Philly Beer Week: Monday

This past Friday marked the opening tap of Philly Beer Week. Bars all over the city take part in this 10 day event by supplying the masses with the best beers they can find. I plan to take part in this event every day. If you go to http://www.phillybeerweek.org/ you can get a pretty complete list of events going on around the city. You can even download an app for Droid or iPhone. Since I plan on going out every night, I must choose my events in a very financially sound manner. Firstly, on Monday (6/6), Cavanaugh's Rittenhouse will be hosting the Philly Brew & Chew event. 

As you can see from the flyer above, the featured breweries will be Victory and Troegs. I've been to one of these events a few months back and reviewed it in my last post. It only costs $20 and you can actually drink all that you'd like. It will run from 7-9pm and feature Victory Headwaters and Summer Love, as well as Toregs Flying Mouflan and Dreamweaver. 20 bone for a full 2 hours of drinking and eating is a damn good $20 spent. My goal is to keep each night's expenses to be around $30-$35. I don't really see that happening, but atleast I'm looking good for Monday. I suggest you get your broke ass out to Cav's Rittenhouse cuz I know you don't got money if you live in Philly. Tuesday's Post coming next.....

Brew & Chew: Weyerbacher Recap

This post is way post due by now, but its def worth writing about. So over a month ago they had a Philly Brew & Chew event at Cavanaugh's Rittenhouse. The featured brewery was Weyerbacher and a ticket only costed $20. Being that this was my first brew & chew, I was quick to question the validity of the "2 hour open bar" claim. They had a section closed off behind the downstairs bar for the event. As soon as we sat down they brought out the first beer of the night: Weyerbacher Verboten. The Verboten is a Belgian pale ale and it was dearly robust for a pale ale. They paired it with a Lemon Rock Shrimp Spaetzle. Although the portion was small, it was a tasty lil starter.

I was really excited for the Weyerbacher Double Simcoe feature because it is one of the best Double IPAs I've ever tasted. Weyerbacher dry hops this beer with Simcoe hops thus setting it apart from the other Double IPAs out there. I used this beer as my opportunity to test the limits of this "open bar" claim. Slugged the first jawn and asked for another before food came out. SHE ABIDED. While drinking on my second Simcoe (3rd beer total), they brought out some flatbread BULL. KATE DIDN'T LIKE IT! But I did. So I ate that and said where my dinna be at. By the finsih of the flatbread, good ol drunk Chris (Simcoes=9%ABV) had his fingaz on another Simcoe and was bloated as fug. 

Then they brought out some wheat beer or something. I don't fuck with wheat beers. 1 sip and back to the Simcoe he went. The Weyerbacher Blanche (the wheat beer) was paired with tuna and wasabi sliders. First off I don't even know what a "slider" is and secondly, tuna is foul. I was drunk and ate that shit anyway. I don't remember how it tasted, so it must of not been that good. 

For the cherry on top they brought out Weyerbacher Merry Monks with a chocolate banana bread pudding. Merry Monks has been one of my favorites for a long damn time and it pairs perfectly with dessert. The bread pudding was PHENOMENAL. The only complaint was that they didn't give us enough. I'm fat. I like sweets. The rounds of food were finished and we went out with a bang. We ordered more Merry Monks before the 2 hours was over and tried to clean up. It didn't happen. Kate's drunk ass broke a glass across the table somehow and I couldn't finish the last merry monks. We may have made out with 3 glasses (record), but I plead the fifth. 

All in all, the experience was quite enjoyable. I told the waitress we left a $10 tip to make up for the glass breakage and bounced. The food was good. The beer was even better. And absolutely worth the $20 ticket. They hold Philly Brew & Chew events every month, so check it out! 

