365 different beers from 365 different breweries in 365 days with random musings on beer, food, music, sports, dogs and anything else interesting along the way
Who would have guessed that a bar I frequented 14 years ago as a regular Friday or Saturday night hang would deliver a pretty tasty beer for my beer blog today? Not me. I couldn't tell you the last time I set for in the Manayunk neighborhood of Philadelphia, let alone the premises of the Manayunk Brewing Company. Was their beer this good 14 years ago? If so, why did I waste all that time drinking margaritas there? 2012 Marci needs to go back and slap 1998 Marci. Sheesh.
Thankfully Manayunk Brewing Company distributes their beer in the area and I found this one one draught at Pinocchio's Beer Garden in Media (Pennsylvania). FYI...Pinocchio's has a substantial list of draught beers and an impressive bottle shop. Be warned. The great selection of individual bottles of beer is nearly overwhelmed by the insane layout of the bottle shop. It made me want to pull my hair out. Long, narrow space. Coolers on one side. Cashier and walk up bar on the other. Too many people milling about drinking. Why weren't they in the bar drinking? I just wanted to shop and hit the road and, man, that was a challenge.
But I digress. The St. Alpha is a hybrid of two different styles -- a Belgian and an IPA. From Manayunk's website,I learned that it contains ingredients from both sides of the pond. Aromas of apricot and banana from the Belgian yeast combine with the piney, citrusy aroma of American hops to create a wonderfully complex bouquet. This golden-colored ale's taste is dominated by the assertive bitterness of the hops while maintaining a balance that will please fans of both Belgian and hoppy American styles of beer. 8.5% ABV, 65 IBUs.
Here's what I thought. It poured a light golden honey color with very little to no head. The aroma is fruity but I didn't pick up on any banana. The banana comes out in the taste for me. There was also some nice black pepper dancing about. The flavor also revealed some resinous hops. Pine is a pretty dominant taste. I wrote in my notes that it is a very hoppy Belgian. A bit unusual but quite good.
Beer #311 St. Alpha / Manayunk Brewing Company, Philadelphia, PA
My news from yesterday evening: I went to a yoga class. No, there's not some bar nearby called "Yoga Class", although that would be a decent bar name. I actually did yoga. I mean, it was crazy beginner level stuff, so I didn't bend myself into a pretzel while standing on one hand, but still. A brief recap of the experience:
PROS:
The instructor's voice was like that of a hypnotist - sooo soothing and peaceful.
I was able to hide in the back, so no one could see how bad I am at yoga.
I was the handsomest person there, by an overwhelming margin. Not hard to do in a class of 15 people, when only two of them are guys.
Got a decent (albeit non-aerobic) workout in, hitting some muscles I haven't bothered with in ages.
We ended with like 15 minutes of cool down/quiet time. Just chilling in the dark, lying there, relaxing. pretty sure I zonked out for a few minutes. Work has been chaotic lately, and I really appreciated the peacefulness of it all.
CONS:
Frequent and absurd references to Eastern medical ideals, such as chakras. Every time the instructor said something about this word or the idea of light sources and energy centers within my body, all I heard in my head was the dulcet mumble of Charlie Brown's teacher. Wah wah wah chakra wah wah.
Forced to confront the fact that I'm really, really, really inflexible. I guess that doesn't get fixed unless I do more yoga.
Was expecting more sexy females in super sexy yoga pants. Not so many in class last night. Hey, what do you want from me - I'm human.
On the whole, yoga was a winner. Will I ever go vegan and start discussing discord within my third chakra? If I do, please run me over with your car. However, I will go back to yoga again for some additional classes. For those who are keeping score (me), I've lost about 10 pounds since starting this blog, mostly due to being able to exercise a bit more this year now that I'm over some nagging injuries which kept me from running last year. I intend to keep them off, and lose 10 more by this time next year. More yoga then!
To celebrate (and regain some masculinity), let's talk beer. Tonight's brew is the St. Alpha from the Manayunk Brewing Company, in nearby (wait for it) Manayunk neighborhood of Philadelphia. This Belgian IPA pours a clear copper color, with a dissipating white head. I picked up a nutty, grainy aroma, and the taste is a mix of lightly toasted malt, with earthy flavors and a good bit of citrus and plenty of hop bitterness. You definitely taste the alcohol in this one, which just so happens to be 8.5% ABV.
Looks like beer.
This brewery opened up shop in an old textile mill that dates back to 1822. It's been open as a bar and restaurant since 1996, and a fair bit of my early twenties were spent drinking in Manayunk at this bar or others on the weekend, because that's what all the cool kids in and around Philly did on the weekend. Good times, good times.
Thing to Think About Today:
I'm really tempted to just play the Carpenters again in this space, but let's mix it up. How about a music video that looks very much like what my yoga workout looked like last night?
Okay, so that wasn't exactly what my yoga workout looked like, but I don't think there are any good songs out there about yoga. If so, feel free to let me know.... I'm back in the yoga dojo on Saturday! I'm a maniac.....
