Beer Trippin'-Washington, DC

Ahh, yes. Our nation's capital. When most people think of Washington DC, they probably think of The White House, The Lincoln Memorial, maybe even the Washington Nationals...ok maybe not the last one. What most people may not know is that DC has a really good beer scene and these are some of the places to check out when you're in the area.

The Brickskellar is one of the more infamous establishments in the area serving up a list of beers that reads like War and Peace. The menu is reasonably priced and has pretty much all of the pub grub you'd come to expect. There is quite an assortment of beer styles, so there will always be something for everyone. This is a can't miss when you're in DC.

Brasserie Beck houses the city's largest assortment of belgian beer and has plenty of european cuisine to satisfy your palate. It's more of an upscale establishment compared to your local watering hole, but hey, it's pretty kick ass. Here you can find about 10 drafts and over 100 bottles. Stop in for a bottle of Gouden Carlous Grand Cru of the Emperor (2000 vintage) or a 1996 vintage of Saison de Pipaix. This is a great place to go on a date, or treat your wife to a fine night out. It will be pricey, but you only live once, right?

The Black Squirrel. If you're looking for a place to kick back and relax or a place that makes you feel like you're at home, you're in luck. They are currently pouring 11 drafts including Czechvar, Dale's Pale Ale, Bare Knuckle Stout, and they're own special brew, Black Squirrel Amber Bock.  They also carry a mess of bottles, too! As for the food, you can feast on some "Addictive Macaroni and Cheese", or even grab a filet mignon if you feel like it. Washingtonian Magazine recently listed them as one of the top 75 bars to check out, so what are you waiting for?

Capitol City Brewing. A beer trip wouldn't be complete without visiting a brewery along the way. This seems like a good place to catch a lunch before heading over to watch the Nats get beat up! CCB is serving up what you would expect from a brewpub.. burgers,pizza,ribs. As for their beers, check out the Prohibition Porter or the Capitol Kolsch.  There will always be about 8 beers on draft so make sure you come thirsty.

Kramerbooks & Afterwards Cafe & Grill I know. Books and Beer? Well, at this bar you can buy yourself a novel and a Bell's Two Hearted Ale. 18 beers on tap ranging from Troegs Pale Ale to Hofbrau Maibock and a delicious menu makes this a can't miss. While you're there why not try the "Best Piece of Bass in Town." If fish isn't you're thing, there's lots more to choose from. Whatever you do, don't miss this place!

Dr. Granville Moore's. Belgians, Belgians, and more Belgians. The Doc has made quite a name for itself in the DC area, and rightfully so. Their menu looks amazing, but the mussels are what the talk is all about. It's located in somewhat of a sketchy area, so a cab may be the best mode of transportation, but you'll be glad you checked it out. If you think Brasserie Beck may be a little bit too fancy for your liking, then this is your place.

Plan on catching a ball game while you're down there? Nationals Park is a great stadium to see and you can also find some decent beer as well.  Head over to this link from  The D.C Sports blog to see a list of what they've carried on draft this year. The list includes the likes of Dogfish Head 90 Minute and Bells' Kalamazoo Stout. Yes, that's right, Kalamazoo Stout. 

I Love West Coast Beers

I have some really good beers coming to me in a few days that I am pumped up for. I've been dying to get a hold of Session black since I love the Session lager, and I've also been wanting to try the New Belgium Bier de Mars for quite some time. 

My full list is as follows. Deschutes Black Butte Porter, Full Sail Session Black, Lazy Boy IPA, Caldera IPA, New Belgium Bier De Mars and Deschutes Red Chair IPA. All coming to me in just a few days. I can't wait.

Tastings on Tuesdays @ The Grey Lodge

I was recently invited to The Grey Lodge Pub by a friend of mine, The Big Beer Guy to partake in a weekly event that he hosts called Tastings on Tuesdays. What it is basically is a group of guys (or girls) sharing beer with each other and talking about how good or bad it is.. only it takes place at one of the finest bars this side of the Mississippi. I'll be heading there on August 4th and I have some surprises in store for them. But I don't want to spoil it now!