CLICK HERE FOR BREW & CHEW SITE

Lagunitas Brewing Company Loves to Get High

Lagunitas Brewing Company has been one of my favorite breweries for quite some time now and I'm pretty open to all of their brews. Over time I started to notice stoner-esque themes weaved into their line of beers. First there was the release of Lagunitas Hairy Eyeball which is a strong ale donning a bloodshot eyeball on the label. I've tried it and was pretty impressed by the taste and very pleased with the high alcohol content. The second beer that got my attention was the release of Lagunitas "Censored" or "Kronik" red ale. The beer was originally named "Kronik", but later they were forced to change the name. I've never had it. I then recalled an article I read before about their brewery being shut down because suspicion of people selling weed out of the brewery. They maintained that they only smoked there (California) and refused the lure of sales by narcs. Anyway, their brewery was shut down for a bit and hence the release of Lagunitas Undercover Investigation Shut-down ale. I've even had the pleasure of encountering some of their finest posters in The Craft Ale House near where my family resides:

Sexy Ladies, Beer, 420.

Sexy Lady, Car, 420 license plate

As you can see, they aren't ashamed of their habits. I had planned to post this piece on Lagunitas on 4/20 for all you fiends, but I kinda got sidetracked by something....Here is my first attempt at a little Lagunitas art (I don't remember taking this picture). 

PEEP THA PIG!

Back on my Blog Grind

So its been a minute since the last time I blogged and I feel kinda guilty. I'm not sure why. Thou art blessed by my words. Honestly, I came on here to make my first post in over a month now, but I am having trouble committing to it because of the Bulls/Heat game. The NBA playoffs has been the biggest reason I haven't been on my blog tip. A Lakers games every other night meant me consuming a commendable amount of beer while stuck to the TV. The Lakers lost and the depression is kicking in, so I need the grind to keep me busy. I have come up with a lot of fresh new content for my blog and a ton of new beer reviews. Coming shortly will be brewery tours, Philly Beer Week, a look into my beer sources, and possibly a beer giveaway. Can you legally give away beer via contest online? Hmm...anyway...Check back in tomorrow for that new

Philly Brew & Chew: Weyerbacher

I didn't realize how long its been since my last post until just now. I really don't know what I've been doing to be truthful. Regardless, yesterday was nice as shit so I went to Devil's Den with a couple of friends. They had half off drafts from 5-7 for happy hour. I had a bunch of beers and spent less than $15 including tip. Why am I telling you this? I'm telling you because yesterday was the first 80 degree day and it kicked me into spring mode. There is a positive correlation between the quality of weather and amount of time spent out drinking.

Tomorrow I will be partaking in yet another beer drinking experience. What a surprise. The key to doing this frequently is to choose your events wisely based on cost/quantity trade off. That does not mean you should  sacrifice quality though. Cavanaugh's Rittenhouse will be holding a Brew & Chew tomorrow night from 8-10pm for $20. During those two hours you will indulge in a two hour open bar of all Weyerbacher beers and food pairings. Confirmed beers by Weyerbacher: Double Simcoe IPA, Merry Monks, Verboten, and Blanche. The Double Simcoe IPA and Merry Monks are two of my favorite beers. Weyerbacher makes some really tasty beers and a 2 hour session with their finest is a beer lover's dream. Who cares if the weather is still a bit shitty, you might as well drink until it gets better..

Devil's Den's 3rd Birthday Celebration Recap

Yesterday I went to the 3rd birthday celebration of Devil's Den. This event wasn't widely advertised, but luckily I came across it on Drinkphilly.com. For the celebration, Devil's Den was to have a complimentary buffet as well as $1 off some pretty rare drafts. I love the food at Devil's Den so how could I resist a free buffet. The event was from 2pm-5pm. I got there around 3 and the place was pretty packed. We were greeted by an angel of a hostess who made me very happy. I'm told that on our way out from a previous visit to Devil's Den I notified the hostess of her beauty. I guess I'm quite the Marlon Brando when I'm drunk. There were no seats so we grabbed a drink while waiting to be seated. For my first drink I had the Avery Maharaja Imperial IPA. 

This Avery IPA is an A- rated beer on beeradvocate. It was a solid double IPA. I noticed people carrying plates full of sausage, peppaz, and meatballs. What more could you ask for on a hungover Saturday afternoon? More of the finest beers around and sausages w/peppaz?  We took a seat and I had realized that I forgot they had Pliny the Elder on tap. I ordered it to accompany my first trip to the buffet(fat).  

