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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

Beer 340: Pier 54 from Titanic Brewery

I had the chance to try the Pier 54 from Titanic Brewery way back in August and I've been sitting on this review since then.  Why the long wait?  Because Titanic: The Artifact Exhibition is now docked at The Franklin Institute!

If you haven't seen this exhibit, please do yourself a favor and go. I can't begin to describe how mesmerizing the exhibit design is.  You board as do all passengers, across the dock and up the gangway. The scene is set through amazing room recreations, but what I love most about it is the gallery that takes you through the series of communications received by the Titanic that fateful evening in April 1912. Communications that were largely ignored. Was it unwavering faith in the supposedly unsinkable ship that made the warnings seem over-cautious? Was it man's vaulting ambition to be bigger, better, faster? There's a lesson to be learned in this exhibit that is as relevant today as it was back then.

No one and nothing is unsinkable.  I didn't know where I was going with this post when I started writing it, but there it is. No one and nothing is unsinkable. Look at the past year...Penn State's football program. The icon that was Joe Paterno. Elmo. John Edwards. Lance Armstrong. David Petraeus.

Wow. That just got real.

The Pier 54 hails from England just like the RMS Titanic. In fact, the original brewery is in a town right down the road from where Captain John Smith was born! The name Pier 54 was the intended destination of Titanic, but as we all know, she never made it there.

It is an English strong ale and poured a deep golden color. Much of what I smelled also ended up in the taste -- full fruity flavor with lots of caramel undertones.  It had a strong bitter finish.  There was a lot more flavor in this beer than I was anticipating to find given its low ABV (5.4%).  I'll rate it good and bid you bon voyage.

Cheers!