All Aboard

Beer #344 Pier 54 IPA / Titanic Brewery, Stoke-On-Trent, England
Beers to go: 22

Another great, but tiring weekend in the books, as Penn State dominated on the field, and our tailgate dominated in the parking lot.  Literally, as a girl tried to come over and challenge one of our crew to a dance-off (don't ask).  She left defeated, and it wasn't even close.  She found out that when you mess with the bull, you get the horns.

I'll go ahead and get right into the beer, as I'm tired, and I need to cram five days worth of work into three courtesy of the short week.  Tonight I'm reviewing the Pier 54 IPA from Titanic Brewery.  As you may not know, the doomed luxury liner Titanic was scheduled to arrive at Pier 54 in New York after completing its maiden voyage.  Only problem was that things didn't quite work out according to plan.  This unsinkable beer has a copper color with an off white head, and your nose picks up aromas of citrus and hops.  The taste is a nice mix of caramel malt, lemon, and pine, with a nice bitterness on the finish.  If you're looking to try this beer, I suggest visiting The Farmers' Cabinet in Philly, which has the most impressive European bottle list I've seen on our beer journey.

Cold beer, dead ahead!

Titanic Brewery opened for business in 1985, and was named in honor of the Titanic's Captain Edward John Smith, who grew up just down the road from where the brewery was located.  They have a number of beers with Titanic themed names, however it does appear the Pier 54 is only released occasionally.

Thing to Think About Today:
We're by all means sticking with the theme today.  For those in the Philadelphia area, the always entertaining and amazing Franklin Institute just opened Titanic: The Artifact Exhibit, which will run through early April.  This traveling exhibit features 300 artifacts recovered from the ocean floor, and tells the complete story of this ship, from how it was built to the fateful events during the maiden voyage 100 years ago to current technology used to explore the wreck 2.5 miles below the surface and collect artifacts.  I was fortunate enough to see this during an opening night event, and it's fascinating on many levels and incredibly well presented.  If you're near Philadelphia and looking for a great way to spend an afternoon, I highly encourage you to check out this exhibit.  Bonus tip for guys: great place to take a date you're trying to impress....

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=4j0iGNv6ZQk

Nerd Dorm; Not That Great

Beer #262 Layover in Berlin / Cabinet Artisanal Brewhouse, Alexandria, VA

Disappointing day today, as we lost in the Final Four of the summer league.  Yet another year will go by without cutting down the net.  No shame in the loss, as we took the #1 seed to overtime, but couldn't close the deal.  I play in other leagues during the fall and spring, but something about the work league just makes it far more interesting.  Bragging rights, I suppose.  Next year, we win it all... I promise.

Tonight's beer is the Layover in Berlin from Cabinet Artisanal Brewhouse, the house brewery for The Farmers' Cabinet.  Previously, the only served their beers in the restaurant, but they've recently started shipping to other bars in the Philly area, which makes them a viable candidate for review on this blog.  This Berliner weisse was a hazy yellow color with a thin white head, and your nose picks up a tart, funky aroma with a touch of grapes.  The taste is dry with lemon, and a nice earthy funkiness and hints of green apple.  Really nicely done, and I can't wait to get back for another.

Oh hai!

Thing to Think About Today:
As we keep rolling through the list of best college movies ever, I need to highlight a movie that is at once thrilling and disappointing - Real Genius, starring Val Kilmer.  It's the hilarious tale of Mitch, an uber-genius who graduates high school early to enroll in prestigious college honors program.  He ends up sharing a room with Chris, the resident genius in the program whose knowledge of science is only surpassed by his ability to party and to not take school seriously.  Their project, a super laser, gets used without their knowledge by the military, so the geek and the party guy team up with their other nerd friends to get back at the professor in charge of the program and his lackey grad student.  Hilarity ensues.

So why is this great movie disappointing?  Because I lived in the nerd dorm (Atherton Hall) my freshman year courtesy of my enrollment in the University Scholars (now Schreyer Honors College) program.  Thanks to Real Genius, I thought it was going to be this awesome place with crazy pranks, high-tech hi-jinx, and braniacs who knew how to party just as hard as they hit the books.  Wrong, wrong, and WAY wrong.  The only things that happened in my dorm were people practicing the clarinet and/or playing Magic the Gathering in the tv room, or yelling at me to keep the noise down because they had to study..... on a Friday.  No reassembling a car in someone's room, no freezing the hallway with liquid nitrogen for a winter carnival, no hot tub in the laundry room.  NOTHING.  Thanks for completely skewing my expectations of the fun you can have in the nerd dorm, Val Kilmer.  You too, guy who played Lazlo and lived in the steam tunnels under the building.

