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
Day #657 Dark White / Brasserie Fantome, Soy, Belgium
Previously from this brewery: Printemps, Dark White, Saison, and more Saison
I'm tired. A long week is finally over. The end.
Well, the end of the complaining, not the post. Today's beer is a Belgian, which was oddly completely impossible to find in Belgium. Let me explain. In every town I went to, there were beer bars and beer shops, all of which stocked some of the most wonderful beers the world has ever seen. However, without fail, not a single one of them stocked any Brasserie Fantome. The closest I came to finding it was a bar in Bruges that had empty bottles and glassware on display from every beer (or so they claim) made in Belgium. An empty bottle.... that's all. No fair. I mean, Kristof, the owner of Brouwerij Fort Lapin said that if he could only drink one beer from Belgium (besides his own), he'd drink Fantome. And yet... empty handed.
However, while you can't find this beer in Belgium (at least in Flanders), you can find beers from Fantome at Teresa's Next Door in Wayne, PA. Fairly odd, but apparently they ship most of their product overseas, where there's an eager audience just waiting for it. Works for me.
Seriously, behind glass
In case of emergency, break glass
This bottle of Dark White poured with an amber color, and a good sized fluffy white head. There's a sour, citrus aroma. I wish I could just sit and inhale this aroma all day; make a cologne from it, perhaps. When you take a sip, there's a delightful sour quality, with good floral flavors and a big peppery spice bite on the finish. Refreshing and interesting. Is it as good as the standard issue Saison? Maybe not, but that might be my favorite beer in the world, so this one is still pretty amazing.
There's a "BBB" one the label to shout out the Burgundian Babble Belt, a group of beer connoisseurs in Belgium who have spread around the world. This beer was a special project for BBB; first released in 2006 to raise funds for a sick child in France.
Thing to Think About Today:
Hard to find bottle? John Mayer covering Message in a Bottle. Good night, and sleep tight!
Yesterday, Angelina Jolie revealed to the world that she had a preventative double masectomy. It reduced her odds of developing breast cancer to less than 5% from an estimate of 87%. Her mother fought a decade-long battle against cancer and after Jolie tested positive for the BRCA1 gene--a faulty gene that greatly increases one's chances of developing breast or ovarian cancer--she took action.
I'm awed by the beautiful honesty that Jolie uses to write this piece. (The full op-ed piece is here.) She writes of loss, love, commitment and being truthful to herself, her family and countless women who hopefully will find a touchstone in her openness.
I don't make much of an effort to hide the girl-crush I have on Angelina Jolie. I can't get enough of her films. I analyze ads she appears in for embarrassing amounts of time. I value and respect her humanitarian work. Now this laying bare of her person...I can't even begin to put words to how it impacts me. Could I be that strong? Would I put myself through that? If I did, could I share it so openly?
It gives us so much to think about and to talk about. It opens a dialogue and creates opportunity to be supportive of one another rather than defaulting to tearing one another down. It may not always be about breast cancer or even cancer in general, but there's always something going on with people. It's up to all of us to find out what, to be supportive, to do what we can to bring out the best in each other.
(Gets down and puts away soapbox.)
Now to lighten up the mood--with a light refreshing review of a light refreshing beer. It's the Freigeist
Gose, which is brewed by Gasthaus Brauerei Braustelle. That just rolls off the tongue, doesn't it? With a name like that, yes, it is indeed brewed in Germany!
It pours a hazy and dark shade of yellow with a thin white head. It smells like lemons and tastes like honey and lemons. There's an earthy aftertaste with undertones of orange. I also noted a mild salinity and some tea flavors. It drinks with a full but not overwhelming body--I'd even call it sessionable.
Beer stats
Style: Gose
ABV: 5.2%
IBUs: Unknown
Rating: Great
Previously reviewed from Gasthaus Brauerei Braustelle
Day #463 Pliny the Younger / Russian River Brewing Company, Santa Rosa, CA
Previously from this brewery: all the Supplication, a huge sampler, another huge sampler
It's Sunday, which means yoga and errands, and hopefully some quiet time to relax before the work week begins again. Seeing how I have some free time this afternoon, allow me to spin a yarn about a white whale I recently hunted down.
There are a number of rare beers in the craft beer kingdom that inspire fanaticism, devotion, and dogged pursuit from loyal fans. Usually, these beers are only produced once a year (or often less frequently than that), have exceptionally limited amounts available, and quite frankly, are delicious in ways ordinary beers - even ordinary craft beers - just can't compete with. Like the un-catchable white whale from Moby-Dick, beers like these can drive you mad in their pursuit.
