Day 63, Mar 4 / Philadelphia Pale Ale

Day 63 / March 4, 2011

Philadelphia Pale Ale

Yards Brewing Company  /  Philadelphia, PA

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I had this beer back at home after having a couple Budweisers while watching the Harlem Globetrotters at the Patriot Center at George Mason University.  Never get tired of that Magic Circle!

This was definitely a step up from Budweiser.  This was a lighter Pale Ale, with a lot of different flavors going on.  For me, this beer had a better taste than smell – it probably would have been better directly out of the bottle than the glass.

So that prompts a question for you readers of this blog – do you prefer your beer out of a glass or bottle (or can) and why?

Day 62, March 3 / McSorley’s Dark Ale

Day 62 / March 3, 2011

McSorley’s Dark Ale

McSorley’s Old Ale House  /  New York, NY

Crossed 2 places off the list!

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What list?  Well, 2 lists, actually.  All About Beer and their sister publication Beer Traveler have published two lists for the ultimate beer geek / world traveler.  (Several places are repeated on both lists.)

125 Places to Have a Beer Before You Die  (published in 2008)

150 Perfect Places to Have a Beer   (published in 2010)

Now these lists are not about what you’re drinking, rather they address where you’re drinking it.  Some places have historic significance, some have a tremendous beer selection, others just may be a cool or unique place.  These are the editor’s opinions, yours and mine may vary, and believe me, there is a ton of discussion on the internet about “glaring omissions” from the list.  I don’t intend to visit everyplace on these lists, but I will definitely seek these places out if I am near them on travel.

So, for the record, here’s what I’ve crossed off the list (so far):

  From 125 Places to Have a Beer Before You Die….

4.   Great British Beer Festival, Earls Court, London, England

9.   Monk’s Café, Philadelphia, PA, USA

12.   The Brickskeller, Washington, DC, USA

15.   Cat’s Eye Pub, Inner Harbor, Baltimore, MD, USA

18.   Horizon’s Café, CN Tower, Ontario, Canada

29.   Toronado, San Francisco, CA, USA

33.   The Wynkoop Brewery, Denver, CO, USA

35.   Great Lakes Brewing, Cleveland, OH, USA

39.   The Flying Saucer, Charlotte, NC, USA

39.   The Flying Saucer, Houston, TX, USA

45.   Selin’s Grove Brewing, Selinsgrove, PA, USA

48.   The Blue Tusk, Syracuse, NY, USA

49.   Woolwich Arms, Guelph, ON, USA

71.   Brewer’s Art, Baltimore, MD, USA

97.   Clark’s Ale House, Syracuse, NY, USA

102.   McSorley’s Ale House, New York, NY, USA

104.   Rose & Crown Pub, Epcot Center, Orlando, FL, USA

105.   The Church Brew Works, Pittsburgh, PA, USA

113.   beerbistro, Toronto, Canada

114.   The Dubliner, Washington, DC, USA

116.   Anchor Bar, Buffalo, NY, USA

121.   Old Ebbitt Grill, Washington, DC, USA

  From 150 Perfect Places to Have a Beer…..

4. Monk’s Café, Philadelphia, PA

5. Great British Beer Festival, Earls Court, London, England

10. Toronado, San Francisco, CA

28. The Brickskeller, Washington, DC

30. The Flying Saucer, NC, SC, TN, MO, AR and TX

36. The Blue Tusk, Syracuse, NY

38. The Wynkoop Brewery, Denver, CO

57. Great Lakes Brewing, Cleveland, OH

61. Volo, Toronto, ON

63. Selin’s Grove Brewing, Selinsgrove, PA

64. Clark’s Ale House, Syracuse, NY

72. Blind Tiger Ale House, New York, NY

73. Brewer’s Art, Baltimore, MD

102. beerbistro, Toronto, Canada

104. McSorley’s Ale House, New York, NY

126. American Flatbread Burlington Hearth, Burlington, VT

130. The Church Brew Works, Pittsburgh, PA

142. Cole’s, Buffalo, NY

144. The Dubliner, Washington, DC

145. Matt Brewery Tasting Room, Utica, NY

148. Old Ebbitt Grill, Washington, DC

Thursday night I crossed two places of the list – The Blind Tiger Ale House and McSorley’s Old Ale House in New York City.  The Blind Tiger is a small corner bar in West Greenwich Village.  At about 7pm on a Thursday night, the place was packed and getting more crowded by the minute.  I was barely able to squeeze my way to the bar to order an Ommengang Witte Ale [G], let alone snap any pictures.  The Ommengang Witte is a traditional Belgian-style white wheat beer, brewed by Brewery Ommengang in Cooperstown, NY.  It was a crisp, tasty beer, with hints of orange and coriander.

