly 45 in attendance) At $39, the dinner was one of the best deals I'd seen in a while in terms of beer dinner pricing. The beer alone was certainly worth more than half of the cost. The only thing that would make a beer dinner at McKenzie beer dinner better would be if the next one is held at the Malvern location...says a selfish Bryan :) (A beer dinner, seen through a glass...no, he wasn't there)

Philly Beer WeekEnd(s)

I've begun planning the 3rd annual Philly Beer Week Beer Run. Maybe I should work on first coming up with a better name? No matter. I've begun planning and so have many others. And, while there's nothing that is ready to be shared with the general public yet, I can promise you that this is gonna be one hell of a year. Some of things that I hear being planned are just downright creative...and fun...for the organizers, participants, and consumers alike. Even more so than in the past, if that's possible.

On one hand, Patty and I were just discussing the other day how we're glad PBW is pushed back this year until June. We just don't feel "ready" for the onslaught of sleep deprivation that the 10 days of frothy frivolity will be sure to bring yet once again. Yet with what I'm hearing being planned, I'm already getting anxious!

In The Meantime...

Have you heard about spring training for Philly Beer Week? Or shall we call them Philly Beer WeekENDs? Are you bummed that Philly Beer Week moved to June? Then, here's a fix for you in March to sink your livers into.

Saturday March 6, 2010 - Philly Craft Beer Festival, $10/$45/$60 , 12:30pm-4:00pm --- 6:00pm-9:30pm

Sunday March 7, 2010 - This could be a great day for a Philly Beer Run. Anyone know who could organize one of these such things?!

Saturday March 13, 2010 - Michael Jackson-A 20th Anniversary Celebration, hosted by Randy Mosher, $50/$60 , 1:00pm --- 3:30pm --- 6:00pm

Sunday March 14, 2010 - The Brewers Plate, $55/$65/$115, 4:00pm-7:30pm --- 5:00pm-7:30pm

Yards is Open....old news or new?

Yards has been making beer and distributing it from their newest location for getting close to two years now. New to the story, though, is the long-promised tasting room which has just opened within the past week. But, this sounds like more than just a tasting room...this one comes with a kitchen to feed some vittles to go with your brew. Don Russell/Joe Sixpack has a nice look back on where Yards came from and where they're now going.

One good thing leads to something better?

Zot was a good place, albeit a place I'd only been to twice. Is it because of the neighborhood's identity crisis of late? Were there management missteps that brought Zot's operations to a close last year? Or was it the competitive Philadelphia market...in both the pub/restaurant industry as well as, more specifically, Belgian beers? I don't know the answers to most of these questions. At this point, though, it's time to move on. In the first half of March, Philadelphia Beer Week co-founder and president of Museum Catering, Bruce Nichols, and partner Madame Saito plan to open 'The Head House' in the former location of Zot (122 Lombard Street)...just off, you guessed, Headhouse Square just north of South Street...where all the hippies meet. According to Profile Public Relations, The Head House will be "a restaurant and beer bar with more than 20 craft taps and beer-friendly foods located on Philadelphia’s historic Head House Square. The Head House will also become a new location for Museum Catering with a private event space to accommodate up to 100 people on the restaurant's second floor. The Head House will serve dinner seven days a week and is slated to open in March. More details will be available as the opening nears." Provided the estimated opening date is pretty close to the actual, I'm betting there'll be at least an event or two worthy of stopping by during Philadelphia's Beer Week in June 2010.

Exit 4: The Journey Continues at Flying Fish

Remember the exciting news that I promised after the Chifa dinner with Flying Fish last week? Well, it's here. And if the news is here, it means that the bottles are not far behind. Twelve ounce bottles, that is, of Flying Fish's lauded Exit 4 ("American Trippel"). It was the first in the once-pseudo-controversial Exit Series and then went on to win a Gold Medal at 2009's Great American Beer Festival. Casey Hughes, award-winning brewer at Flying Fish, gave the okay this morning to release this information out to you. And, a pretty picture too! Here's the rest of the story, in their words:

---

Exit 4 - American Trippel Exit 4 For the first release, we chose Exit 4--right up the street from the Flying Fish brewery. Because we were one of the first craft brewers to embrace Belgian-style beers, we've chosen as our representative beer, a Belgian Trippel dry hopped twice with plenty of American hops. This inspired Belgian-style Trippel has a hazy golden hue and the aroma of citrus with hints of banana and clove. Predominant Belgian malt flavors give way to a subdued bitterness in the finish. Bottle conditioned, this beer will develop as it ages. Winner of the gold medal at the 2009 Great American Beer Festival and voted The Best Belgian Beer in America in Mens Journal Magazine. Malts: Malto Franco-Belge Pils malt, White Wheat, Acidulated Malt Hops: Columbus, Palisades, Amarillo, Simcoe Yeast: Belgian Abbey Yeast Original Gravity: 21.5 plato Alcohol by volume: 9.5% Formats: 12oz Bottles, 1/2 Kegs, Firkins Released: February 2010

Weekly Beer Calendar Update: January 21st-January 27th

Quite a diverse bunch of events over the next here around these parts of Philly Metro. The weather's broken just a bit over recently, so getting out for one of these events should not be too difficult. Check out the entire January 2010 calendar over here. If I'm missing any that you feel should be on here, let me know. Just a Taste @Devil's Den, Philadelphia, PA--- Wed. 1/27 - Weyerbacher Wednesday (7:00pm; PAYG for draft and flight specials of Winter Ale, Fireside Ale, & Hotel Brewer's Reserve) @Old Eagle Tavern, Philadelphia, PA--- Tue. 1/26 - Left Hand Tuesday Nights (8:00pm-10:00pm; PAYG to meet & greet the brewers & beer reps & to taste the beers) Trouble with a capital Tee @Capone's, Norristown, PA--- Thu. 1/21-Sat. 1/23 - Barleywines and Barrel-Aged Beers (PAYG, more details to come) @Johnny Brenda's, Philadelphia, PA--- Sat. 1/30 - The Trouble with Trippels (all day; PAYG for Sly Fox Incubus, Weyerbacher Merry Monks, Stoudt's Triple, Manayunk Triple (Monk from the 'Yunk), Iron Hill Triple, River Horse Triple, Flying Fish Exit 4 (American Trippel), Legacy Euphoria, Victory Golden Monkey, and Dock Street Prisoner of Hell with special food menu items as well) Happy Birthday Ol' Laddie @Sly Fox, Phoenixville, PA--- Fri. 1/22 - Robbie Burns Birthday Bash (5:00pm; PAYG gets you bagpipers and kilts, customers reciting the great Scottish poet's verses, and the traditional piping in of the Haggis, as well as the release of Sly Fox Gang Aft Agley Scotch Ale 2010.) Take a Hike, Drink a Beer @Philadelphia's Fairmount Neighborhood--- Sat. 1/23 - The Philadelphia Beer Experience, a Walking Tour (11:00am-5:00pm; $32.50 to join us on our inaugural walk as we taste our way through Rolling Barrel’s top four places to grab a beer in Fairmount. Passes include beer samples at all four locations, plus a guided tour and other surprises along the way. Warm clothes and comfortable shoes are highly encouraged.) Eat, Drink, Bread, Beer @McKenzie Brewhouse, Glen Mills, PA--- Thu. 1/21 - Beer Pairing Dinner (7:00pm; $39 for a 5-course meal paired with Saison Brune Reserve, Grisette, Saison Vautour, Biere d'Hiver, and Cuvee McK) @Ron's Original, Exton, PA--- Thu. 1/21 - Blues Brews 'n' BBQ (PAYG for big beers and big BBQ from Jimmy's BBQ in Frazer) @Tria Café, Philadelphia, PA--- Fri. 1/22 - Belgium's Winter Wonderland (6:30pm-8:00pm; $45 for brand new winter beers from just-discovered breweries in Belgium (and a few from the Netherlands) served with cheese and light snacks.)