One of the most famous annually available white whale beers is the mythical Pliny the Younger, from Russian River Brewing Company. As you may recall, Russian River was the winner of my Brewery of the Year award from the 366 challenge, so you know whatever they produce is going to be liquid gold. Released every February in extraordinarily limited quantities, Pliny the Younger is a rare near-Triple IPA. I had been watching Twitter and Facebook for a few weeks to see if and when TJ's or Teresa's Next Door would tap their keg. Fortune was on my side, as I received notice and was able to cut out of work immediately to race to TND in enough time to get my pour; within 75 minutes, their supply was wiped out.
In the glass, this beer is a bright, clear dark copper color. Your nose is greeted with a blast of grapefruit and pine aromas - right off the bat you know this beer means business. When you take a sip, there's ample citrus fruit, although you pick up grapefruit most frequently. It's dry and bitter throughout, but the bitterness definitely roars up in the finish. I'm sure there's some malt in there somewhere, but clearly it's cowering in fear from the hop goodness and citrus warmth. This beer tastes incredibly fresh and "green," as if it was just sitting outside on a spring day, with a warm, pleasing breeze blowing through.
Pliny the Younger is a potent 10.5% ABV, but that alcohol is well hidden behind the amazing taste. Perhaps it's a good thing I was only able to get one on draft.
Blurry and hard to see, just like a photo
of the equally reclusive Bigfoot!
Many bars in the Philly area had a line out the door and around the corner on the day they tapped this beer. I can't say that I would stand in line for many things these days at my advanced age, not even beer. Is it worth all the fuss? Is it worth the insanity? As I was standing in an obscenely over-crowded Teresa's Next Door at 3pm on a random Wednesday, it struck me that I was experiencing what moms must have felt back in the 80s when they were beating each other up in shopping malls to get their hands on Cabbage Patch Kids dolls. It doesn't make much sense, all the chaos for something that probably doesn't warrant that level of insanity. Make no mistake, this beer is wonderful and definitely in my Top 25, but will I go on the search again next year to hunt like a craft beer version of Captain Ahab, doomed to sail the world in search of a Triple IPA Moby Dick? Time will tell. Who knows where I'll be or what I'll be doing next February, after all. Might be on a whaling boat for all I know.
Thing to Think About Today:
I've already shared my fondness for Moby-Dick in this space, and I've also shared what unfortunately happens to beached whalesevery now and again. In the continued consideration of whales, let's wrap up with indie band Freelance Whales and their song, Generator ^ First Floor. They remind me of a mellower Mumford & Sons with a xylophone, if you're into that sort of thing. Check it out....
I've been slowly coming around to supporting the concept of the Oxford comma. For years, I was anti-Oxford comma. I like a clean page and in fulfilling my desire to have as little extraneous material on a page, the Oxford comma had to go.
Sidebar: What is an Oxford comma? Maybe you've heard of the serial comma. No? The Oxford--or serial or even Harvard comma--clarifies the meaning of a sentence when the items in a list are not single words. The Oxford Dictionary websiteused this sentence as an exemplar.
These items are available in black and white, red and yellow, and blue and green.
(The Oxford comma appears after yellow.)
How does Oxford factor into the name? The Oxford University Press, of course! I also believe a far superior illustration of the Oxford comma is represented by this image:
And now you know why I'm now on board with the Oxford comma. I declared my new found passion for it most appropriately onNational Grammar Day, which was March 4th.
And if you don't think comma placement is important, check out the second tweet below. Why no--I don't have time to kill Badger fans. You go to jail for that sort of thing!
And with that, it's time for beer. This one was found at Teresa's Next Door in Wayne (Pennsylvania).
Surly Bird is a wild ale from de Proef Brouwerij in Belgium. I believe its proper name is de Proef Flemish Primitive. It poured a hazy, deep gold color with very little head. It had aromas of mild funk. The flavor has a lot going on...a mild sourness, a bit of earthy honey and a slightly stronger taste of wine barrels (white wine, if you're curious). It was very nuanced and I want to use the term delicate to describe it. It wasn't light by any means--I'd describe the mouthfeel as medium-bodied. It was absolutely delicious and fun to drink.
Beer stats
Style: Wild ale
ABV: 9%
IBUs: Unknown
Rating: Excellent
Previously reviewed from de Proef (note that most of these are collaborations)
Day #371 Grisette / Sly Fox Brewing Company, Phoenixville, PA Previously from this brewery: Phoenix Pale Ale, Ichor
Our first award for the past year was the Worst Label Art category, so let's put a more positive spin on things and present an award for the Best Label Art.