Pliny the Elder by Russian River is second highest rated imperial IPA on beeradvocate. The highest rated being Pliny the Younger. With the $1 off, drafts of this beast were only $4. I got my plate full with everything they had to offer. They also had tortellini in a cream sauce that was damn good.  They even had salad with raspberry vinaigrette and rolls w/butter. For my next beer I had the Ballast Point Sea Monster imperial stout. It had an ABV of 10% and I've been developing a taste for stouts lately. Another A- rated beer that comes highly recommended.  

With the Rolex on I guzzle yet another finely crafted beer. The alcohol was hidden flawlessly behind a nice roasted taste. I started to notice a trend at that point and realized that Amazing beer + Amazing food = the best Saturday afternoon. I got the itch and kept ordering more beers. I had a Yards Trubbel de Yards which is a very rare beer that was only brewed once her in Philly and of course it carries an A rating. Another beer and another satisfied drinker. You couldn't even order a bad beer if you tried. I think I had another Pliny and called it a day. The bill for 8 beers was only like $37. DONE. That's a deal for sure. Trust me, I've been to plenty of bars and never seen a bill that low. The last time I was there they had drafts of Lagunitas Hairy Eyeball for $3.50. 

This bar has quickly become my favorite bar. They always have the top quality drafts and bottles in any style you could imagine. The bottled beer list is more like a book and the drafts are priced very reasonably. All of this goes without the mention of their food. Get your ass out to souf filly and if you are man enough to stay til the bar closes, you better get that ass a cheesesteak from Pat's or Geno's to cap the night.

FREE STUFF IS GOOD!

A few weeks ago I was contacted by a rep for CSN Stores. They offer a ton of stuff for sale on their site and they let me try one of their products for free as long as I reviewed it. This made me feel pretty good because who doesn't like free shit? Honestly, my friend refused to leave the Sixers game last Wednesday until he got a free shirt. Not to mention the fact he was there compliments of my free tickets and my free alcohol... "I get a free shirt every time I go, Chris!" ...Well, he didn't get a shirt, and let that be a lesson to all that America is a disappointment (he's from London). 

In a perfect world I would have liked to review beer for free. With that said, I ended up picking out a Lakers freezer mug. What better way could you drink your favorite beverage than in a freezer mug bearing the best team in the NBA? It was bigger than I thought it would be (thats what she said) and it held well over your standard 12 ounces. I did the Lakers correct and picked up sixers (irony) of Victory Storm King and Victory Hopdevil. After leaving the mug in the freezer for a few hours, I mixed up these two beauties in the frostiest of mugs and indulged. The mug kept my beer cold through two rounds and then I was off to the bar. I can only imagine how handy this will be in the summer time. Best of all, it went thru the dishwasher with no problem despite the warnings on the bottom.

Beer Review: Lagunitas Hop Stoopid

Lagunitas Brewing Company: Hop Stoopid
Petaluma, California
Style: American Double IPA
ABV: 8.0%
Beeradvocate Rating: A-, #49 on top 50 list of American Double IPAs
Serving type: 22oz bottle
Purchased at: Total Wine & More, Wegman's

Look: Copper

Smell: Floral

Taste: Rich

Feel: Medium-full bodied

Drinkability: High

There are plenty things you could say about this beer, but nothing could possibly explain to you how badly I want it right now as I am writing this review. This is the first beer I've ever developed a craving for. Normally, I just crave beer in general. After I tried this beer I have found myself craving it quite often. I picked this up on a jersey beer run the first time I tried it. I've also found them at the Wegman's back where I'm from. 

A thick head of foam accompanies the initial pour of this beer and it makes it look ever so tasty- just look at that picture! Carbonation rises to the top throughout the whole duration of this drink. And the head lasts til the last drop (story of my life ahhh). Taking in a big whiff, I realized that this beer was no joke. Signature beers have signature scents. It smelled amazing and tasted even better. This beer has 102 IBUs which is a measure of hop content. 102 is a HEALTHY amount of hops. There's a big hop punch but it is perfectly backed up with a fruity malt. The malt is sweet and tastes like passion fruit. Its sappy rich tastes masks the alcohol very nicely. While drinking this beer you find yourself craving the next sip. That's a lock on a grade A beer. Don't be STOOPID, try this beer!