Don Ho, it's off to Hawaii we go....in search of Good Beer---Part 1

Forward to Hawaii, Part 2

Hawaii. It's awesome; It's beautiful. Everyone should have the chance to see something so naturally beautiful more than once in their lives. The food is fantastic, the drinks are refreshing, and good beer can be found here and there but not everywhere.

(We just might have found the best Mai Tai at Halekulani)
See, if I could exercise just a bit of brevity, you might have read a long time ago of my first trip ever to Hawaii. My trip...as in my trip all the way back in October. My trip that touched on the busyness of business, the relaxation of resorts and spas, the thrill of an adventure, and the spiritual emotion that nature's awesome beauty and wonderment can awaken.

The trip began as a business trip that would take up all five days of the first week of October. It was spent on the island of Oahu in downtown Honolulu...Waikiki Beach area to be exact. Patty joined me and we turned it into a vacation with another week on Maui after Oahu.

Oh, and my Lancaster County Correspondent (remember him? he hasn't checked in for a while around here) was along too. Have you followed closely over time to realize that he's a co-worker and a friend as well? So, this worked out to be a real nice trip. Business, friend, wife, tropical locale...now just need to find a good beer or two.

Most people know of Kona Brewing and Maui Brewing companies. Kona actually brews very little, if any, beer on the islands anymore except for draft-only local consumption. Apparently, most or all has been contracted out to Redhook (or shall I say Craft Brewers Alliance?). If I had more gumption, I'd track down the truth in that statement.

In my beer preparations for this trip, I gathered that Maui had much more beer geek cred than Kona. Maui Brewing and its owner Garrett Marrero have been around just 5 years, but have gathered a lot of interest in their beer, particularly CoCoNut Porter and Father Damien, for which they have won WBC Gold (2006) and GABF Bronze (2009), respectively.

(the entrance to Kona Brewpub in Koko Marina, outside Honolulu)
But, Kona has a brewpub just a few miles from our Waikiki hotel, so that seemed like a no-brainer. Though, while I'm throwing out awards here, I should mention that Kona's Pipeline Porter gets kudos from the beer geeks...from the judges as well (GABF Bronze, 2007).

Before I get out-of-control here, let's rewind and take things from the top. I've got to make sure that I don't short-change you out of any of the high-quality beer travel information that you're accustomed to finding around here!

Actually, it's quite simple. As I've already described, this trip comes in two parts. The first part goes with the first week. A lot of me doing my day job thing with really no beer excursions at night to speak of. There was, however, a Thursday night dinner at Roy's (the original one) to celebrate my birthday (my 38th, since you asked, thank you).

This isn't a food blog and since there was only one beer involved (and nothing much to speak of, at that) I will only make one more comment about Roy's. I'd never been to Roy's anywhere before and was at first hesitant to take in what I figured might amount to a "chain experience" at Roy's. Boy, was I ever wrong! From the front door to the table seating, service, and ambiance to the food, drink, and presentation, this was a top 10, likely even a top 5 dining experience of all-time for me. Everything about Roy's impressed me and has me anxious for my next visit to a Roy's restaurant...even if I'm already preparing myself for a great letdown.

So what the first week really boiled down to was the Saturday and Sunday preceding the workweek. Not wanting to let a wasted day go by, we took the first flight out on Saturday morning and arrived in time to grab a late lunch/early dinner. Of course, the three of us were a bit punch drunk from the long flight.

No, I didn't say drunk...punch drunk, I said. I mention this because, yes we did indulge at around 10am at O'Hare airport in Chicago at the Goose Island Pub. Apparently, and maybe this is true at all airports?, the liquor license covers the entire airport. Because.....when asked if we wanted a Matilda "to go," we appeared quite a bit dumbfounded. Yes, the bartender says, "I can fill a plastic cup for you to walk through the airport with." Well, giddyup!!

Back (once again) to Hawaii. The best we could do for gathering ourselves and coming to a decision by committee (a bad thing to do when all on the committee are jetlagged) was to stagger down the street a block or so to find what appeared to be a decent restaurant. Decent, it was.

We had dinner and a few beers at LuLu's Waikiki Surf Club. It's a second floor, open-air restaurant at the end of Waikiki Beach near the City Zoo and Diamond Head. With a decent food menu ranging from casual pub grub to steaks and seafood, both Kona and Maui brews to choose from, along with a few other larger crafts, we knew this would work out just fine. Well, in fact, it worked out well enough that we wandered back in again at the end of the week. While it's not necessarily a beer geek destination and the service hits the midrange acceptable mark, it will do the trick and give you something tasty to drink if you're at that end of the strip.

(Turtle Bay: A more scenic place to drink a beer? I think not likely)
Now with all of that miscellany out of the way, I can focus us all on our Sunday tour around the island. We started downtown and made our way out to Pearl Harbor, for the requisite, moving tour of the base. We then moved on up the island through the pineapple fields to the North Shore where we grabbed a shrimp plate from a food bus prior to landing at Turtle Bay for a couple of drinks. This is where I ran into my first of many Kona Longboard Lagers during this two-week trip to Hawaii.

(Kona Brewpub at night)
We carried on around the Windward side of the island during the sunset hours and finally made it to the Kona Brewpub, which is just a short bit to the east of downtown Honolulu in Koko Marina. It didn't take long for me to rank this brewery right up there amongst the most scenic...right there with Anderson Valley and the like. This is their second of two locations, the first being on the Big Island.

The service could not have been more accommodating at Kona. From the friendly 'aloha' at the front desk to our server who handled a full load of tables, but was not too busy to answer our questions about Kona's history, the food, and the beer, the staff and waterside dining set the stage for a completely enjoyable evening. If we weren't tired out from our island-circling driving tour as well as being jet-lagged, on top of needing to get to work the following day, we certainly would have stayed for at least 1 or 4 more!