And your winner? A round of applause, please, for Brasserie Fantome!
Winner!
I tend to gravitate toward designs that are clean, classic, and noticeable in a crowd. Fantome definitely hits those marks with their simple, but effective and fun ghost logo. I realize this category is unfair, as I wasn't considering any of the breweries or beers we had on draft, just those we had in a bottle. Hey, life isn't fair.
Plenty more awards to come over the next few days, so stay tuned. I'll go ahead and shift gears to today's beer, the Grisette from local brewery Sly Fox, which was on draft at Teresa's Next Door. In the glass, this beer has a cloudy, hazy straw color with a fluffy white head. There are aromas of citrus and yeast, and when you take a sip you find more yeast, with grain, grass, and lemon, with a touch of peppery spice. This beer is really well done - dry and light, with a manageable 5.6% ABV. I could (and at some point probably will) drink this beer all day.
Tastes as good as it looks
If you aren't familiar with grisette, you will be in the future as more breweries are turning out their version of a traditional Belgian ale. A Grisette is similar to a saison, and takes its name from the the French working class women who wore plain gray dresses and handed beers to workers as they would leave the mines (and were sort of also prostitutes). The grisette is a popular figure in art and literature, and features prominently in the popular show Les Misérables, as the character Fantine is considered a grisette. Although, I think I would like Les Mis more if they handed out beer, like back in the old days. Just saying.
Thing to Think About Today:
Okay, so I'm dropping Les Mis references into my beer write up today. Yeah, I try to pretend that I'm all cultured, but in reality, I don't terribly enjoy Broadway musicals. I'm sorry, they're just not my thing. We see shows every now and again, and I can certainly appreciate the immense talent those performers have, but it's not my preferred form of entertainment. UNLESS.....
Unless, of course, that Broadway show features extremely profane puppets, such as the delightful Avenue Q. The tale of a young puppet who moves to New York after graduating college and learns lessons about life, love, lowered expectations, porn, racism, Gary Coleman, and the reality that life sometimes just isn't all that that great. This show is without a doubt one of the funniest things I've ever seen in my adult life, and if you've never seen it, you need to think about getting tickets to the next possible show. For a preview, check out this wonderful rendition of It Sucks to Be Me. I highly recommend listening to this whenever you have a bad day - guaranteed to make you feel better about yourself!
Beer/Brewery #366 Lava / Ölvisholt Brugghús, Selfoss, Iceland Beers to go: 0
There you have it folks, we have officially come to the end of this journey. During the past 366 days, Marci and I have each drank 366 different beers from 366 different craft breweries. Bazinga!
Please, hold your applause.
Before we wrap things up, I'd like to thank a few people who have helped in ways great and small. First, the great restaurants, bars, and bottle shops in my area who make it their mission to make fantastic beers readily available to the public. Without these fine businesses, there is NO way our blog would have made it this far. Looking at you, Teresa's Next Door in Wayne, TJ's Everyday in Paoli, Wegmans in Malvern, Whole Foods in Devon, and The Beer Shoppe in Ardmore. I'd also like to thank our friends who either donated or traded some really interesting beers, so a tip of the hat to Pat C., Mike T., Dr. Liz T., Mike B. and Casey E., and Nathan A., along with anyone else I might be missing here. Couldn't have done it without you. It certainly goes without saying that I would like to thank Marci, as I just couldn't imagine how this would have worked without her being along for the ride. It's nice to have a partner in crime!
Lastly, I'd like to thank you, the readers of this website. Mostly you're my friends, but there have been an increasing number of people reading this site who I'll never meet in "real life." We've had hits to this website from around the globe, which always makes me wonder how you found us - although I'm always thankful that you did. You guys are the best.