My Rating: A+. Hands down top Double IPA for me (at the moment).

Beer Review: Anderson Valley Hop Ottin

Anderson Valley Brewing Company: Hop Ottin’ IPA
Boonville, California
Style: American IPA
ABV: 7.0%
Beeradvocate Rating: A-
Serving type: 6 pack bottles
Purchased at: Total Wine & More

Look: Copper

Smell: Floral

Taste: Bread

Feel: Full

Drinkability: High

The first time I had this beer was at the Foodery for my Friday lunch. It doesn’t look that appealing from the label, I know that sounds shallow (sorry beer), but I’m pretty good at figuring out where a beer stands from its presentation. Did a quick mobile check on Beeradvocate and found that it has an A- rating. Done.

This beer oddly has a mountain feel to it. I think that’s the only way I can explain it. It pours a hazy copper color and has a nice foamy head. As you drink it away, the head laces the glass. It’s a real bready beer. You can taste toasted grains and yeast. It packs a firm bite, but it is surprisingly light on the palate. The floral and maybe even sour scent throws you off the real path to the taste. Although it does have a light zest to the taste, it’s all that you’d expect from an American IPA.

My Rating: B+. Well Done.

Craft Beer Express Recap

This past weekend the long awaited craft beer express made its way thru good ol Philadelphia. As I had said, I carefully picked which bars to go to in order to maximize the drinking experience. We caught the bus at Standard Tap, but didn't even get a drink there. We made our first stop at The Institute. Their theme of beer was barleywine. Barleywines normally carry a very high ABV. As you can see below, most of the barleywines are over 10% ABV.

The Institute's Draft Board

I was looking forward to making this bar my first stop and for good reason. They were offering a varitey of brats to accompany the barleywines. I went with the buffalo chicken sausage sandwhich. Bleu cheese crumbles and hot sauce lined the sausage. Phenomenal. I should have taken a picture, but I was too hungry to take the time to do it. Fries got the thumbs up too. Our next stop was Kite & Key. They were offering up a large variety of Bell's Brewing. In particular, they were offering one of the best IPAs out there: Bell's Brewing Hopslam. Kite & Key was packed wall to wall. I knew we could only stay for one drink. I drank a delicious goblet of Hopslam which actually turned out to be the best brew of the day. It is easily one of the best IPAs I've had. Nature called, I took a dump real quick, then left.

The buses ran a pretty quick schedule, much to my surprise. A bus would hit each bar roughly every 25 minutes. Next we went to Jose Pistolas which had a line up of Southern Tier brews and a cute girl with curly brown hair. I had a Southern Tier Hoppe EPA. Which was okay, but nothing special to me. The good thing about Jose Pistola's is that there are two floors and two bars. There is plenty of space and thankfully we got a spot at the bar. Keep in mind that all of these beers are meant to be savored, so there is no reason to rush to a state of intoxication. Naturally, I became drunk as the day progressed.

Our next stop was Sidecar which I knew would absolutely result in me being tossed into a ring of intoxication. As I had mentioned in previous posts, they were rolling out some of the best IPAs. They had Sculpin IPA, Russian River Blind Pig, Imperial Hatter, and a ton more top quality IPAs. I got the New Holland Imperial Hatter as my first beer and it was excellent. It was similar to the Bell's Hopslam and thus was the second best beer of the day. The ABV of 9.4% put me in a good spot and I disappeared to releive myself in the alley. There were too many people in line for the bathroom. I came back and there was some drunk girl that vicked my seat, but I made her get her ass up (she was a deuce). My second beer at sidecar was Terrapin's Hoptaneous Combustion. From what I hear, this beer is pretty rare and was only brewed once. Its a Smoked double IPA carrying an ABV of 9.3%. All I remember is that I've never tasted an IPA like it before. It was very different.