But, given all of that, the sampler platters of beer were more along the lines of suitable for us. Then, pick a favorite, get a pint of it and call it a night we did. Between the three of us, we only duplicated a couple of the beers and were able to sample just about the full lineup of beers.

(Kona Brewpub sampler, a bit expensive at $9 for 20 total ounces, but hey it's Hawaii)
If I have my facts correct, the packaged beers (bottles and cans) that you can get from Kona are produced on the mainland under their agreement in the Craft Brewers Alliance. I believe that goes for kegs of the same brands too...but that's a fact that I need to check. The specialties, though, are produced on site and on the Big Island of Hawaii but do not get packaged in any form, including (unfortunately) growlers, to go. The consensus at our table enjoyed the Black Sand Porter, the Lavaman Red, and the Hefeweizen. Their version of a coconut porter, though, was not up to the standard, we all agreed, set by Maui Brewing.

We caught a little of the live music that had begun while we were polishing off nachos, fish tacos, and salads. As I'd mentioned earlier, the location, the live music, decent beer and food, and attentive staff all combine to make this one of the most well-rounded brewpub experiences I think could be enjoyed. Everyone brings a little something different to the table. At Kona, they've got a little bit of everything which, in the end, contributes to a greater whole.

(Kona Brewpub on the water at night)
(the Yard House in amongst the downtown Honolulu shopping scene)
I was gonna break for part 2 right about now, then I realized I missed telling you about my first visit ever to a Yard House. There are enough of them around the country and you'd figure for the amount of travel that I do, that I would have run (or walked!) into one of these by now. Eh, nah, I'll put the pictures here and save the words for part 2. See you on the flip side where I'll finish up with Oahu and move on to Maui.

(how to move a lot of beer at Yard House)
(our table at Yard House ensured that we could keep an eye on the coldbox!)

Forward to Hawaii, Part 2

This seems to qualify as the most interesting humpday news that I've heard today

Jump to Joe Sixpack for the details

Get to Know McKenzie Brew House Again

There's been a bit more buzz of late around the McKenzie Brew House. A couple of medals here, a few positive comments from others in the industry there, and Jack Curtin mentioning the brewer and a few specific beers over three separate praising postings at his Liquid Diet. And in a few days, Don Russell (aka Joe Sixpack) is collaborating on the brewpub's first ever beer dinner. Rewinding a few years, McKenzie Brew House was a one brewhouse outlet in Glen Mills, don't call me Chadds Ford, or Concordville, or even Delaware. On the spot where the Frazer, don't call me Malvern, location now operates was the owner's former restaurant concept, La Grande. Here in this paragraph was where once was written more details about the happenings at the end of 2006. Then, I deleted it figuring those who know, know. Those who remember, remember. And, then there's a bunch, I'm guessing, who just don't give a rip. So, if you care and want to know more, click back here or over to this link. But, otherwise, I'm moving on and getting on with the positive and that's what I'm hoping many more will do as well. You owe it to your inner beer geek. Because.....Because, if you haven't been back since December 2006, you've been missing out on some fine brew coming out of Ryan Michaels' brewhouse. Since taking the helm at McKenzie, Ryan Michaels has continued to make the standard house brews, which---yes, the emphasis is 'standard'---is just fine, but like clockwork continues to crank out way more hits than misses with his seasonal/specialty/one-off batches. The beer judging world has taken notice as well...awarding a Gold for the Saison Vautour in both 2007 & 2009 and a Bronze in 2007 for the Wee Heavy. With a wingman of his own now (Gerard Olson to name names), the duo continues to put out beer all across the style map at both locations as well as at local festivals. Not long after 2009's GABF, I stopped in and chatted with Michaels and he sent me home, as with Jack, with one of those brett-laced Saison Vautours---One of those that won the Gold this past year---One that's still in my cooler. Jack says it was pretty good. Sounds like I need to be opening it pretty soon. And you? If you haven't been to McKenzie's lately because of some old grudge, well that's just silly...and I'm just sayin'. So you can make up for it this Thursday (that's less than two days from now on 1/21) for a sum total of $39. With that $39, you'll get five courses of food, plus beers like Saison Brune Reserve, Grisette, Saison Vautour, Biere d'Hiver, and Cuvee McK. Nothing standard about that, eh? Give 'em a try. If you're still not convinced....well, I'd buy your dinner, but I don't think that'd fly so well with Mrs. Brew Lounge.

A new year, a new brew, a new view

My odds of brewing again soon... ...just got better with a visit to Artisan Homebrew in Downingtown. The once-fresh picked, since frozen are awaiting a secondary fermenter full of beer. It's gonna be a chocolate cherry imperial stout..and it's gonna be big. Hoping to work on it this coming weekend with expectation to be drinking it in late February, early March. Mike's a great guy running the show at Artisan. But, if I have any questions I want to consult with an online service, it might be at the newly-created BrewAdvice.com. I've plugged around a bit and it looks promising as a useful homebrewing tool to add to your resources. Just got back from a weekend in D.C., but you're not going to hear about it... ...at least until I get some other writing and planning out of the way first. There'll be three things to share with you. First, a marathon (not the running kind!) visit to Brasserie Beck, the relatively new and supercool Belgian Bar/Restaurant at 11th & K streets in downtown Washington, D.C. Then, a visit to the latest in the "chain" of Dogfish Head Alehouses...this one in Fairfax, VA. I've been to the one in Gaithersburg, MD so it would be a test of how consistent the theme is...shouldn't be too difficult, eh? Nearby I made a trip to Total Wine as well as World Market and discovered a few beers not available in Pennsylvania. Felt sorry for them and brought many home with me! As far as other new things going on around here... ...this week you'll hear/read me talk/write about 1) Hawaii (finally); 2) the McKenzie Beer Dinner on Thursday (you should go too, really); 3) and a couple of other new and interesting things that some of you will find to varying degrees both...new...and...interesting (maybe). Sorry, must stay secretive for the time being. In the spirit of the holiday... ...I'll leave you with some fine quotes that I've seen floating around as Facebook status updates today: ~ "A special haiku: Remember today: / Martin Luther King, Jr. / Love and sacrifice" ~ "Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere." ~ "A nation that continues year after year to spend more money on military defense than on programs of social uplift is approaching spiritual doom." ~ "Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that." ~ "THE King"