Quite frankly, writing this blog has been a tremendously enjoyable activity for me. I originally went into this endeavor thinking that we'd turn the blog into a best selling book, which would then get turned into a blockbuster movie. Yeah, so.... about that. Fame and fortune hasn't happened (yet!), but I wouldn't trade the experience for anything. It wasn't all seashells and balloons, as there were some days where I felt like I had nothing to say, some days where I couldn't quite find the right way to say what I was thinking, and some days where I thought my post was going to be amazing, only to look back and realize it was a small scale dumpster fire. I guess I'm saying that I've learned I'm not exactly Hemingway when it comes to writing. Regardless, through it all I've had fun. Therefore, as Marci has mentioned in her wrap-up post, this blog will continue in the future!!!! NO, we are NOT doing any further 365 day challenges, but we will continue to use this space to write about craft beer, travel, restaurants, music, sports, dogs, the highs and lows of life, and whatever else seems relevant each day. One of the challenges of this blog was that in focusing on a new beer from a new brewery each day, we missed many great beers along the way. Therefore, we'll be going back to try some of the beers we didn't get to, while still searching for new breweries as well. I hope you continue reading as time goes on, because I'll be terribly sad if you don't. Today isn't officially in the books until we review beer #366, so let's get on with the show. We're both closing things out tonight with a bottle of Lava, an imperial stout from Ölvisholt Brugghús, a brewery in Iceland. Iceland? Yeah, that's how I roll. I drink beers from Iceland. In the glass, this beer dark black color with a sparse tan head. You get an aroma filled with smoked, toasted malt, and when you take a sip you find a smoky, malt heavy beer. Sort of a smoked meat kind of flavor happening. There's some cocoa in there as well, and it has a clean, dry finish. Not the style I typically choose, but definitely a decent beer. If you see one on the shelves, pick one up.
Ice(land), Ice(land), baby....
This brewery was founded in 2007, and they currently ship beer to most of Scandinavia, along with the U.S. and Canada. You may be wondering why this beer is called Lava. Of course you are. It's because from the brewery, you can see Hekla, an active volcano, which has erupted as recently as 2000. Europeans in the Middle Ages called this volcano, "Gateway to Hell." Not exactly a tourist friendly moniker, I suppose, although the volcano does figure prominently in literature and art, as it has been referenced by writers such as William Blake and Herman Melville.
Thing to Think About Today:
Lots of people have done '365 beers in 365 days' challenges. Hit Google and you'll find countless variations, some successful, many not. However, I don't know of any doing 365 beers from 365 different breweries, and I certainly don't know of any married couples out there trying to each accomplish this goal. Therefore, I can think no better way to close out this phase of the journey than to let Queen wrap up tonight in style with We Are the Champions. Because we are!
Good night friends, thank you for coming, and please do come back in the future. Free hugs and cookies if you do!
Beer #350 Netebuk Saison / Brouwerij 't Broukot, Gullegem, Belgium Beers to go: 16
As you're reading this, I'll be standing outside in the parking lot of Beaver Stadium, enjoying one last tailgate with the crew - and hopefully one more win for the Lions! It's Senior Day, and we're bidding farewell to a great group of young men who are destined to big things once they graduate.
While the 30 degree temperatures at the tailgate are more suited to hot chocolate than beer, there's no stopping the beer reviews now. Today I'm reviewing Netebuk, a saison from Brouwerj 't Brouwkot in Belgium. This one was on draft at Teresa's Next Door in Wayne, and I can't pass up a good saison when there's one on draft. In the glass, it's a clear, very bright gold color, and there's a light aroma of tart citrus. The flavor gives you lemon, grass, some light sweetness, and an enjoyable tartness. Quite nice!
Very nice.
Having a hard time figuring out much info on this beer/brewery; their website takes you to Brouwerij Gulden Spoor, but I can't determine if this is a merger thing or a spin-off thing or a rename the brewery thing or what. If you know, send me a message. I like knowing.
Thing to Think About Today:
I have nothing to connect this beer or brewery to, so I'll just go ahead and drop in a song that was recently added to our tailgate playlist. Did you know I create a new, 8 hour tailgate mix for each home game? With an additional post-game old school rap dance party mix as well? Now you do.... stop by the tailgate next year and see for yourself. Today, I'm closing with Youngblood Hawke and We Come Running.
What have you done by 7:00 a.m. this morning? I hit publish on this post and am now enjoying a Founders Cerise at the second to last PSU tailgate of the season. I'm also praying to god that I don't drop anything. Flexibility is close to zero since I'm wearing two full sets of long johns, jeans, two long sleeve t-shirts, a fleece and a jacket.
But alas I'm not writing about Founders. I did that back on March 3.. Instead you get the Netebuk -- a saison from Brouwerij 't Brouwkot (6.5% ABV).
Is there a difference between a Belgian saison and a saison from Belgium? I say to-may-toe. You say to-mah-toe.
The Netebuk poured a bright gold with a thin white head. The smell is strong fruit, not what I expected from a saison. The flavor is grass, light fruit, hops and a bit of wheat. There's also some light honey and the usual peppery spice. This is a good beer. Cheers!
I may be addicted to striped sweaters. Another one came home with me today.
This photo doesn't do it justice. It is fantastically neon pink with black and white stripes. Because if there's one thing I love almost as much as a striped sweater lately, it's neon. Another color I love? Scarlet. As in Stoudt's Scarlet Lady ale.