Anyway, if you haven't seen it lately, it still holds up as a pretty awesome movie about college - some of Kilmer's finest work, no doubt.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OUKi0h5ZwPg

And just because it's a classic scene from the movie, let's check in on Jesus' visit to Kent:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sf-5RaFnh2U

"This is JESUS, Kent, and you've been a very naughty boy...."

Beer 253: Cabinet Brewers' Layover in Berlin

Sourfest at Devil's Den rolled right into late afternoon/early evening beers at The Farmers' Cabinet. It was at The Farmers Cabinet that I found today's beer. Brewed by their own brewers at Cabinet Artisinal Brewhouse in the burbs of Washington, D.C., the Layover in Berlin was delightful and well worth a trip into Philadelphia to experience.

First I will apologize for this photo, but I was about four beers -- four strong beers -- in and picture taking always suffers at that point.


The color was a hazy gold and it had a minimal white head. The smell was sweet and funky. The flavor is amazing...lime and brine with farmhouse yeasty funk, wheat. It was satisfying but refreshing. Crisp and clean but with a lingering acidity. Honestly it was the perfect beer to follow all the bigger, bolder and tarter beers that I had earlier in the day. But those are another story for another day!

In case you were curious, Cabinet Artisanal Brewhouse is a tiny operation and is currently only supplying The Farmers' Cabinet. They brew beer utilizing a unique strain of saison yeast and rely on nature and the elements. They have no control over fermentation temperature and brew seasonally, in a more natural setting, creating interesting challenges and ultimately more unique ales of distinction. They also do some barrel aging and have quite a few interesting ones in the pipeline right now.

Cheers!

Call of the Wild (Beer)

Beer #239 Wild Undressed / Picobrouwerij Alvinne, Heule, Belgium

It's been a good weekend, filled with beer, bike rides, and some well earned rest.  But there's a storm moving in (literally), so I'm going to hustle along and get this post written before I need to go batten down the hatches.

To close out the weekend, I'm reviewing Alvinne, a wild ale from Picobrouwerij Alvinne.  This one came on draft at The Farmer's Cabinet, and if you haven't been there, you need to go and see their amazing and ever changing beer list.  They manage to put some really unique and sometimes hard to find beers on their list.  Anyway, back to the beer - in the glass, it's the color of a ripe plum, and you are greeted with the aromas of sour cherry and vinegar.  The taste is clean, tart, and dry, with prominent notes of vinegar, cherry, with a tiny bit of sweetness.  An excellent wild ale for those who like their beers a bit more unusual.

Another awesome camera phone pic!

In the ancient world of Belgian brewing, Alvinne is a just a puppy, as they've been brewing since 2002.

Thing to Think About Today:
Yesterday, we were glued to the tv at Round Guys Brewery watching the tightly contested 10,000m (roughly six miles) finals, which would eventually be won by Great Britain's Mo Farah.  Close behind in second place was Galen Rupp, only the third American ever to earn a medal in this race, which was dominated by Finland in the early Olympic years, and by a number of African countries in more recent years.  So, there's Rupp, Lewis Tewanima's silver medal in 1912, and your thing to think about today: the incredible gold medal run by Billy Mills in 1964.

Mills was a virtual unknown at the time, and wasn't remotely considered a medal threat at the Tokyo Olympics.  In fact, his qualifying time at the US Olympic Trials was almost a minute slower than the winner's.  However, on the last lap with the two race favorites jockeying for position, it's Mills blazing past in a blur to break the tape and win gold.  The race official didn't even know Mills' name, and had to ask him who he was after the race ended.  No matter, as Mills managed to beat his personal best by a whopping 46 seconds, and set a new Olympic record.  He would also compete in the marathon, finishing in 14th place, although by that point everyone most certainly knew his name.

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yYcOPXqkGig

"Look at Mills!  Look at Mills!!!"

Beer 215: Alvinne! ALLLVVIINNNEEE!

Did anyone get the Alvin and the Chipmunks reference?  No? Just me. And now I have the Chipmunks' Christmas song stuck in my head.  I'm going to get a hula hoop.

Today's beer comes from the Belgian brewer Picobrouwerij Alvinne.  It is the Wild Undressed Regular.  The what now??

Let's just say American Wild Ale.  It poured a hazy garnet (Gary claimed it was purple.)  No head.  It was very still in the glass. I would have guessed it was flat.

The smell was kind of an acidic wine one. The taste was amazing -- very tart, cherries, perhaps a light balsamic vinegar with hints of cocoa.  Excellent beer.

A little research revealed that Picobrouwerij Alvinne is a tiny craft brewery located in Belgium.  The name of the brewery derives from a female spirit of local folk tales, who can be seen depicted on the brewery's logo and labels. The brewery creates a wide range of beers, including versions of 'traditional' Belgian styles.  They are relatively new having started in 2002. 