If anyone is interested in attending a Tastings on Tuesdays, just head over to Kev's blog and shoot him an e-mail.. he'll be more than happy to hook you up.

Rolling Stone+New Belgium??

Yesterday I received in the mail my latest issue of Rolling Stone Magazine- The one with Michael Jackson, the singer, on the cover. I'm still trying to figure out WHY I get Rolling Stone, because I've never subscribed to it. Anyway. I went to toss it in the trash like I normally do and happened to see the back cover. And it looked a little something like this..I was excited and shocked at the same time. Say what you will about Fat Tire, but I happen to enjoy it. It certainly isn't the best beer I've ever had, or even the best from New Belgium that I've ever had.. but it's good. The only problem I see with this is the amount of people who get Rolling Stone who can't get Fat Tire at their local liquor store or distributor. It could be a little annoying for someone who wishes they could get it and are left to salivate over the ad. Though, it's damn good marketing. So, Hats off to ya NB.

Blue Monkey Tavern

I must admit, I feel a little embarrassed. Being as big of a beer geek as I am, I never realized this place was less than 15 minutes from my house. Rest Assured, I will be there before the weekend.

The Blue Monkey Tavern, located in Merchantville, NJ, is serving up 24 draft beers for your drinking pleasure, and they are sure to not disappoint. Right now you can find Green Flash West Coast IPA, Bear Republic Racer 5, Stone 13th Anniversary, St. Bernardus 12, Victory Wild Devil and more. Not to mention a ton of bottles. Food wise, you can order some standard sandwiches, steaks, rack of lamb, seafood.... Seems like a can't miss.

I will be sure to do a write up on my experience later this week. I am pumped.

A Beer Wasteland No More?

Please check out this article from the great Joe Sixpack, detailing Yards Brewing Company's venture to bring a brewpub to Merchantville, NJ.

Things are beginning to look up for a state regarded as a beer wasteland. Just last week we had the opening of Iron Hill Brewery and now with the (hopeful) addition of Yards, beer lovers from New Jersey can become proud to say they live here. 

Of course, this news makes me very happy because I live only 10 minutes from the proposed site. I urge every beer geek in New Jersey to support this in hopes that our state will continue to bring more beer bars and brew pubs. 

Yards, I'm excited for you to move across the pond!

Beer Trippin'-Boston

What beer lover doesn't like taking a trip to another city, exploring the bars and breweries they have to offer? I sure as hell do. So, once a week I've decided to pick a city, regardless of if I've been there or not, and highlight some of the places to see if  I had a few days to spend there. Plus, this is just a nerdy way I can combine geography and beer. 

For this first installment of Beer Trippin', I've decided to tackle Boston, Massachusetts- home to some fine clam chowder and yes, Samuel Adams. 

The Boston Beer Company, home of Samuel Adams, is a must to stop by. Here they only brew limited batches of beer, but you still get a nice little tour. I believe most of their research and development is done here and they also have one hell of a tasting room. I enjoyed the tour when I went on it.You gain a lot of knowledge on how beer really came about in Boston, pre and post prohibition.

Jacob Wirth, is a great German inspired bar that has been in operation since 1868. That makes it pretty old, and pretty friggin' awesome. I felt so comfortable here, that I visited 3 times on my 3 day trek there. The decor is very German beer hall-like and they have somewhere around 30 beers on tap. Obviously a great selection of Germans, but some excellent local and not so local craft beers as well. The food is typical of a German themed place, but its good.

Harpoon Brewery. These guys have been brewing since 1986 and they would love for you to come visit them. Stop by for a tour and a tasting. Take a growler home, even.

Boston Beer Works-Fenway. Yet another place that is an absolute must when traveling to Boston. Get some pub grub and choose from about 15 taps of fresh tasty goodness.  If fruity beers are your thing, try the Bunker Hill Blueberry Ale complete with fresh Maine blueberries (even though Jersey berries are better). Be Warned. This place will get insane on game days. We all know how Red Sox fans can be...