Stoudt's is located in Adamstown, Pennsylvania, which I just learned is Antiques Capital USA. It's trademarked so you know it's true. I highly recommend a visit. Stoudt's makes some awesome beers and it's an incredibly easy place to get to. While the Scarlet Lady ranks fairly high on my favorite beers list, I'm also a fan of their Fat Dog stout, Heifer-in-Wheat and Karnival Kolsch. The Karnival Kolsch has become a beer of choice at Franklin Institute events. Sadly my distributor couldn't get any for me at the most recent event, but rest assured I'll have something from Stoudt's at upcoming events. I'm slowly converting the macro-beer drinkers in Philadelphia. Watch out!
I was lucky to find the Scarlet Lady on the hand pump at Teresa's Next Door last night. I love beer on the hand pump. I think it brings out a lot more of the subtle flavors in a beer. Scarlet Lady is an extra special bitter -- one of my favorite styles. It smells of nutty malt and pours a lovely reddish amber color with a thick, off white head.
The flavor is robust malt with a nice bitter finish. There are notes of caramel, nuts and just a little grassiness. It's nice crisp beer with a full body. Cheers!
PSU -- and through the transitive property, me -- has a bye weekend this weekend. Sweet. Weekend plans include bike rides, yoga, beer, good food, shopping and lots of relaxation. I. Cannot. Wait.
Lurking in the background... best salad ever.
Teresa's Next Door in Wayne (Pennsylvania) was pouring Summit Brewing Company's Oatmeal Stout on nitro this past week. I couldn't resist it. It poured black as night with a dense tan head. It smells nutty and roasted. The mouthfeel was creamy but thin. The flavor was full of coffee and toasted nuts with a really nice, subtle sweetness.
Today a private space craft -- SpaceX Dragon -- docked with the International Space Station (ISS). It delivered a payload that includes astronaut supplies and critical materials to support various experiments. It will return to Earth in a few weeks with scientific materials from the ISS that include results from human research, biotechnology, materials and education experiments. The future is upon us and it isn't front page news.
Am I the only one who is depressed by this? Exploration and experimentation like this push the boundaries of what humankind is capable of imagining, creating and improving. This is big news. Get excited. Get curious. Get smarter.
***
The Het Kapittel Watou Blonde from Brouwerij van Eecke (Belgium) is a Belgian pale ale. At 6.5% ABV, it's pretty approachable -- or at least it is for me. It poured blonde with a fluffy but thin head. It smelled nutty with a bit of a dirty aroma. Kind of like a wet dog. The taste reminded me of a pilsner. Very mild at first. As it warmed a bit, it got better. A fullness became more apparent and there was a syrupy, sort of honey like thing happening.
Beer #305 Het Kapittel Watou Blond / Brouwerij Van Eecke, Poperinge-Watou, Belgium
Recently had the chance to eat dinner at Teresa's Next Door, which was nice because I hadn't been there in ages. I've had some rather good times at Teresa's through the years, and I was starting to miss the place. I think we subconsciously put them on the "bad" list because their beer list on the web isn't updated in real time, which is very inconvenient when you're trying to cross very, very specific beers off the list. Based on some great new beers they were pouring, I feel confident stating Teresa's is now firmly back in rotation. I know you were worried.
Your beer for the evening is the Watou Blond, from Brouwerij Van Eecke in Belgium. This blond ale pours a clear gold color, with a nice white head. The aroma has a light biscuit scent, and the taste gives you a strong biscuit taste, with floral and honey notes, and a bit of a copper penny aftertaste. Interesting beer that seemed to change its profile as it warmed a bit at the table.
Love the branded glassware
This brewery traces its roots back to 1629, when a brewery was first constructed in the town. That structure was burned down during the French Revolution (the brewery is located in the Flanders region, which was once part of France). It was rebuilt in 1820, and eventually ownership was passed to the Van Eecke family, and in 1962 the Leroy family took over. Wait - the LEROY family took over? Who's the man now, LEROY? I digress. Anyway, Google translates the word 'Kapittel' to 'Chapter'. Now you know.
Thing to Think About Today:
If we have a blond covered in the beer review, let's go ahead and spend some time with some non-blonds. In fact, 4 Non Blondes and their super hit from 1992, What's Up? Ah, the days of grunge. Sure, the music was great, but good heavens that fashion trend was hideously, abominably, unspeakably awful. Chicks wearing seven layers, ripped jeans, thermals, shit kicker boots, hats on backwards, body suits, everyone looking crazy depressed - what a freaking disaster. Let us all promise to NEVER let that fashion trend come back full force. Thank you. With that rant over, let's get on with the music, shall we?