The next bar was P.O.P.E. It was packed. And there were a lot of dyke femz there. The pisser was like 2 steps from the bar, which was a bit gross. Other than that, they had a damn good selection of bottles/cans written up on a chalk board over the bar. I took it as the draft list (drunk) and I ended up missing out on Dogfish Head Aprihop and Burton Baton IPAs. Tried to go to Geno's for the second night in a row while waiting for the bus, but the line was too long. Devil's Den would end up being the last stop. It was the first time I've been there and it surprised me. It was a quality bar. There was a good amount of seating and a great draft list. I can't even remember what I drank because I was drunk, but I know my friend had Russian River Damnation. We got a table and I had a braised pulled pork panini. Phenomenal. A very reasonably priced place. Stumbled out to a cab and was asleep by 10pm.

Craft Beer Express THIS WEEKEND!

Everybody knows that March is a heavy drinking month. We got Fat Tuesday, St. Patty’s day, and Erin Expresses running back to back Saturdays. The thing that makes this weekend so special is the fact the Craft Beer Express is running this Saturday, March 12^th. The Craft Beer Express is geared toward the more mature beer drinking crowd. I’m sure everybody’s had their fair share of Erin express experiences with loud, drunk, and rookie drinkers.  I don’t need some clown puking on my Jordans because he drank one too many Miller Lites. The Craft Beer Express is designed to be a quality experience. Better beers and a better atmosphere. The event is organized by a bunch of local bar owners and the tickets are limited to ensure a comfortable drinking sesh. It only costs $10 for a ticket to climb aboard the Craft Beer Express. The bus will run between 12 different bars with each bar running a different beer theme. Below is a list of the bars participating and the expected theme:

Kraftwork: The Bella Vista Experience- Beers selected from around the world

Johnny Brenda’s: Stout Brunch & Smorgasbord

Standard Tap: Big Wood Weekend- All things wood, smoked, and barrel aged

The Institute: The Beast of times, the wurst of times- Beastly Barleywines, hot dogs, sausages.

Bishop’s Collar: Unibroue Tap Takeover

Kite & Key: Barrels of Bell’s Brewing- HOPSLAM!

Jose Pistolas: Southern Tier Brewing & Live Music

Sidecar: IPA’s Greatest Hits- Top 30 IPA’s available in the area

P.O.P.E.- Girls Day Out- Female reps from Sly Fox, Dogfish Head, and Ommegang

Devils Den: West Coast Extravaganza- Russian River, Stone, Lagunitas

Brauhaus Schmitz: Best German beers not from Germany

Race Street Café: Great Lakes Brewing- Great Lakes drafts, giveaways, live music

Basically, planning a solid plan of attack is paramount in this situation. You can start at any bar of your choice and tickets can be bought ahead of time online or at any of the 12 bars. Naturally, I’ll be starting at Standard Tap because it is the closest. I plan on giving priority to bars I haven’t been to before. I’ll def be going to The Institute because of their eats as well as Bishop’s collar. I haven’t been to either of those bars before. Kite & Key is also a must-go because it will have Bell’s Hopslam on tap. Jose Pistolas, P.O.P.E., and Race Street Café all look like they offer decent entertainment (female reps), so make sure you get a few in you before you go. Sidecar’s theme is by far the most impressive. They will be tapping 30 of the highest quality IPAs you can get on 3 consecutive days. It’s called “IPA’s Greatest Hits”. More to come soon…

UPDATE

I know, I know, its been a minute since my last post. A week to be exact. But I didn't forget about my loyal 11 followers! hahah...I've actually been taking a slight hiatus from drinking beer and have been enjoying the delights of whiskey. Unfortunately, whiskey isn't always delightful to you the day after. I've also been battling a pretty nasty sinus infection/head cold, which wasn't alleviated by my alcohol consumption (surprise!). Well, enough of all of that. I have some good things in the works for this blog. The first being a product review for CSN Stores. They offer a ton of different things from TV stands to cookware to adjustable bar stools. <---Shameless plug! I promise I'll be reviewing something you will be jealous of. If you didn't already know, there are a ton of things going on in Philly over the next week. I'll be covering all of that and much more over the next week or so. And of course more beer reviews!