Flying Fish Beer Dinner at Chifa: 1/14/2010

How does the savvy beer traveler begin his trip through the Paoli Train Station? Why, of course, by first checking out the tap list at TJs across the street. And, then adjusting the departure time accordingly. In the case of the Chifa/Flying Fish dinner last night in the City, the last reasonable train to arrive in Philly allowed us to make a pit stop at TJs for a glass of Russian River's Pliny the Elder and a glass of Bell's HopSlam. Now, this posting is really not about either of these two beers. So, for the time being, I'll just leave it at this: Very few other places in the country (and only a handful of establishments around the Philadelphia Metro region) are fortunate enough to ever get their lips on Russian River beer...let alone another beer geek cult favorite, HopSlam...and both, fresh, at the same time. Granted, there are way too many very good beers out there to be pursued. This is just one example (two?) of Philadelphia's fortunate access to very good beer. (Casey Hughes, Jose Garces, Gene Muller) Moving on...sorry Jose, Gene, and Casey for letting these other guys steal some of your thunder. Because thunder it did on Chestnut Street last night. The dinner was moved to the upstairs dining room which was used to accommodate roughly 75 exuberant diners who came out to eat of the Iron Chef's food and drink of the {let's play Mad Libs here and fill in an adjective} beer from New Jersey. (the upstairs dining room awaits the Beer Dinner) With a mutual friend and PR agent in Jen Hatton, it may be of little surprise that Casey Hughes, brewer, from Flying Fish came together with the recently-crowned Iron Chef Jose Garces for a beer dinner that looked great on paper. The key would be the execution. Casey said that only a couple of back-n-forths took place in the planning stages before settling on the final menu. I'd say it worked out pretty well. More on that in a moment. Judging by the Beer Calendar of Events (check out The Brew Lounge's, for example!) January is full of post-holiday beer dinners around the Philly metro area. Question is: Will people come out for these dinners? This was one on my list. Next week, I'll be a guest at McKenzie's first beer dinner (ever, if my sources are correct) in Glen Mills/Chadds Ford/almost Delaware. (Jose Garces welcomes his guests) So did they show up? In a word, yup. Did I already say 75? While there was certainly a lot of fan support for the Flying Fish beer from friends and industry folk, I'm betting that there was a certain portion of the dining crowd that was there in anticipation of the cooking of Jose Garces, the Food Network's most recent inductee into Iron Chef brotherhood. In that crowd also was what appeared to be an Iron Hill team meeting. Either that, or it was an unsanctioned meeting of Philadelphia-based IH employees planning to open their own city-based restaurant/brewery if the mother company doesn't do it sooner! (A table full of Iron Hill, including Paul Rutherford and Chris LaPierre) (Casey Hughes introduces his beer) The dinner got off to a slow start with the first course being dropped close to 30 minutes behind schedule. I'm guessing the presence of Mr. Iron Chef in the kitchen may have had something to do with that. No matter, once the dinner got rolling, the courses were nicely paced with full glasses of beer being brought to the tables a few minutes before the food portion of the course. Each beer was a generous portion with some top-offs being offered as well. (Oh, tender pig cheeks) I'm going to keep my course-by-course critique to a minimum here since I've got but limited time to get this out to you before I'm moving on to other things that you'll hear about soon enough I'm sure. (And, I should probably apologize yet once again for subpar pictures. No one will ever accuse me of spreading beerfoodporn. Though, the lighting really did have something to do with it...honestly.) (The 5-course Flying Fish/Chifa Beer Dinner Menu) In that spirit, I'm going to skip directly to my favorite course and pairing, the Smoked Tuna and the Abbey Dubbel. The combination of the smoked tuna flavor and texture went real nicely with the maltiness of the mildly alcoholic dubbel. I wasn't sure if the beer's malt profile was giving off the slight smokiness that I perceived under the more recognizable fruit flavors or if the tuna preparation was playing tricks on me. Either way, it was a delight. (Smoked Tuna and Abbey Dubbel) In a very close second was the ever-so-perfect Exit 4, paired with the lamb chop. The hops, the alcohol, the sweetness of the beer plus the tender cumin-spiced lamb was a melt-in-your-mouth winner. Weighing in at less than 5% ABV, a souvenir glass full of the Belgian Mild was a pleasant interlude between these last two high alcohol beers that I just mentioned. Next to the tender and tasty pig cheek, it was a very nice middle course in the dinner. (Exit 4 and Lamb Chop) (Exit 1 and Chocolate Buns for dessert) This may be the first time that not only did the dessert course not rank as my favorite of the evening, it wasn't even near the top. You might have thought that a stout and a chocolate-based dessert would have done it for me. Not in this case. Sure, they stood well on their own as well as provided for a fine pairing. There just wasn't anything particularly wow-ing about the combination. (HopFish and Hamachi) Were there any disappointments? Well, sure...The portion sizes. I rarely, if ever, have left a beer dinner still hungry for more. And, while I wasn't necessarily falling over starving after the dinner, I and Mrs. Brew Lounge certainly had room for something more. This was probably no where more evident than on the plate of the first course, the way-way-wafer thin Hamachi Ceviche, carpachio-like in fact. A very nicely done dish to be sure, especially when paired with the HopFish. But, the slices were so thin, I wondered they'd even qualify has 'melt in your mouth', since there was hardly anything to melt! Perhaps it was meant to show off cutlery skills in the kitchen and presentation than anything else. Listen, we're not greedy or anything. This, in fact, probably was enough food...it was just striking that we both left the dinner saying that we were still hungry. That being said, this was still a wonderful way to spend a Thursday evening. Too often, decadent beer dinners consumed in the earlier part of the week, say Tuesdays most typically, leave me feeling weighed down and dragging to the end of the week after the gastronomical overload that some of these dinners can exact on me. At Chifa last night (a Thursday), even though it wasn't an overwhelmingly filling or drunken meal, the effects of the dinner and the late night only had to be endured for one more business day before the weekend set in. (Casey Hughes and Gene Muller looking relaxed near the end of the dinner) Oh, and if you've lasted this long through my recount of last evening, then you've hung around long enough for me to tease you that I stumbled across an exciting piece of news that should have many of you all a-twitter. Now, I just need to determine when and how I may share this with you. (Exit 4 and Exit 1 battle for favorite turnpike beer)