Mr. Blog Named Brew inquired as to what I was going to write about tonight and I thought, I'm kind of beat...it may just be a beer review. But no, it's your lucky night. I'm going to tell you how I'm being menaced by a cardboard man.
Mr. Pain in the Ass, I mean Blog Named Brew, snagged a "Stand Up Joe" a couple of weeks ago. It sat in the basement, folded up and relatively harmless. Sunday night cardboard Joe struck the first time.
Lurking in the corner of our home office, six feet of cardboard scared the crap out of me as I walked in to toss something in the trash. I muffled a scream and resisted the urge to attack. Fast-forward to 48 hours later and that goddamn cardboard jerk sneaks up on me again. This time it was Mr. Blog Named Brew who nearly got it. I'm now terrified that he's going to move Joe to somewhere better in the house -- a place that I'll pass by and not nearly have a heart attack when I think a stranger is in my house.
I may never leave the living room again.
Perhaps Stand Up Joe needs a Menagerie #7 from Evolution Craft Brewing Company to make himself a bit less creepy. Evolution is brewed in Salisbury, Maryland. Interesting note about Salisbury...I applied to go to college there. Not at the brewery...but at Salisbury University. It's basically the beach. Their mascot is a seagull. I imagine things would have turned out a lot differently had I gone there. Like beach bum college dropout differently...
But I digress. Menagerie #7 is a Belgian strong dark ale with an ABV of 9%. It poured a hazy chestnut color with a thin light tan head. It smelled strongly of Belgian candi sugar and grapes. Yes, light aromas of grapes. It drank with an almost lactic creaminess. It had a strong malt profile with hints of biscuits. There was some mild spiciness to it...maybe cloves and peppers. I also noticed a faint concord grape flavor.
Beer #27 1809 Berliner Weiss / Professor Fritz Briem, Munich, Germany
I saw a woman wearing a sleeveless leather vest to work today. Leather-ish, anyway, maybe vinyl. This was worn as a top, not outerwear. All of this was very odd (I don't work in a Harley dealership or a sex dungeon) and I'm furious I didn't get a picture. Imagine the picture below, but gray, and with more buckles but fewer chrome studs. Yep.
Illustrative purposes only - not actual vest!
Now that I've shared this unusual fact with you, I'm going to drink a beer and figure out whether or not I can wear my sleeveless puffy winter vest as my shirt tomorrow. The beer while I'm thinking is one of my all time favorites, the 1809 Berliner Weiss from Professor Fritz Briem. Briem isn't a brewery, but rather a brewer, and perhaps a professor at a school in Germany which teaches people how to brew beer. And why didn't I go to college here?
This beer has a hazy yellow color, with a relatively fluffy white head. The aroma is a blast of tart, funky citrus, when you drink it you get a glorious mix of tart and sour thanks to the Brettanomyces, with lemon, a hint of grape, green apple, and grain. This beer is outstanding and eminently drinkable - the standard bearer for what a Berliner Weisse should be. Which of course means it's headed for the Top 25 list of beers/breweries for the year.
Sexy time.
This beer was one of the first beers that got us deep onto the path of liking high end craft beer. Thanks to Teresa's Next Door in Wayne for originally introducing us to this amazing brew!
Thing to Think About Today:
If we're talking about leather outfits in the workplace and 1809, let's go ahead and think about a guy who wears leather outfits to work and sings about 1999. Indeed, people - it's time for some Prince!
Beer #223 Harlan / Hill Farmstead Brewery, Greensboro Bend, VT
We've survived another week, and we're a few steps closer to the goal. Survive and advance, my friends, survive and advance. Not much planned for the weekend, although we're cramming in a 20+ mile bike ride, farmers market visit, trip to the Mini dealership, a trip to a new bottle shop in the area, a visit to Tired Hands and dinner with friends, and all of the remaining episodes of Breaking Bad at our disposal. Okay, so maybe we have a few things planned here and there.
Today's beer is Harlan, an IPA from Hill Farmstead. Had this one on draft at Teresa's Next Door, which was fortunate timing as there had been a Hill Farmstead event the day prior. In the glass, it has a hazy straw color, with a fluffy white head, although that might be related to the fact I had the last beer in the keg. Your nose picks up aromas of lemon and pine, and when you take a sip you get a dry hop bitterness, with lemon, grapefruit, and pine throughout. There's an earthy quality in there, and this beer is unquestionable proof that fantastic IPAs are not the exclusive domain of the West Coast or Colorado. Hits the right spot at 6% ABV, and I'm moving it into my Top 25 for the year.