Beer Review: Founders Red's Rye PA

Founders Brewing Company: Red's Rye PA
Grand Rapids, Michigan
Style: Rye Beer
ABV: 6.6%
Beeradvocate Rating: A-, #1 top rated rye beer
Serving type: 6 pack bottles
Purchased at: Total Wine & More

Look: Nut Brown

Smell: Spicy

Taste: Sharp 

Feel: Smooth

Drinkability: High

I had no idea that this beer was a top rated beer on Beeradvocate. If you haven't been to beeradvocate.com you are missing out on an integral part of being a beer-drinkin-sum'bitch. Its basically the bible of beer. In any case, i picked this beer because I've had rye IPAs before and 'm a fan of Founders pale ales. It carries 70IBUs and a decent amount of alcohol so at $9.99 I went for it. 

It pours a creamy caramel head. The beer appears thick and brown in color. Red's Rye PA is really unique. It has a peppery, spicy aroma with hops thrown into the mix. The taste is just as good and unique as the smell of this brew. First you're hit with the floral hops. Then, it transitions to a spicy rye with hints of nutmeg and cinnamon. Finally, Theres a smooth, dry, bitter finish. The complexity of this brew is superb. It takes every sip of that first beer to really get a feel for the whole taste profile of the beer. Perfect carbonation and complex malts to match hops (thats good). Overall this beer is one of the bests I've had outside of an IPA.  

My Rating: A. Git r Done (sp?)

Weekend Wrapup

Ahhh YEAHHH. Did some thangs this weekend...would you like to know what? I'm guessing no, but if for some reason you'd like to know, then here it goes: I spent this weekend with my two best friends named Whiskey and Beer. Friday was low key, with thoughts of Evan Williams (the whiskey, not a dude) dashing through my mind and the finest beers flowing like golden fountains of divinity, I got drunk. Saturday was a lil different, but still with that "whickey"  n brew in the system. Started at Cavanuagh's Rittenhouse with the bol Booker T. They had a weak beer selection; the best choice would be the Victory Headwaters. Had a few of them and a couple whiskey gingers. Next we stopped in for another beer at the Wrap Shack cuz I needed one more to hit my first level of drunk. Their prices surprised me. $3 Yard's IPA and $4 Victory Golden Monkey. I'll def be going there again. I hear they have late night happy hours, so maybe thats what that was. Anyway, we approached the main event of my friend's birthday party at the Raven Lounge. 2nd floor. The special was a PBR pounder and a shot of Jim Beam for $5. I know I'm going to beer hell for this, but I ordered it multiple times. Which now I know was a bad idea. I even stole shots off the bar that nobody was taking. Forgive me, but whiskey makes me a different man. I cutt some Rugg then left. I don't remember much more, but I paid for it on Sunday.  If you don't mind taking the chance of seeing three guys come out or in (gross) a single person bathroom all together, then Raven lounge is an alright spot.

Friday Lunch

Every Friday I go out for lunch (I have such an exciting life, I know). Normally I go to the Foodery and grab a beer there as well as something from their deli. Recently, for my Friday lunch, I stopped into the Foodery with the intention of grabbing an iced tea before going to Rustica for some pizza. Somehow I ended up getting a beer instead, imagine that. I took it to Rustica because you can bring your own and I paired it with their BBQ chicken slice. In my opinion I believe that Rustica has the best BBQ chicken slice of pizza in the city. The beer I chose, Heavy Seas Black Cannon, is a black IPA.  I tend to favor black IPAs over any other style of IPA. Black Cannon is a perfect example of a well engineered black IPA and is very tasty. IPAs go EXTREMELY well with BBQ of any kind. Needless to say, the combination of the two made a banger lunch. I got the itis from it which earns the meal my seal of approval. I suggest a cup of bleu cheese on the side for dipping (lard style). 