Then I hopped into a cab and crossed lower Manhattan to find McSorley’s Old Ale House, where you’re drinking surrounded by history.  McSorley’s claims to be the oldest Irish tavern in New York City, dating back to 1854, and it looks it.  The floor is covered with sawdust, the bar and tables are worn to a smooth finish by years of elbows propping up drinkers, and the place is covered with old photographs and memorabilia.  And not the type of stuff that they slap up on the walls when they open a new Ruby Tuesday’s.  We’re talking turn of the (20^th) century photos of The McSorley’s swim club – a group of surley men in striped one-piece swimsuits.

Make sure you check out their history on their website and on Wikipedia, and be sure to stop by if you are in New York.

At McSorley’s, you have 2 choices of beer – light or dark. And when you order, they bring you 2 medium size mugs for $5.  It’s not uncommon to see the staff carrying 8 or more mugs in each hand at any given time.

At least a third of the mug is foam when its delivered to you.  The beer was a dark brown, almost black color, and was just slightly warm, similar to how you’d get a beer in England.  The beer had a slightly smoky taste, with a little taste of coffee, too.  I think the authentic atmosphere bumped it up a grade.

McSorley’s now also contract brewed and available in bottles.  I haven’t tried it, but I’m sure it doesn’t measure up to the McSorley’s experience.

Day 61, Mar 2 / Ruby Extra Amber Ale

Day 61 / March 2, 2011

Ruby Extra Amber Ale

McNeill’s Brewey  /  Brattleboro, VT

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I’m in NYC for a couple nights for a conference, so I decided to take in one of the local beer bars.  The Pony Bar has only been around for a couple years, but it seems to have established itself as the place for craft beers in mid-town Manhattan.

The Pony Bar has 20 rotating drafts.  Check the picture below for the sample that was on tap tonight.  They even post all of their current beers on their web site.  When they change a keg, they ring a boxing bell 3 times and the whole bar goes “Oooohhh!” and checks the chalk board for the new beer.  They also have an All American Club – you buy 100 beers and you earn an official Pony All-American brewery shirt and get your name on our Pony All-American plaque.

Click the picture for a bigger view of all the beers on tap!

My first beer tonight was a Ruby Extra Amber Ale  from NcNeill’s Brewing Company in Brattleboro, VT.  Now,  I said I wouldn’t do this, but I’m 61 beers  in, and I’m becoming a little challenged in coming up with unique descriptions for these beers, beyond just “Um, it was good.”  So sometimes I’m gonna do a little research, see what the brewery says, see what a couple other people say, see what I agree with and then break it down into terms your average beer drinker can relate to.  Beer that tastes like toast and earth – that’s not understandable.  If you think I’m getting a little crazy in my descriptions, feel free to call “Bullshit.”

This beer was a good, dark amber colored ale, with “a powerful nose and flavor of concord grapes, and loads of caramel.”  Bullshit?

I also had an Empire Cream Ale (on Nitro) [VG], Barrier Greenroom Pale Ale [G], a few sips of a Smuttynose Hanami Ale (this was bad – tasted strongly of sour  cherries) [A], and a Harpoon Celtic Ale [G].  But, of course, these beers don’t count towards the quest unless I have them again.

I’ve got to give a shout-out to the pickles that came with my grilled chicken sandwich.  There were only 5 slices of pickle, but I don’t know if I could have handled anymore.  These were horseradish spiced pickles from Adirondack Bill’s in Schenectady, NY.  Man, these packed a punch, but they were good.  Nathan’s Horseradish pickles are close in taste, but not as intense.  Give them a try, if you dare!

Day 60, Mar 1 / Fuller's Honey Dew Ale

Day 60 / March 1, 2011

Organic Honey Dew Ale

Fuller, Smith & Turner P.L.C., The Griffin Brewery  /  London

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“I’m covered in bees!”  --  Eddie Izzard

Beer has been brewed on the site of the Griffin Brewery in London for over 350 years. The partnership of Fuller, Smith & Turner was formed in 1845 by John Bird Fuller, Henry Smith and John Turner. Members of the founding families are still involved in the business today.  Fuller’s brews and distributes over a dozen beers, and owns and operates over 360 pubs, bars and hotels.

I have had this beer once before, two summers ago, in a pub in London.  My wife had business in London, so my daughter and I tagged along for a few days.

Honey Dew Ale is an English Pale Ale brewed with honey. It is a golden, cloudy color with a medium frothy head.  The honey is definitely noticeable in the beer’s smell and taste, but it is not overpowering.  It was a good, interesting beer, but probably not something that I’d bring a six pack home.

 

Click the picture, I dare ya!

NOTE 1:  The Bock Beer Run is over, but I left 2 bocks in the fridge.  A Sierra Nevada Glissade Golden Bock and an Abita Mardi Gras Bock.  I’ll get to them later.

NOTE 2:  Dominion Big Thaw Bock was last week’s BOTW and Harpoon Oak Aged Dunkel is the February BOTM!  Congratulations to both!

NOTE 3:  The February Beer Calendar is completed and posted at right.  Check it out!