Hill Farmstead has become a "cult brewer" (my phrase) over the past two years, building up an incredible reputation and devoted fan base in a short amount of time. In an earlier paragraph, I mentioned that finding this beer on draft was fortunate - that's because any time a local bar taps something from this brewery, a swarm of beer geeks descends on the bar like a plague of thirsty locusts, devouring all the Hill Farmstead beer in their path. As their production is limited, people have in fact started selling bottles of their limited releases on the web for hundreds of dollars (although, the brewery is working to put an end to this illegal practice). If you see it on draft, drink it immediately. Do not wait, do not pass go, do not collect $200.
Thing to Think About Today: Hill-related thing to go with your beer tonight, perhaps appropriate to kick off a Friday night? Sure, why not! Cypress Hill, the floor is yours:
Beer #178 Bar Harbor Real Ale / Atlantic Brewing Company, Bar Harbor, ME
Tonight's beer is a warm-up beer. The JV game to get the crowd ready for the varsity game, or the opening act coming on with the house lights still up. Tonight, the main event is at Teresa's Next Door, where they're hosting a special dinner with the brewers from New Holland. The beer list is overflowing with sours and rarities, and you may recall we both have New Holland in our Top 25 for their Blue Sunday Sour. Game on, people. Game on.
So, the beer for the appetizer course is the Bar Harbor Real Ale from Atlantic Brewing. It pours with a cascade of foam. So much so, that either one of the dogs was shaking up the bottle before I opened it (possible, but not likely, because they don't have thumbs), or this beer may be a bit past its prime. That one is more likely, particularly since the "best by" date was somewhere in 2010. How do I know that? Because the little grid on the side of the bottle only goes up to 2010. You would think if it was still good in 2012, it would, oh, I don't know... have a spot for 2012. Thanks for selling us old beer, Total Wine.
Would you like some beer with your foam?
Anyway, a job's a job. Once the off white foam subsided, the beer is a chestnut color. You get aromas of malt, and the flavor gives off earthy, roasted malt notes. It definitely doesn't seem right. I'm not going to get into much detail, because I'd rather drink a fresher version of this. Sorry, kids.
Thing to Think About Today:
We need to get some freshness back in here. It's as simple as that. So, we turn to Outkast to give us So Fresh, So Clean. Hopefully Total Wine is listening.....
Beer #175 Sparkling Ale / Coopers Brewery, Leabrook, Australia
Last night's storms gave way to a beautiful Saturday, and we took advantage with some cycling down the Schuykill River Trail, the Main Line Jazz Festival, and a trip to the dog park. Drinking outside is always a favorite of mine, and we were able to enjoy a few beers at the outdoor tables/beer tent at Teresa's Next Door. The jazz left a little something to be desired, but we were there fairly early in the day. Maybe they heat things up later in the program.
The beer of the day is the Sparking Ale from Coopers, which pours a carbonated straw color, with a persistent head. There's a natural sediment in the beer, which is fine to drink. The aroma gives off malt, and fruit (apple?), and the taste has a sweet flavor, with a malt and hops balance. The sweetness reminded me of honey a bit, but not overly so. Interesting beer, worth a look if you see it around.
Sediment in the beer, not a dirty glass.
Coopers has been cranking out beers near Adelaide since 1862, a mere 25 years after the incorporation of South Australia. Happy 150th anniversary! Definitely click the brewery link in the above paragraph, if only to check the super awesome beard of Thomas Cooper, founder of Cooper Brewers. It's magnificent.
Thing to Think About Today:
Okay, so the Main Line Jazz Festival didn't have Antoine Batiste and the Soul Apostles, as I had hoped they would. They did have a calypso band who covered Neil Young's Harvest Moon, which gets points for creativity but definitely not for execution. So, let's wind up the day with some wildly better jazz for you, shall we? Oh, how about Mos Def, Lenny Kravitz, Trombone Shorty, and the Preservation Hall Jazz Band putting a unique spin on the classic It Ain't My Fault:
Beer #141 Greene King IPA / Greene King Brewery, Bury St. Edmonds, England
Last night, I spent a fair amount of time furiously deleting pictures and apps from my phone, as I kept getting an error message regarding the phone running out of memory. I'm past due to get a new phone, but I sort of like this one, even if it drives me crazy at times. The devil you know, I suppose.
Anyway, I deleted many photos of beers, because I've been posting them here as I go along. However, I realized I had one awesome photo hiding which needs to be shared with the world. Behold, Pimp Cat:
Gotta keep my pimp paw strong....