Redbones BBQ. 28 beers on tap. Cask Beer. BBQ. What more needs to be said?. If you like to eat bbq this is your place. The menu consists of what you'd expect for a bbq joint- ribs, bbq beef, jerk chicken, pulled pork, etc. One can expect beers like Brewdog IPA, Speakeasy Big Daddy IPA and host of others including some fine Belgians. I heard it can get a little crowded  at night, so I'd probably get there a little early.

Penguin Pizza. No, penguins aren't a topping for one of their pies. I will say all the food here is reasonably priced and sounds delicious. Grab a pizza or some pasta alla bolognese and wash it down with one of their 30 + taps.  Apparently they may be expanding the amount of taps soon which is always a good thing.

If anyone ever goes to any of the places I write about, I'd love to hear what you're thoughts were!

The Japanese are so clever

The geographer in me thinks this is pretty cool, however the beer geek in me... eh. 

The Abishiri Brewery from Japan have just released a new beer, a blue beer, made from melted icebergs from the Sea of Okhotsk. For those not that aren't so geographically inclined, that's in between Japan and Russia.   The blue color is made from the addition of seaweed into the beer. If I'm ever back in Japan I would give it a try just for kicks, but it looks a little bit too much like the windshield washer fluid I use for my car. 

And hey, if blue isn't you're color..why not try a red one...or a green one?

California Dreams (the saturday morning show, not the song)

If only I lived in SoCal..I could attend. Wah, wah, wah. 

Pizza Port- Solana Beach, Dude.

I tend to think every bar I go to in another city is my favorite bar ever.. but I think I really mean it this time.

While on my trip, I was having a blast at every brewery and bar we went to. Then we got to Pizza Port. 

Pizza Port has 3 locations: San Clemente, Carlsbad, and Solana Beach. We visited the latter and it was pretty much the highlight of our trip.  Walking in there felt like walking into a miniature German beer hall... except they serve pizza, not bratwurst. They have long picnic style tables where you can seat yourself and also have some video games in the back. They had a very small area for brewing behind the bar area and a separate section to order your food.  It definitely has that California Beach vibe to it.. and it was refreshing, coming from New Jersey and all. Obviously, I went right over to the bar. The selection there is pretty good. They not only carry beers from all three pizza port locations, but also have a massive amount of other local beers on tap as well. I started off with the Port Sharkbite Red. It was made with Centennial and Cascade hops and was nice and smooth.  If I'm not mistaken it is there best seller. While we put in our orders for pizza and beer bread, both of which were fantastic, I tried Swamis IPA.  A+.  I decided to have one more before we left and what a choice it was. I had to go with the Sierra Nevada Southern Hemisphere Harvest Ale on Cask! Made with hops from New Zealand and Pacific Halertau. I've had this beer before, but on cask.... you just gotta try it for yourself.

 

We spent roughly two hours relaxing and taking in the atmosphere at Pizza Port and we headed for our next stop: La Jolla. Of course, I had to pick up a few bottles since I wasn't able to sample as much as I would have liked.  I ended up taking home the 3rd anniversary ale ( to celebrate 3 years of Port and The Lost Abbey) and hot rocks lager. I also grabbed a few bottles from The Lost Abbey.

If I lived in Southern California, Pizza Port is the place I would ride my longboard to a couple times a week.

San Diego Brewing Company

A brewery in the middle of a shopping plaza, directly across the way from a Carl's Jr. 

I like it.

This was my last stop of the day after already going to Ballast Point and Stone. It is a really great little place. As soon as you walk in you can see all the brew kettles to your left and a host of taps up against the wall. It was quite a departure in atmosphere from Stone. A little bit gritty, but right up my alley.  It kind of has a friendly neighborhood bar feel, except its a brewery. Looks can be deceiving. We grabbed some seats at the bar and ordered up our first of four beers. For the first three beers I stuck with the San Diego beers..but they had so much other good stuff on tap that I had to get something else.