Weekly Beer Calendar Update: January 14th-January 20th

Haven't spent your year-end bonus yet? Oh wait, didn't get one? How about the $50 from Grandmom? This upcoming week is chock full of great events around the "Delaware Valley," including more beer dinners than you can shake a rubber chicken at. Check out the entire January 2010 calendar over here. If I'm missing any that you feel should be on here, let me know. Have a Taste or Two @Beer Yard, Wayne, PA--- Fri. 1/15 - Friday Night Tasting (5:00pm-7:00pm; Free tasting samples of Weyerbacher) @Dawson Street Pub, Philadelphia, PA--- Mon. 1/18 - Keep the Pint Night (7:00pm-9:00pm; PAYG for treats from Victory) @Iron Hill Brewery, Phoenixville, PA--- Sat. 1/16 - Brewers' Reserve featuring British Invasion (12:00pm-5:00pm; PAYG for English Style Beers plus some surprise guest beers on tap and also featuring Traditional English Fare) @Old Eagle Tavern, Philadelphia, PA--- Tue. 1/19 - Left Hand Tuesday Nights (8:00pm-10:00pm; PAYG to meet & greet the brewers & beer reps & to taste the beers) @Stone Beverage, Philadelphia, PA--- Fri. 1/15 - Friday Night Beer Tasting (4:30pm-6:30pm; Free tasting samples of Flying Fish) @Teresa's Next Door, Wayne, PA--- Tue. 1/19 - Tasty Tuesday with Weyerbacher (PAYG to meet the brewer and more... some gems hidden for years in our cellar might surprise you, 11-12-13-14...get it?) Dinner Time, call your brother and sister in @Chifa, Philadelphia, PA--- Thu. 1/14 - Flying Fish Beer Dinner (7:00pm; $65 for a 5-course meal paired with HopFish IPA, Abbey Dubbel, Belgian Mild, Exit 4 American Trippel, and Exit 1 Bayshore Oyster Stout) @Dogfish Head Brewings & Eats, Rehoboth Beach, DE--- Sun. 1/17 - Bollywood (Dogfish style!) - A Night of Indian Cuisine (6:30pm; $57 for a 5-course meal paired with Namaste, Dogfish Head Mango Ginger Martini, Pale India Ale, 90 Minute IPA, and 2008 Immort Ale) @Iron Abbey, Horsham, PA--- Wed. 1/20 - Flying Fish Beer Dinner (7:00pm; $40 for a 5-course meal paired with Extra Pale Ale, Belgian Mild, HopFish IPA, Abbey Dubbel, and Exit 1 Bayshore Oyster Stout) @McKenzie Brewhouse, Glen Mills, PA--- Thu. 1/21 - Beer Pairing Dinner (7:00pm; $49 for a 5-course meal co-hosted with Joe Sixpack and paired with Saison Brune Reserve, Grisette, Saison Vautour, Biere d’Hiver, and Cuvee McK) @The Belgian Café, Philadelphia, PA--- Wed. 1/20 - Weyerbacher Anniversary Beer(s) Dinner (7:00pm; $55 for some cellared Weyerbacher Anniversary ales (numbers 11, 12, 13, and 14) and a 4-course dinner built around them! Also be pairing a course with their Winter Fireside ale.) @Tria Café, Philadelphia, PA--- Thu. 1/14 - Beer & Cheese: Victorious Winter Pairings (6:30pm-8:00pm; $50 for a beer and cheese pairing featuring brews from Victory such as Baltic Thunder, V-Twelve, Old Horizontal barleywine, and the brand new Yakima Twilight paired with a variety of cheeses.) @Union Barrel Works, Reamstown, PA--- Wed. 1/20 - Wild Game & Beer Dinner (7:00pm; $40 for a 5-course meal paired with Kölsch, Brugga Bastard, Mai Bock, Uncle Fester, Hop Knockers IPA, Wobbly Bob Doppelbock, and a Chocolate Stout Float) Event so crazy they should lock up whomever's responsible @Grey Lodge Pub, Philadelphia, PA--- Wed. 1/20 - 120 on 1/20 (10:00am; PAYG because it's now an annual tradition. We tap a sixtel of Dogfish Head 120 Minute IPA on 01/20. We'll tap it at 10am. Weighing in at 21% ABV, we expect this sixtel to last all day, but not two whole days.) @Sly Fox, Phoenixville & Royersford, PA--- beginning Wed. 1/6 - St. Patrick's Day Boot Camp (5:00pm; PAYG, see website for all of the details) File Under: In case you find yourself in Alaska, or anywhere near Wasilla @William A. Egan Civic & Convention Center, Anchorage, AK--- Fri. 1/15-Sat. 1/16 - Great Alaska Beer & Barleywine Festival (see website for details)

Donate blood, Drink beer

Just one more link to pass along to you and then, I promise, to stop for a little while. This one is timely for me since I just finished up with my monthly platelet donation. Iron Hill is just down the street in West Chester, but I don't need the beer as incentive to donate...but it does help with the replenishment! Here's a story of beer for blood in Washington. And, yes, if this looks familiar to you...I found this via, gulp, those forums at a popular beer website.

For fans of Drie Fonteinen, lambics, and things blended

While I'm on a short string of passing on links to you, this one's a good read from the "Thirsty Pilgrim." He (Joe) shares what began as a disheartening story close to a year ago at Drie Fonteinen and now continues in the next chapter with a business model that has adapted to the current situation. Sounds like most parties involved, consumers included, may come out winners.

A Good Reason to take that Boat, or maybe plane, to China

I did something recently that I rarely do, I thumbed through (figuratively, of course) the forums over at BeerAdvocate. And, I found something that seemed worth sharing. We talk about the U.S. a whole bunch around here. Belgium and Germany, too. Even the U.K. occasionally. We don't venture too much farther to the East, though...or West depending upon your orientation on this globe. I figure I'd like to visit China some day. Something good to drink while in Shanghai would be yet another good reason to visit. Check out this interesting article about the beer scene in China, particularly Shanghai.

Soldiers 'fall in' as Boot Camp kicks off again at Sly Fox

A massive meatloaf platter for dinner, preceded by a 2009 Odyssey, and accompanied by a Dunkel Lager...and the 2010 Boot Camp at Sly Fox in Phoenixville was off and running. We last participated in this fun 10-week event back in 2006. Though, we didn't win anything from the raffles, we came away with t-shirts and good times. (we're not greedy!) Food, beer, live music every Wednesday and Thursday at Sly Fox...plus accumulating chances to win a trip to Ireland...all great reasons to stop in. Drawing held during the raucous St. Patrick's Day culmination of Boot Camp on March 17th. All the details at SlyFoxBeer.com

Words escape me

We don't see this in Pennsylvania, so...If I could, I surely would....(go to NYC next Tuesday) A reason to visit Rattle 'n' Hum on Tuesday, 1/12