For reasons I can't explain, I love this photo. I found this cool cat on the corner of James and Spruce Streets last year, and it SCREAMS 1970's to me. I'm not sure if a child left him out on the sidewalk or if was waiting for a trip to the landfill. I have rules, and one of them strictly prohibits touching random stuffed animals left on the corner. Nothing good can come of it, really. Regardless, in my mind this cat is a boss playa, running the corner and keeping his stable in check. With a pimp hat and matching bow tie like that, what else would be be doing?
Now that we've taken care of that utter nonsense, let's take care of today's beer. Went with the Greene King IPA, which was on the hand pumps at Teresa's Next Door. This beer pours a honeyed amber color in the glass with a lingering white head. Marci described the appearance as "pretty." It gives off light aromas of flowers and malt. It's an easy drinking beer at 3.9% ABV, with a taste of malt and citrus with a light hop bitterness. Not sure how this is billed as an IPA; it's definitely more of an English Bitter. Eminently drinkable, this session beer is definitely worth a look.
See? Pretty!
In business since 1799, this brewery has been growing in recent years by acquiring smaller entities, such as Morland (maker of Old Speckled Hen) and Bellhaven, which Marci reviewed here. Wondering where the unusual town name of Bury St. Edmonds comes from? It's where martyred King Edmond, later to become Saint Edmond, was buried in 869. Allegedly, he was killed by Ivar the Boneless. Awesome nickname there, Ivar. I'm sure this all made sense in those crazy 800's. Anyway, now you know.
Thing to Think About Today:
We've covered a lot of ground today. Cats living on the street, beers, martyrdom, some dude nicknamed "The Boneless." Let's just unwind with a little cat pimp music, shall we? Play him off, Keyboard Cat!
I regret to report that I spent this sunny, warm afternoon working on the one thing I hate more than anything else in the world: yard work. Yes, instead of sipping a beer, reading a book, getting started on some writing, going for a run, taking the dogs for a walk, or seven billion other things, I was cutting the grass. I know some people enjoy it, although for the life of me I don't understand why. I end up filthy and covered in bug bites, my allergies start raging, and for what? Two weeks later, you have to do it all over again. Seems pointless. Anyone have a goat they can lend me? If you think I'm kidding, I'm not. Goats are the answer.
Washing away the dirt from today's yard work will be the Contessa, a pale ale from Birra Amiata. This one came on draft at Teresa's Next Door, and showed off a copper color in the glass. My first reaction was that it if you closed your eyes, it tasted exactly like a pale ale you'd get from a California brewery. There are aromas of citrus and pine, and the taste brings you a floral, piney hop bitterness. Not too bitter though, this one definitely doesn't overpower. Very tasty beer, nice and mellow. There's obviously an interesting story behind the name on this beer, and quite frankly it's probably easier for you to just read it here.
Who has two thumbs and loves crappy photos from my phone? THIS GUY!
Thing to Think About Today:
Clearly, getting out the weed whacker put me into a bit of a bad mood earlier today. No worries, a little beer and some evening entertainment will fix that. And tonight, we're watching Jason Segel's 2011 reboot of the Muppets franchise. Yes, it's a kids movie. No, I don't care. Back in the day,the Muppet Show had great music and famous comedians, and was an absolute cornerstone of my childhood. I mean, I still hear the Swedish Chef in my head every time I read words from European languages. Therefore, I'll let Statler and Waldorf have the last word today:
55 MPH is not an acceptable speed for the left lane. Especially not the left lane on the Schuylkill Expressway at 7pm. I should not be forced to pass you in the right lane at 70 MPH with all the other commuters. A little advice -- we all want to pound the living crap out of you. Move over.
A little warning -- we really want to pound the crap out of you after seeing the baby pink eyelashes on the headlights of your white Volkswagen Beetle. Thank your lucky stars I didn’t stop my car and rip them off for the sake of humanity.
Love,
Me
***
Lucky for me tonight’s beer went a bit better than the drive home. Tonight I’m drinking a Pietra from Corsica, France. It is a Euro-dark lager made with sweet chestnut flour. The chestnut flour isn’t intended to flavor strongly, but rather to give a nutty flavor to the malt during mashing. I don’t quite get that…maybe you do. Wouldn’t it flavor it either way?
You would think this was my 9th beer of the night based on this photo.
I had this Pietra on draught at Teresa’s Next Door. It poured a deep honey color with a very thin head. It had a sweet malt smell. I thought it was well balanced - lots of hop bite during the finish. My notes include “good” but I don’t remember anything particularly outstanding about Pietra. It’s described on the brewery’s website as strong but delicate, soft with a touch of bitterness. That pretty much sums it up in my book.
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