I can't imagine how intimidating it would be to start a brewery in Belgium.  They seem to be doing allright as this was quite a tasty wild ale.

Cheers!

Cool it Now, You're Gonna Fall In Love (With this Beer!)

Beer #124 Good Golden Harbor / Leelanau Brewing Company, Leland, Michigan

I have been surprised by something and I've learned something this week.  I'll start with what I've learned - the Boilermaker Bar is now officially open.  Technically, they've been open for about two or three weeks, but just had their grand opening last night.  Really interesting domestic craft beer list, and a really relaxed yet sophisticated vibe inside.  This bar is owned by the same people who run Farmers' Cabinet, another favorite beer bar of ours.  Went to this new spot on Marci's birthday, and I'm sure we'll be there again soon.  If you're in the 11th & Walnut area of Philly, definitely stop by and drink some beers.

I mentioned a surprise as well.  I've been surprised by a brewery flying under the radar that has managed to blow me away with an amazing beer.  Previously, Anchorage Brewing Company came from seemingly nowhere to produce one of the better beers I've had in ages, and now Leelanau Brewing has managed to completely astound me with their beer. This Biere de Garde is aged in oak and pours a pale golden color, and you pick up the scent of bread and fruit, but most notably you get a pleasant sour aroma.  The taste is magnificent.  A heady and funky mix of tart, sour, and citrus flavors with a touch of bitter hops.  The oak doesn't overpower you, but instead lends a mellow earthy flavor around the edges.  This beer is a mortal lock to finish the year in the Top 25, and I can't wait to get back to the Boilermaker to open up another bottle.  If I'm not mistaken, the third Michigan beer/brewery to make my top list so far.  Marci also sampled this beer from this brewery, so check that out (plus slutty prom dresses!) here.

Thing to Think About Today:
In the spirit of things that are new, such as Boilermaker and Leelanau, and because my post on Bell Biv DeVoe managed to get some mild attention on Facebook (three people commented - I was one of them), let's take some time and think about New Edition.  Ronnie, Bobby, Ricky, Mike, Ralph, and Johnny too!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RZUq6N7Gx1c

Best of luck to the Farmers' Cabinet gang on their new edition.  See what I did there?

Meatballs, Meatballs II, and Beer

Beer #122 Engels / Brouwerij de Molen,  Bodegraven, Netherlands

The only good thing that happened to me today was making homemade meatballs and sauce.  Not particularly special under ordinary circumstances, but courtesy of Men's Journal magazine, I had a meatball recipe from Mark Vetri at my disposal.  For those not living in my corner of the world, Vetri is an absolute giant in the Philly restaurant scene.  His establishments have received huge, outsized praise from food critics.  Which of course means if he's giving a free lesson on cooking, I'm listening.  This recipe was remarkably simple, and I simplified it further, but I can attest that these were absolutely delicious.  A spherical little piece of heaven.

It isn't all homemade Italian cooking tonight, there's beer to discuss as well.  So let's discuss the Engels, an English cask ale from de Molen, which I found on draft at the Farmer's Cabinet.  It pours a cloudy apricot hue, with a white cloud of foam and you pick up grain, malt, and a pleasing lemon aroma.  When you take a sip, you get flavors of malt, pine, and citrus, with a dry hop bitterness throughout. A bit more citrus flavor than a typical English cask ale, but nothing too extreme.  At 4.5% ABV, this definitely fits the mold of an English Bitter - quite tasty and completely sessionable.  If you find it, drink it.

Proof of life that I was at Farmer's Cabinet

Your daily knowledge: this brewery name translates to "Brewery the Mill," which makes sense because the brewery is housed in a historic mill that dates back to 1697.

Thing to Think About Today:
Well, it's getting late, and I'm getting tired.  If we're thinking about meatballs, I've already given you a link to the recipe, which I highly encourage you to try.  But if you're still thinking about meatballs, then I encourage you to think about Meatballs II, one of those so bad it's almost good sort of movies from the 80s.  Long story short?  Summer camp of misfits has to battle their arch enemies from across the lake to save their camp from going under.  It involves your typical teenage humor, an alien named Meathead who dresses like the Gorton's fisherman, Pee-Wee Herman as a lunatic, the guy who played Ogre in Revenge of the Nerds.... and yeah.  What can I say, people did huge amounts of drugs in the '80s.  Yes, it's a sequel to Meatballs, but I'm a fan of the second more so than the first.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=slGkfS5-eNY

Trust me when I say that I DESPERATELY tried to find the video clip of Pee Wee Herman uttering a famous line, "This one's for you, and this one's for the horse you rode in on!!!" after making middle finger gestures at someone from the enemy camp.  If you find this, please let me know, as it's the highlight of the movie for me.  Thanks!