Weekly Beer Calendar Update: January 7th-January 13th

Never too cold to wander out to a good beer event. Here comes week 2 of year 2010. Check out the entire January 2010 calendar over here. If I'm missing any that you feel should be on here, let me know. Have a Taste or Two @Beer Yard, Wayne, PA--- Fri. 1/8 - Friday Night Tasting (5:00pm-7:00pm; free tasting samples of Double Trouble from Founders) @Old Eagle Tavern, Philadelphia, PA--- Tue. 1/12 - Left Hand Tuesday Nights (8:00pm-10:00pm; PAYG to meet & greet the brewers & beer reps & to taste the beers) @Pickering Creek Inn, Phoenixville, PA--- Thu. 1/7 - Craft Brew Night (6:00pm; PAYG for a bunch of featured brews from Southampton Publick House) @Triumph, Philadelphia, PA--- Thu. 1/7 - Brewer's Reserve Barrel Tappings (6:00pm; PAYG for January's featured selection of Belgian Golden Ale) @Triumph, New Hope, PA--- Fri. 1/8 - Brewer's Reserve Barrel Tappings (6pm; PAYG for January's featured selection of Zitronenweizen) Food meets Beer @Iron Hill Brewery, Maple Shade, NJ--- Wed. 1/13 - Brewmaster’s Winter Beer Dinner (7:00pm; $65 for a Five Course Meal paired with Caprice, Abbey Dubbel, Pig Iron Porter, Vienna Lager, Cherry Vanilla Porter) @Spinnerstown Hotel, Spinnerstown, PA--- Wed. 1/13 - Meet The Brewer Series Presents… (7:00pm; $40 for four beers from Bell's, great food pairings, and fresh cask-conditioned HopSlam) Fun & Games! @Doobie's, Philadelphia, PA--- Mon. 1/11 - Quizzo and Kenzinger (9:30pm; PAYG to drink and show off your smarts) @North Bowl, Philadelphia, PA--- Mon. 1/11 - HopSlam Release (9:00pm; $20 for bowling, shoe rental, and one Bell's beer) @Sly Fox, Phoenixville & Royersford, PA--- Wed. 1/13-Thus. 1/14 - St. Patrick's Day Boot Camp (5:00pm; PAYG...see website for all of the details) More firkins, More Yards...ho hum @Bridgid's, Philadelphia, PA--- Mon. 1/11 - Olde Bartholomew Barleywine Firkin (7:00pm; PAYG and help bring new meaning to T.U.D.) @Kite and Key, Philadelphia, PA--- Thu. 1/7 - Olde Bartholomew Barleywine Firkin (7:00pm; PAYG for some Olde Bart, no word of steel cage wrestling matches) @London Grill, Philadelphia, PA--- Fri. 1/8 - Olde Bartholomew Barleywine Firkin (8:00pm; PAYG for a little baby pin of Olde Bart) @Pub and Kitchen, Philadelphia, PA--- Fri. 1/8 - Olde Bartholomew Barleywine Firkin (5:00pm; PAYG keeps 'em coming) @the P.O.P.E., Philadelphia, PA--- Sat. 1/9 - Olde Bartholomew Barleywine Firkin (5:00pm; PAYG for the last of the 10 Days of Olde Bart..firkins, that is) Only one cask event on the calendar this week? @d.b.a., Brooklyn, NY--- Fri. 1/8-Sun. 1/10 - Williamsburg Cask Ale Festival (1pm daily; PAYG for at least 12 rare and delicious cask-conditioned beers tapped simultaneously) Big Fun on the Big Mountain with Big Brews...the theme is BIG @Vail Cascade Resort & Spa, Vail, CO--- Thu. 1/7-Sat. 1/9 - Big Beers, Belgians and Barleywines Festival (see website for all of the details)

Some fine insights from North of the Border

'Til I get around to (finally) updating my Recommended Links page, I charge you with checking out the fine insights from Stephen Beaumont at Blogging at World of Beer. I can probably count on one hand (likely, less) the number of times that I've linked to any of his rich writing; and, that's a misstep on my part. Perhaps it's a bit of a kinship that I feel that helps me enjoy his writing. His viewpoints, his penchant for running and fitness. (I saw him last at Philly Beer Week's Brewer's Run and Lew's Session Beer Event.) Or perhaps it's the direct approach in expressing opinions that makes it such an easy recommendation to make to you. Take, for example, Trends from 2009-2010, Goals for 2010, or Lessons Learned in 2009. There's no mincing of words, no need to re-read, nothing particularly inflammatory. (Certainly not to say that Stephen doesn't take solid stands on hotly debated topics.) Of course, those could be construed simply as my subjective takes on his writing. So don't take my word for it, go check out what Beaumont has to say. I'll bet if you're not already a subscriber, you will be soon thereafter.

Po'okela in 2010

Ahuwale ka po'okela i kāu hana iā ha 'i - Any guesses at what this means? The meaning and delivery of true customer service continues to be lost on the indifferent. Getting value for spent money and time seems to be more difficult to come by than ever. And, The Brew Lounge flipped and flopped and flailed all over the place. You'd think I was running for elected office. I won't even get started on how many missed promises I have from this same time last year. Not to say that 2009 wasn't a chock full year of mostly decent stuff here that I reported on to you from the great wide world of craft beer. I'm just not so sure it was always what you wanted. I feel like I've let myself down and can't help but think that I've done the same to some of you. Quantity, you say? I could not care less about the number of postings, provided the quality remains at least above average. Over a year ago, I surveyed and asked what was most valuable to you here at The Brew Lounge. Establishment Reviews and The Calendar of Events ranked as the content you were most interested in. Individual Beer Reviews got a healthy response as well. The Calendar of Events has been maintained with an almost religious tenacity. Everything else? Who knows where it's all gone? In terms of topics most commented on by readers at The Brew Lounge, "Topics of the Week" have gone by the wayside, but they always generated a healthy amount of conversation amongst you all. Go back and see some of the topics that we've discussed in the past. So at the risk of setting myself up yet once again, here is what I will push myself to become better at in 2010 for the sake of serving up some of the best beer-related content on the Web. - reinstitute Topics of the Week...but make them less frequent, like perhaps Topics of the Month. - if somehow I can't even keep up with "Topics of the Month," I'll consider rejoining the monthly Session - that last one segues nicely into my next promise...to become more social, on the Web that is. Comment more on other sites/blogs/etc. I value comments from readers on The Brew Lounge, but yet only sparingly drop notes at others' sites/blogs. More Facebook, and yes, perhaps more Twitter. - start up individual beer reviews again. When Adam and I used to do this on a somewhat regular basis, I enjoyed the process of sitting down and evaluating a beer...talking about it with the person sitting next to me. While taking BJCP classes probably will not be in the cards for me in 2010, methodically critiquing beers is something that I think will be valuable to me and to some of you. - do something different with The Brew Lounge, different look, different organization. I don't know. I certainly have at least a dozen or twenty ideas kicking around. Problem is, they all require some sort of technical ingenuity, which I frankly don't have time to explore. Maybe some college kid will come poking around looking for free-to-cheap work? By the way, Ahuwale ka po'okela i kāu hana iā ha 'i translated means "It is through the way you serve others that your greatness will be felt." I will remind myself of this and make it my mantra this year at The Brew Lounge. There is so much excellence in the world of craft brewing, that it doesn't need a subpar effort from me. None of you deserve any less than my best effort. I do not write and do all that I do here simply to fill spare time or feed my ego. I do this for the sake of bringing light to a relatively small industry that I wholeheartedly believe in and for the sake of bringing as much useful information that I can to anyone who happens to stop by and participate at The Brew Lounge.

Spam-free in 2010.