Beer Review: Lagunitas Maximus Ale

Lagunitas Brewing Co: Maximus Ale
Petaluma, California
Style: Imperial IPA
ABV: 8.2%
Beeradvocate Rating: B+
Serving type: 6 pack of bottles
Purchased at: Total Wine & More (NJ)

Look: Bronze

Smell: Piney

Taste: Floral

Feel: Full bodied

Drinkability: Medium

Pretty much every other payday I make a trip to NJ for beer and gas. They are staples in my life and both are much cheaper just over the bridge in Jerz. Total Wine & More is what I think the place is called that I go to. All I know is that it’s in Cherry Hill and that it has mad craft beeyas. You can’t buy em by the case there, but you can choose as many different six packs as you desire. Really, there’s no limit to how much you can buy. That definitely makes up for the shitty roads in NJ, really? No left turns?  Anyway, I’m not a huge fan of the Cali IPAs because they are usually too piney. But at 9.99 for a sixer of an imperial IPA I couldn’t resist. Shout outs to Sugarhouse Casino for the glass I'm drinking this beer from, I stole it on my birthday.

With the pour of this beer there is a very creamy head. The carbonation is continually shooting to the top through the bronze battlefield of booze. You can definitely smell the piney hops right away; the signature of any California IPA. You also can sense the presence of juniper in this beer. It carries a thick floral taste and packs a zesty pine punch. Then it transitions to sweet with a syrupy sap backbone. There’s really a well rounded flavor with every sip. It is a bit on the full-bodied side, so you wouldn’t want to drink this beer all night.

My Rating: B+. Only because I approve of the ABV.

The Craft Beer Biz

Here's a little recap of an article i came across at work while i was bored and doing nothing (typical). You know I'm bouts my paper so yous know I reads my Business Weeks and stocks and stuff.

As you know, craft beer is one of the best things life has to offer. Unfortunately most people drink shit beer. Domestics, light beers, coors light, it kills me to type those words. On the bright side, the most recent sales figures for craft beer are showing a change. The overall sales volume for the U.S. beer industry dropped 2.7% in 2010 while the sales volume of craft beer increased by 9%. For all you remedial people out there: THIS IS A GOOD THING. It means craft beer is catching on and as craft beer becomes more popular it will  result in more widespread availability, lower prices, and new breweries. People have begun to develop a taste for quality beer and we have seen the emergence of a craft beer culture in the US (hence this blog). All of this has taken place during the "toughest US beer market in decades", according to the CEO of Molson Coors. Boston Beer, maker of Sam Adams (considered a craft beer), reported a 39.5% year-to-date increase in stock price. For a shitty brewed beer those numbers are very promising. Imagine what a good craft brewery could do with all those resources at hand. We could see craft beer going from 7% of the market (current %) to 15% or maybe even 20% over time. So go get drunk for the cause or just because its Tuesday. Whatever you do just make sure you are drinking something craftayyy

Click here for the original article

Beer Review: Brew Works Hop'solutely

Allentown Brew Works: Hop’solutely
Allentown, PA
Style: Triple IPA
ABV: 11.5%
Beeradvocate Rating: B
Serving type: Four-pack bottles
Purchased at: Wegmans

Look: Copper

Smell: Herbal, Wood

Taste: Strong, Sweet

Feel: Warm, Low carbonation

Drinkability: Moderate

I’ve been wondering about this IPA for a while now, ever since I ended up with some beer coasters advertising it. A strong point on this beer for me was the triple IPA status as well as the 11.5% ABV. The higher the ABV, the happier the beer makes me. Also, I think I’ve only tried one triple IPA before. I got Hop’solutely in a four pack of 12oz bottles for like $8 or $9, which isn’t a bad deal considering it will get you feelin correct as shit.

The beer pours a copper earth-like tone with a thin appearance. You can smell the sweetness of the hops up front and they are backed by floral and earthy notes. There’s a little citrus closing out the deal. With the first taste you get hit with a pretty decent boozy blow, but are then quickly swept over by pears, apricots, and herbal hops. The beer gives off a warming taste and finishes dry and woody (no homo). I was very surprised by this beer because I expected a very thick and syrupy IPA. That was all but the case. The beer drinks and tastes like a beer carrying an ABV of about 7.5%. Its punch of booze up front will turn off rookz, thus making the drinkability to be moderate. Personally, I love the beer. It got me drunk as shit. I can easily drink it and it doesn’t give me GUTT ROTT. And believe me, you do NOT want GUTT ROTT…

My Rating: A. Best Triple IPA I’ve had. 

