Tampa

Back from another bachelor party, this one was in Tampa. Less beer centric than the party I went to in Westchester two weeks ago but fun nonetheless. I did have the chance to stop by Tampa Brewing Company in Ybor city for their sampler platter. Certainly worth checking out if you ever find yourself in Tampa. They had all the classic styles: IPA, stout, porter, barleywine pale ale...but also a rye, hopped up red and a cask IPA. What they lacked in innovation they made up for with execution. These beers were all great examples of their styles and very enjoyable. I'll take a well brewed pale ale over a poorly balanced Imperial something or other any day.

If you find yourself in Tampa and have time to do some serious beer hunting. Check out these breweries.

And, as a correction for my previous post. I mentioned the Terrapin Brew Pub in Atlanta's airport. I was wrong - after being delayed for several hours on Sunday in Atlanta I can confirm that it is a Sweetwater Brew Pub.

Travel Delays

When you frequently get stuck in airports, which I do, you know which terminals have the best beer options. Instead of listing them all for you, this handy guide does it for me. They do leave out the Terrapin brewery in Atlanta though, which is probably the best airport brewpub. Also omitted is the Brooklyn Brewery beer tent in the international terminal at JFK. Enjoy.

Real IPA

An avid reader of this blog sent me this interesting piece on BrewDog's attempt to recreate a traditional IPA. Check it out.

This Weekend

Don't forget the Cask Festival at Chelsea Brewery. Unfortunately, I cannot attend. If anyone does go, send me some pictures and commentary. I'll post them here.

If you don't want to fight the Manhattan crowds for cask ale. Check out the opening of Brouwerij Lane in Greenpoint. You can fight Brooklyn crowds for free sausage and samples of their beer.

Have a good weekend.

Beer Links

I've added a short list of beer links to the blog. These resources will help you navigate the craft beer world; I'll continue to add resources as I think of them. Here's a brief rundown of what is there now:

Beer Advocate - You need to join the site to use it, good news is that it is free. BA provides a forum for comparing and rating beers, breweries, bars and restaurants. Their beerfly tool can be used to track down beer bars, stores and restaurants in your local area or areas that you are traveling to. There's also some editorial content and comprehensive style guides. You can even use the forum to orchestrate beer trades.

Beer Menus - This site lets you track down beers around NYC or browse beer lists by bar/restaurant.

Gotham Imbiber - This comprehensive cask ale site run by the Gotham Imbiber, Alex Hall, features a list of all bars serving casks in the NY area. There's also plenty of of editorial content written by Alex on Cask Ale: how to serve it, how to enjoy it and what it is. Check the site for upcoming cask festivals that he throws in the NY area; the next one is this weekend at Chelsea Brewery.

Another great way to stay informed about beer happenings is to subscribe to your local brewery's or favorite bar's mailing lists. Blind Tiger and Beer Table both send out weekly updates with special beers that they are featuring and other events. Sixpoint and Brooklyn also both send out frequent emails about new beer releases, events and specials.

He's a Jolly Good Fellow

Last weekend, we traveled via party bus to the Captain Lawrence Brewery in Pleasantville, NY to give our good friend Heath a weekend of debauchery before he gets married and has less time to debauch himself. And, what a weekend it was. Fortunately, Captain Lawrence was our first stop, so most of our facilities were still intact when we arrived.

What a great brewery. Despite being small, bottling by hand and only distributing in the tri-state area, Captain Lawrence turns out world class beers that easily compete with the bigger craft breweries. Brewmaster and founder, Scott Vaccaro, has a great story that was recently in Beer Advocate Magazine, and is described on the brewery's website. Check it out. And, check out the brewery too. It's a short drive from the city and can be reached via Metro North.

We were lucky enough to have Scott show us around the brewery, and it was the most informative tour that I've ever been on. More important are the free samples in the tap room, and growlers/bottles for purchase.

They brew some standard but delicious beers like the brown, pale ale and liquid gold that is spiced with orange peel. But, their real strength lies in the limited release beers like the Smoke from the Oak series of smoked porter aged in various barrels: wine, brandy, port, rum, bourbon. Also, their sour beers Cuvee de Castleton and the new Rose Marron are unique and worth seeking out.

As for the rest of the party, you know the saying, "What happens in Pleasantville, stays in Pleasantville."

Here's a pic of the bachelor himself.

A Saison in Florida

Last night the ever knowledgeable Justin Philips of Beer Table and his equally informed wife hosted a comparative tasting of old school styles and new school interpretations at the Culinary Loft. Pairing an American Pale Ale an English IPA or a Japanese Milk Stout and a traditional English Imperial Stout were obvious ways to highlight differences between tradition and innovation but including anecdotes and factoids on the breweries kept it interesting and engaging. With the saison pairing, Justin upped the beer geek factor and showed why Beer Table is such a great place.

Saison is an obscure beer for most people to start with - a farmhouse ale made in Belgium and France with wheat, barley and spices - to offer a comparison of brewing traditions on a style that most people don't have a grounding in was a bold move but a great way to show off what I thought were the best beers of the evening. Making matters more interesting was that the Belgian sample he chose was the beer that broke from tradition while the traditional beer came from of all places, Florida. 

That's right, the state where every beer is better with a lime wedge shoved down the neck of the bottle has a traditional Belgian brewery that makes only two styles of beer and sells them bottle conditioned in 750ML bottles.  Saint Somewhere Brewing Company in Tarpon, Springs Florida provided their Saison Athene which is spiced with chamomile, black pepper and rosemary. Slightly tart from the wheat but with a lasting spice, smokiness and herbal finish this beer was beguiling and delicious. 

The Belgian beer was no slouch; Saison D'Erpe Mere is brewed in a high tech, lab like brewery that eschews spices and flavorings for a technician's approach. Teasing a wide range of flavor from just the yeast, malt, hops and water is no small feat and shows a mastery of the craft. Their saison had a bouquet for fruit aromas and nice funkiness that is characteristic of some saisons and most lambics. 

And, this unlikely but inspired choice of two saisons is why Beer Table is such a great place. The menu there is ripe with flavor description but typically leaves out style and origin, letting the beer be judged on its merits.

If you haven't been to Beer Table yet, go. 

If you aren't in the area, then try to leave your geographic and style biases out of the picture when ordering new beers. For example many light lager styles are unfairly avoided by drinkers who associate them with the poor imitations by Budweiser, Coors and Miller. Try some of the traditional German versions and the newer American craft remakes - they will surprise you.

Dubbel Trubbel

A few months back, I wrote here that Sixpoint was using Mast Brothers cocoa nibs in an upcoming beer. Well, to commemorate Sixpoint's 4 year anniversary they released the chocolate brew in February under the name Dubbel Trubbel. It's a dark Belgian ale that is brewed over cocoa nibs.

I've had the pleasure of enjoying this beer on two occasions, once on tap at Jimmy's No. 43 and out of a growler from Bierkraft. I've also been indulging in Mast Brothers' chocolate bars, the dark milk chocolate with salt and pepper is awesome.

Like the gourmet chocolate bars, this beer is complex. There's definitely a chocolate presence but it's augmented with tropical fruit, spicy and earthy flavors. It pours a dark brown with a nice head, very warming at 9.6%; enjoy it after dinner, with dessert or some funky blue cheese.

Hopefully this collaboration continues, especially as both companies continue to expand. For now, enjoy it why it lasts.

Use the Beer Menu site to track it down - a great resource to find any beer in NYC.

Beer Wars

Check out the trailer and information here.