I've managed to keep up with the spammers. I continue to insist that I will not turn on "comment-moderation." I refuse to make it more difficult for anyone to participate at The Brew Lounge. That said, the pathetic spammers continue to try. Here's the thing they may or may not know. As soon as a comment comes through, I get an e-mail. Better yet, I have one of them there smart phone thingies that buzzes with every incoming e-mail. So, usually in anywhere from 12 seconds to 12 minutes I'm able to see a spam posting on The Brew Lounge, go into my little admin tool and zap it. If they come in overnight, it's one of the first things I do in the morning...zap, delete, obliterate all spam. Annoying, sure. But relatively painless for me. I realize that often times there's no real person sitting on the other end sending out these spam comments, and therefore no one reading what you are reading right here right now. But, in case there is: You might as well give up, because I'm not going to. As in 2009, there will be no spam on The Brew Lounge in 2010.

Beer Dates in History: January Anniversaries

165 years Huber Brewery (now Minhas) 160 years Stroh Brewery 155 years Miller Brewing Company 20 years Thompson Brewery & Public House (McMenamins) 15 years Bear Republic Calhoun's Microbrewery Heartland Brewery (Union Square) McMenamins on the Columbia Motor City Brewing Works The Ship Inn 5 years Maui Brewing

Breaking in the New Year 2010 with ease

After a great New Year's Eve in the neighborhood drinking a plethora (a plethora, you say?!) of great beverages from local craft brew to mulled wine to champagne to toasting with Firestone Walker's 10th Anniversary (holding up quite well after 3+ years) at Midnight, I looked to follow up with a back end of a doubleheader on New Year's Day. After sleeping in and cleaning up around the house, we were off into Philly on the train a little later than expected. The quick trip down the old Pennsylvania Railroad was made much easier with my chosen hair of the dog, Monk's Blood from 21st Amendment. Yes, I splurged on a case of these cans ($55...not a typo) and they are worth every penny for this sipping pleasure. And, yet another place where cans are just a little bit more convenient than bottles---trains. After strolling Broad Street a bit to take in some of the Mummery of the annual Philadelphia tradition called the Mummers Parade (it sounds so much better in person), we thought we might check out the kick off of McGillin's 150th Anniversary, well at least 2010's kickoff...since technically, the anniversary kickoff began mid-summer last year, 150 days prior to the anniversary date. But, the scene was just way more than we were looking for. We've seen McGillin's during a St. Patrick's Day parade and this was much the same mess, complete with a police cruiser being sprayed with beer, while the officer sat inside. Yes, this also was not a typo. We moved on across Broad Street to Monk's where the crowd was a bit thinner, a bit better behaved, and the suds a bit heftier and tastier. 19 Stouts and 1 Lambic is how Monk's promoted their New Year's Day. We saw a sub-chapter of the Usual Beer Crowd at Monk's before we moved across town and to the south to the H&H party (at the house of Hughes and Hatton, not Horn & Hardart, in case there was any confusion). Original Buddy held court for a while; I was not coerced, paid, or otherwise to call him Original Buddy. We skipped out on the 2 Street Revelry, which as many of you know continues into the wee hours of January 2nd every year. We opted, as some of the others did, to do our part on the firkin and some dinner at Devil's Den. Yards was continuing their 10-day Blowout of Olde Bartholomew Barleywine firkins. This was Day 2 and continues on through January 9th at the P.O.P.E. Check out their website to find some of this smooth and deceptively drinkable 10.3% brew out of the firkin. It'll be on CO2, of course, as well at many places in the city and 'burbs. But, the firkin is the one place that you should make an effort to have it from. In the coming days, you'll be hard-pressed to come up with an excuse not to. I'd hoped to start 2010 the way I did 2009, with a trip to Local 44...only this year to celebrate their 1st Anniversary instead of their grand opening. With the amount of time we had already spent gallivanting the city, the amount of calories consumed, and a holiday season that was just about to put its final stake in us, we opted instead for the train back home. That only postpones my visit to congratulate them in person; the wishes are nonetheless the same. Of course, that should mean one last T.U.D. at Bridgewater's Pub at 30th Street Station. That would not happen this time 'round, since they determined it was better to be closed on New Year's Day than put up with traveling mummer-ites. In a year where (just a few changes listed here) the Brendan & Leigh family grew 300%, Sly Fox began the process of moving its home location, Victory significantly expanded the brewhouse footprint and capacity, and the beer scene witnessed the losses of Zot, the tiedhouse, and Maia, it leaves us wondering what surprises and disappointments 2010 has in store for us.