Me, Ted?  MEATHEAD!

Beer 118: Leinenkugel’s Summer Shandy

I could not have asked for a better birthday.  Big ups to Gary for putting together a food and beer filled adventure.  (Small deduction on execution for making me walk ten blocks in very high heels after running around in that same pair of shoes for five hours at a work event.)  We hit Amada for a ten course chef’s tasting lunch and a pitcher of sangria.  Then we were off to The Boilermaker (sorry no website that I could find) where we made friends with the bartender Matt -- great guy who knows his beer.  The Boilermaker -- typically a light beer and a complimentary shot -- is a new (only open two weeks) craft beer bar.  Forty drafts (twenty-eight downstairs and twelve upstairs) and I think there were around ten different boilermakers.  I couldn’t resist - I had the California.  Quite tasty!  I have two new beers to review as a result of that trip.  The Boilermaker is from the same group that brought us The Farmers Cabinet, which if you're reading this blog...you know I love!

A third beer was had but it was Jolly Pumpkin’s Fuego del Otono, which translates to Autumn Fire.  Kudos to Gary for translating before seeing the bottle.  It caught our eye with its description of being a biere de garde brewed with chestnuts.  It was indeed nutty and spicy and quite delicious.  I didn’t take notes on it because I knew it was out of the running for a review.  I crossed Jolly Pumpkin off the list when I reviewed the Madrugada Obscura several weeks back.

***

Tonight is a summer beer kind of night -- Leinenkugel’s Summer Shandy is the drink of choice.  It pours a bright, hazy and appropriately lemony yellow with a small head.  It smells strongly of lemons and tastes like lemonade and a light wheat beer had babies.  It’s not going to challenge you but it will refresh you.

Leinenkugel’s website describes it as their take on a traditional German radler.  A radler?  Prepare for some knowledge.  A radler is a traditional German beverage that pretty evenly blends beer and German-style lemonade.  Check out the wikipedia page for more information than you’ll ever need on radlers and shandies.

And on that note I’m off to break into my growler of Alla Spina from Victory Brewing.  So far year 37 is treating me quite well.  Cheers!

Put Down the Tween Reading and Grab a Beer

Beer #105 Schiehallion / Harviestoun Brewery, Alva, Scotland

The world is agog with the Hunger Games movie.  For those living under a rock, it's based on a book (written for tweens, people.  For freaking TWEENS) set in a post-apocalyptic world where kids from around the country are entered into a tournament to kill each other.

I can't understand the current fascination adults have for books written for 13 year olds.  I guess as a society people don't want to be challenged with more difficult topics or more obtuse writing?  Seriously, put down the kiddie books and grab Philip Roth or some Hemingway or some... I don't know, anyone who writes for adults.

However, if these kids are seeded in 64-kid tournament where I can fill out a bracket, then I'm a little more on board.  Also, I can get on board if the winner of the Hunger Games then goes on to compete in the Kumite, the underground fighting tournament in Bloodsport.  Watch out for Chong Li  kids, he doesn't fight fair.  WHAT?  Two Bloodsport references in two days?  YES.

And what goes better with sanctioned child-on-child violence than a cold, delicious brew?  Beer!  Today's beer is the Schiehallion (prounounced "she-ha-li-on"), a lager from Harviestoun Brewery.  Had this on draft at The Farmer's Cabinet, one of the best beer bars in Philly.  Great static beer list, and some really unique rotating drafts.  Plus, excellent house beers as well.  Can't beat it.

Anyway, this one gives off a pale straw color in the glass, and has a light aroma of hops and citrus.  This refreshing beer has great flavors of grapefruit, grass, and malt with a bit of sweetness.  There's an even balance of hops throughout, with a nice dry finish.  Definitely not the average lager, and definitely worth a try.  In case you were wondering, Schiehallion is well known mountain in Scotland, and serves as inspiration for this lager.  Knowledge!

Grainy Loch Ness Monster quality photo? Check!

Thing to Think About Today:

I guess I should probably just be happy that people read books instead of just stare at reality TV, even if the books are geared towards kids in middle school.  That aside, the "humans hunting humans" genre has been done before and done well, although admittedly having kids do the killing is a nice touch.  On this lazy Saturday, let's all spend some time thinking about one of the best books and films in this genre: The Running Man.

Written by Stephen King (not for tweens, hooray!) and made into a movie in '87, The Running Man is set in a futuristic dystopian society, and stars a man who competes on a game show for his life.  The book and the movie diverge greatly, although both are fine in their own right.  Let's stick with the movie version, and let  Arnold Schwarzenegger fight for his life against the stalkers.  I'll be back!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-ceegnWSENQ