Beer Review: Southern Tier Gemini

Southern Tier Brewing Company: Gemini
Lakewood, New York
Style: Imperial IPA
ABV: 10.5%
Beeradvocate Rating: A-, #37 on top 50 Imperial IPA List
Serving type: 22oz bottle
Purchased at: Wegman’s

Look: Orange, Frothy

Smell: Hoppy, Citrus

Taste: Sweet, Malty, Spicy

Feel: Medium-Full

Drinkability: Moderate

2-row pale malt
Malted white wheat
Cara-pils malt
Red wheat
Kettle hops: Columbus, Chinook & cascade
Aroma hops: Amarillo
Hop back: styrian golding
Dry hops: Amarillo, cascade, centennial, Chinook & Columbus

I’ve always known Southern Tier to put out some of the best IPAs around so I knew choosing this beer would be the right choice. I’ve had Southern Tier’s IPA, 2XIPA, and Unearthly IPA. The seasonal Gemini is very unique in the fact that it is actually a blended double (imperial) IPA. It is a mixture of 50% of their Hoppe Unfiltered and 50% of their Unearthly IPA. I don’t know how many blended ales I’ve had in the past, if any at all, but this was no disappointment.

It pours a deep amber color with a bit of haze and cloudiness. A nice frothy head hangs around from the start until the finish. It smells right off the bat like sugary malts and then the hops follow. There are citrus and pine hops present, with a focus on acidic grapefruit. The taste is excellently balanced. The unfiltered Hoppe ale pairs perfectly with the Unearthly IPA. It starts off malty and bready and then transitions to floral hops. For the finish I get an orangey, spicy pine flavor. The alcohol is pretty well masked by this blend. Although it is a thick IPA, it falls just shy of the syrupy flavor that you get from some of the doubles I’ve had.  It is much easier to drink than the Unearthly IPA and with an ABV of 10.5% to back it up, you’ll be well on your way to making drunken mistakes.

My Rating: A. The 2^nd best Imperial IPA I’ve had, behind Weyerbacher’s Double Simcoe IPA.  Grab Two!

Victory Anniversary Party at Kraftwork

OH MY GOD, IT IS A GLORIOUS SIGHT

This past Thursday was Victory Brewing's 15th anniversary party at Kraftwork in Fishtown. Above is the lineup of all the different Victory beers they had on tap. Its sheer beauty brings a tear to my eye. There is a beer menu from the night, but its too big to post on the blog. Check out the full tap list HERE. I was kind of overwhelmed when I got there and I needed to gather myself and get down to business. I ordered a hopdevil on cask and planned my assault on the taps. Like I had said before, you can order 4 beers at a time if you want to try out more than a few brews. I ended up ordering 2 seperate flights of 4.

I think thats my second flight?

I tried 8 different beers I've never had before from Victory. I have had all of their IPAs (all of them are superb) and some of their other beers, so I tried out new ones for the sake of the blog. The launch of Victory's new beer named Headwaters Pale Ale made its mark at this anniversay celebration. For a pale ale it was probably the best brew out of the 8 or so I tried. The Smokin Oats tasted like BBQ/bacon and I really enjoyed it because I am fat/was hungry. It would go great with some bbq for sure, maybe even use it as a marinade. There is one beer that I suggest you steer clear of: Braumeister Pils. I don't know what the hell that word even is, but it taste like dirt. 

This is a pic taken at the bar. Some may consider it creepin. Regardless,  I dedicate this picture to Roni. I know you miss your girl. To make the celebration complete, they brought out a cake for Victory Brewing. 

Candles, singing, you know the deal. White people shit. I'm pretty sure we were the first people at the bar to get a piece of cake, probably cuz I'm fat/was hungry. All in all, it was a very enjoyable night at Kraftwork. The only thing that let me down was the lack of 90s music. From the Facebook description, 90s music was to be played. After all the alchohol was consumed, food was in order. Went to PYT and it was the best move ever made.. Nothing beats the grease when ya drunk.