Back in the New York Groove

Let's talk New York City. I certainly have not made as many trips to the Big Apple in 2009 as I have in past years. I kicked off 2009 waking up New Year's Day in the City that Never Sleeps---let's see how many of the city's nicknames I can use throughout this piece---after a 14 hour pub crawl around Manhattan on New Year's Eve the night prior. But, over the course of the ensuing year, I only returned twice, most recently at the beginning of December. I love finding relatively small and obscure bands and supporting their music through album purchases and concert tickets...does anyone say 'album' anymore? The Cat Empire is certainly not small in its native Australia, but here in the States when we first saw them 5 or so years ago, they were lucky to have a hundred people see them play clubs around Philly or NYC. Times have changed for the Band. Since playing large-scale U.S. festivals like Bonnaroo, The Cat Empire can now get U.S. crowds with numbers that include a comma. Anyway, that's a long way to describe why we were in NYC in early December...and also a way of encouraging you also to check out The Cat Empire. I truly believe that you'll find it to be both artistically-pleasing and soul-satisfying music. Now...drumroll...for the beer please. This was a drive-up and drive-back in the same day type of trip. It was also the same day that the snowy/icy weather came blowing through the northeast states. But, deterred we could not be. Fortunately, around 2 1/2 hours after departing northern Chester County, we were ascending from the subterranean parking garage in midtown Manhattan. Off to Rattle 'n' Hum, er Ginger Man we went. Let's see, should I explain or not? Nah, never mind. Then I'd have to describe how it was possible that between the 4 of us and the cab driver, we couldn't find Rattle 'n' Hum on 33rd Street. Granted, it was raining/sleeting...but anyway...off to 36th Street's Ginger Man instead. This was my umpteenth visit to Ginger Man, which only tells you that it should be high up on your list as well. The food is never too much and beer list is challenging in the sense that there's way more good stuff to choose from than you'll ever be able to drink in one sitting. You're guaranteed to leave wishing that you had the time and the liver for just one more. A majority of our 10 beers were of the more local origin; this is something that Ginger Man pays attention to. Whether it's from Captain Lawrence, Brooklyn, Six Point, Blue Point, Southampton, Ommegang, Chelsea, and a bunch more that I'm just forgetting right about now, or whether it's from Pennsylvania (they love themselves some PA beer in NYC), Ginger Man has the northeast U.S. beer map covered right smartly. And they pay just as much careful attention to the goodies from overseas as well. For food, we dipped into the Charcuterie Platter and a couple of Giant Pretzels. Both were great starters to set down a bit of a base for the remainder of the day and night. The service? The service was just about perfect which continues the perfect track record of decent service that I always receive at The Ginger Man. Even though there had been a split in The Ginger Man family somewhere in the past between the NYC-based location and the other 5 sprinkled around Texas, this service comment has held true for me with my experiences at 3 of the 5 Texas locations as well as the NYC location. Come to think of it, I never wrote anything about Courtney Love and the Dallas-based Ginger Man, have I? (That's another one of them there lost notebooks that I never got around to sharing with you. Let's see if I can dust that off and get it out to you one of these days!) After putting in a solid almost 2 hours at Ginger Man, we ventured down south the few blocks that it takes to get to Rattle 'n' Hum. Much better success spotting it the second time around. Butterfly Effect. Coincidences. Karma. Luck. Whatever you may call it, I'm always fascinated by what-ifs. What if we had arrived at Rattle 'n' Hum (grr, tired of typing that..from now on, it's RNH) two hours earlier? How would our day have been different? Would have we ever made it to Ginger Man? Would have we met up with Scott's nephew and his friends? How would have things been different? Would the service at RNH have been any different? Therein lies my only complaint about RNH. And one that I won't elaborate on too much, since my informal survey around the trusty beer-cooler appears to indicate that our experience was an isolated experience. I'll simply leave it with "the food was good, the beer was great, the service was lacking." I can more than appreciate that a multitude of reasons exist for why my experience could be different from the person who was there an hour before or after me...at any restaurant...anywhere. I said that I wouldn't harp too much. There'll be a follow-up visit to either prove or disprove this particular experience. Everything else at RNH was just as I had hoped and expected. For a bar that has an iPhone app with up-to-date information on it, I found the beer and cheese list to be equally impressive. For a bar that partnered with local Alex Hall to put together an anniversary party that included a couple dozen of cask-conditioned beers, I was very satisfied. For a bar with a blog (and otherwise utilizes social media quite well) that updates frequently enough to keep its followers informed, I found the atmosphere warm and inviting. As you can tell, we ate and drank well in our two stops around Manhattan. We got out of RNH in enough time to make it over to the Nokia Theatre for The Cat Empire's 8pm concert...where there was not much good beer to speak of at all. That was fine, considering I don't normally drink too much, if at all, inside concert venues anyway. Plus, anyway, a drive home awaited me that it turns out that I, the driver, was going to be the only one awake for. Priorities.

Weekly Beer Calendar Update: January 1st-January 6th

Here we go 'round and 'round again. The turning of the calendar and yet no shortage of great things to do in the great big wide world of wonderfully crafted beer. Did you all survive last night? Good, then let's get on with the first weekly calendar update of the 2010. Check out the entire January 2010 calendar over here. If I'm missing any that you feel should be on here, let me know. A few "simple" tastings @Old Eagle Tavern, Philadelphia, PA--- Tue. 1/5 - Left Hand Tuesday Nights (8:00pm-10:00pm; PAYG to meet & greet the brewers & beer reps & to taste the beers) @Tap and Table, Emmaus, PA--- Fri. 1/1 - Lambic Tappings (4:00pm; PAYG for Cantillon Cuvee de Champions, Cantillon Rose de Gambrinus, and Oud Beersel Framboise and other lambics to be tapped) @Triumph, Princeton, NJ--- Wed. 1/6 - Brewer's Reserve Barrel Tappings (6:00pm; PAYG for January's selection of Wassail) A dangerous pairing with, uh, Mummers? @Devil's Den, Philadelphia, PA--- Fri. 1/1 - Old Bartholomew Barleywine Firkin & Mummers Parade (1:00pm; PAYG for a Bartholomew Barleywine Bamboozle) Food for your Beer @Old City, Philadelphia, PA--- Sat. 1/2 - Craft Beer & Artisanal Cheese Tour (3:30pm-5:30pm; $45 for a tasting of 8 superior craft beers representing a vast range of styles, filled with fun facts about how they're made and their unique histories, and a selection of decadent imported cheeses) Party Time! @Local 44, Philadelphia, PA--- Fri. 1/1 - One Year Anniversary Party (4:00pm; PAYG for a line up that includes special beer from Stone, Scaldis, Lost Abbey, Dogfish Head, Ommegang, Port Brewing, Russian River, and many more! ) @Sly Fox, Phoenixville & Royersford, PA--- beginning Wed. 1/6 - St. Patrick's Day Boot Camp (5:00pm; PAYG...see website for all of the details) More firkins, More Yards...ho hum @Hulmeville Inn, Hulmeville, PA--- Tue. 1/5 - Old Bartholomew Barleywine Firkin (7:00pm; PAYG for reportedly the only firkin in the 'burbs?!) @Local 44, Philadelphia, PA--- Mon. 1/4 - Old Bartholomew Barleywine Firkin (5:00pm; PAYG for some Monday Night Madness) @Standard Tap, Philadelphia, PA--- Wed. 1/6 - Old Bartholomew Barleywine Firkin (6:00pm; PAYG for day 7 of this Malty Madness) @Swift Half Pub, Philadelphia, PA--- Sun. 1/3 - Old Bartholomew Barleywine Firkin & Eagles Game (1:00pm; PAYG for some Sunday afternoon 'ballin and beer) @Varga Bar, Philadelphia, PA--- Sat. 1/2 - Old Bartholomew Barleywine Firkin (5:00pm; PAYG for some hair o' the dog)

Tonight we're gonna party like it's 2009

Wait, what happened to Y2K? And, is Y2K10 gonna be a problem that no one told us about?! I can't believe how quickly the last decade feels like it has flown by. It really hasn't. It's just a function, so I'm told, of getting older. I suppose it's happening. But, I believe I can say that I can recall almost all of it, and it's been a blast. And that brings us to tonight. By now, I suppose that most of you have your plans set. I'm hunkering down in the neighborhood with my boyz and girlz from the hood and doing a neighborhood "pub" crawl, where each participating house will specialize in something special food-wise and drink-wise. With keeping the kids close by (everyone else's, that is) and keeping any one or more of us from behind the wheel, this should be a good formula for keeping things relatively cheap, safe, and fun...all without venturing too far from home. It might not keep the sobriety down, but we should pay attention to that, because we have plans to meet up with all the beery party people on New Year's Day in the City from Local 44 (Happy Anniversary) to Devil's Den (for a taste of Old Bart) to 2 Street for a bunch of no-good mummery! You still haven't made up your mind?! Get on it...and find yourself wandering through my New Year's Eve Guide that should help you find something decent to do from Marin County to Maine. Enjoy, be safe...and I'll see you all in the next decade. Check back tomorrow for the usual weekly calendar....a day later than usual.