I couldn't figure out what I wanted.. Deschutes Mirror Mirror.. Sierra Nevada Porter on cask... Full Sail Amber... so many good choices. Eventually I decided to pair my cheeseburger with a Russian River Blind Pig. I haven't been fortunate enough to find it on tap in Philly yet, so I said what the hell. It's one of the most well balance IPA's I've ever had. Very Good!

San Diego Brewing Company was the perfect last stop on my little day tour. It has everything you could ask for and it seems like the perfect place to watch a Padres game. The bartenders were knowledgeable about their product as well as the guest taps and the televisions were huge, so that's a plus. 

Burger,Fries,Beers,SDBC - Thumbs Up.

ATTN: NJ Beer Lovers

Saturday July 18th from 12-4pm, The Pour House in Westmont will be presenting Pour A Palooza 2009. $25 in advance gets you access to 13+ breweries, commemorative glass and a food voucher. There will be live music going on as well.. and its all outside! You can pay at the door, but you don't get a food voucher and that'll run you $30. Either way, support NJ craft beer events.

Stone Brewing World Bistro and Gardens

After leaving Ballast Point, we took a ride over to the Stone World Bistro and Gardens in Escondido. I was blown away at the sight of this place. It's pretty serious. 

You know how they have their slogan, "You're Not Worthy"... well they don't even have a sign anywhere on their building that indicates they are a brewery, let alone that they serve any food. They don't want random visitors

 coming in off the street. They want you to know exactly where you're going before you get there. You could go as far as to say Stone has some attitude.

Before walking in I admired the structure of the building in all of its glory, then proceeded to walk down a path surrounded by hop plants and flowers(complete with humming birds hovering around them). The doors to the place are like 15 feet tall wooden castle doors and are just awesome. As you walk in to the bar you are greeted by a large koi pond, its quite nice. Now its time to get some beer. While they do carry a lot of other local beers I wanted to stick to the Stone brews, so we started with the Pale Ale, followed by the 

IPA, Smoked Porter, Arrogant Bastard and I closed it out with Levitation Ale. Like I said earlier, Stone has attitude, but they sure do back it up. The Levitation is similar to Ballast Points' Even Keel, except it's % 4.4. Low A.B.V beer sometimes flies under the radar in favor of hop bombs, but you'd really be missing out if you never tried either of these beers.

Behind the bar is some of their fermentation tanks and other brewing machinery.  On the other side of the bar is an entrance to their gardens. You can go for a nice walk and take in the scenery, or you can even get married.. it's that nice. It's evident that Mr. Koch and Co. put some serious dough into this place and I wish I lived closer so I could spend more of mine there.

Great American Beer Festival..Here I Come!

Just to prove how awesome my wife is... She just surprised me and booked us flights to go to Denver for The Great American Beer Festival! How amazing, right?

Ballast Point Brewing Co.

Well, I have returned from my trip to San Diego and I must say it was more than what I 

had hoped for. I was fortunate enough to visit 5 breweries while I was there and each of them 

were great experiences. The first stop I made was Ballast Point.  This brewery was started like many other microbreweries, by a couple guys who love to homebrew. Originally they had opened a store called Home Brew Mart(which is still around), but now run a brewery full time.

 

It was located in the middle of an industrial

 park and wasn't that easy to find. Luckily someone else was driving me!  

 They had 9 beers on tap and I didn't wait very long to fill up my sampler glass. I ended up trying the Even Keel(twice!), Brother Levonian Saison, Sculpin IPA, Fathom India Pale Lager and the Yellowtail Pale Ale, with my favorite being the Even Keel. A %3.5 American Pale that is pretty hopped up - one of my favorite beers that I tried on my trip. 

So in the middle of sampling our beers we went on a little tour of the facility, which is in plain sight behind the tap handles. It is a very small place but they are making some big beers in there. After we all put on our protective glasses we took a walk around. They have some oak barrels for the aging of 

some beer and they have also just started a distillery on one end of the warehouse, so be on the lookout for Ballast Point Spirits! All in all this was a great start to my brewery tours for the weekend and I was delighted to able to try 4 beers from them that they don't bottle. One of the guys who works there was even from Jersey..and happened to be a Phillies fan.