Low Country Beer Scene

Red Drum, not for beer lovers

2011-02-15T14:31:00.000-08:00

2.14.11 Red Drum ~~GastroPub~~ Restaurant (or what trend is hot now)

Well, I was looking for a topic to write on and was going to write about the upcoming Brewvival and preparation for this event, but we stopped at Red Drum last night after dinner for a beer. Red Drum was at one time, in the dark ages of Charleston, called Red Drum Gastropub and they had a decent tap list at the time. Recently, they changed their name and I think I know why. When the word pub appears in the name, you don’t expect $30+ entrees. I have not eaten here in a while and didn’t really buy into the hype when it opened, the food was good, not outstanding, and the pricing was equal to fine downtown restaurants.

Now onto why I decided to bring this up, the beer selection was ok, but this is obviously a trendy bar scene where cocktails and more common swill rule (they have Dos XX on tap). First off, the beers were $6 for a Coast pint, and $7 for a Stone IPA pint, didn’t see too many people drinking the good beers anyway. Second, with this pricing, you would think they could afford to hire a bartender that could remember the 4 rotating taps. With help from the other bartender, I cajoled the rotating taps out of them, but there was a new beer I was afraid to try, it was called Westbrook which I assume is some new flagship from Westbrook Brewing or a blend of every beer they make. This happens a lot and it usually goes like this:

Thirsty Patron: What do you have on tap?

Uninformed Bartender charging $7 a pint: Coast (or fill in any other Brewery here)

long pause, awkward silence as the Patron waits for the bartender to finish the sentence

Thirsty Patron: Coast what?

Uninformed Bartender charging $7 a pint: Yes, Coast; it’s a local brewery

Now at this point, the Thirsty Patron has 3 choices, move on to a different beer, play Beer Roulette, or inform the Bartender of his/her mistake for which you will be entitled to Surly Service the rest of the night which is usually short as I tend to move on from these places.

(please note for reporting accuracy, shortly after the cap had been lifted on, hate to say it, High Gravity Beers, the response usually was “Yes, Coast; it’s a High Gravity Beer”

And to be totally trendy, they have wine on tap. Call me a traditionalist, but I like my wine to come from a bottle. So, one more place I don’t need to go. Oh, and their hours suck, I guess when you are charging that much, you don’t need to be open earlier than five on a Weekend if you are located in Mt. Pleasant.

Trivial Items, might as well get my full rant out:

The Valet parking is an effort to make this place seem high brow

There was a four door Porsche in the parking lot, enough said there.

Unless your Bobby Flay or Mario Batali (ie Famous), you don’t need your name in the restaurant title. It’s not like there are five Red Drum’s in Mt. Pleasant. Reminds me of Steve Martin in the Jerk “Oh, this is the best pizza in a cup ever. This guy is unbelievable. He ran the old Cup 'o Pizza guy out of business.”

Westbrook Brewing 2.5.11

2011-02-12T14:22:00.000-08:00

Westbrook Brewing 2-5-11 http://westbrookbrewing.com

With news of the Westbrook Brewing tasting room opening, we ventured out to meet our friend Peggy and to see if in fact we have a new place to get our fill of craft beer. Several other friends also showed up to check it out.

Parking lot was full, but street parking could be had on a miserable weather day. Main doors enter into an oval shaped bar in the middle and counters around the perimeter with stools so even at fairly full capacity a seat could be found. There is a sign partially obscured by patrons showing what is currently on tap including the main reason for my visit; brewery exclusive small batches. Upon arrival, they were pouring 5 beers: 2 of the 3 main beers White Thai and IPA were on and 3 others Belgian IPA, Citra Pale Ale (interest perked up), and Belgian Porter (we had missed the Oatmeal Stout). Overall, the place is really nice, and a far cry from most start-ups.

Now, to actually get the beer was another thing all together, we waited behind a couple of people at an open space at the side of the bar, but were told we needed to go to the front area because they had no change (cash only today) and tasting tickets could be had. Sat there for a few minutes, but we actually needed to go by the register and not the taps. So after a thirsty wait, I have two samples for each me and my wife and tickets for more. It was explained to us that the tickets were due to lack of change, but tickets actually seem like a good idea if you are not going to pour all the samples at once.

Quick notes on the beers available:

White Thai: this was the best sample of this beer I have tasted, don’t know if it is the brewery atmosphere or the freshness, but it was interesting enough to want more

Citra Pale Ale: This is (was) a great beer for citrus fruit aromatic hop fans, sort of a Imperial Sierra Nevada, well done with aromas to die for (This was my choice for a growler)

Belgian IPA: I have a keg at home so I was not stoked to try it, this is really not a Belgian style IPA, but it is a good IPA for someone who likes a very hop forward resiny style. The Belgian yeast got roughed up pretty good by the hops. I don’t get any of the dry mineral crispness usually afforded to Belgian IPA style.

Belgian Porter: Again, the use of the word Belgian sort of confuses me as I found this to be a fairly nice strong porter (friend got a growler of this).

IPA: We did not get to sample this as it ran out prior to our third sample, this confused me somewhat as I would think it would be easy to get it back on tap quickly, I assume they didn’t want to tap a new keg so late in the day, but they are a brewery.

Also, should be noted the Citra Pale kicked after my growler pour, so were down to 3 beers on tap, would have disappointed me if I walked in at that point.

+++ For me anyway was to have 2 beers from them that you won’t find anywhere and got to admit I liked both of them. Other plusses, it is a inviting place to sample beer, and less than 10 minutes from my house.

---- Definitely were overwhelmed with the crowd, and the list of beers needed to be upon entry, also, if one kicks, you have to go delete it or better yet get another keg or a the next small batch. Beer knowledge, part of the brewery experience for me at least is talking to the people making the beer and this did not happen. Not to beat a dead horse, but they should fill any growler, no law against it and it just makes environmental sense.

So, I wish them luck and success, and I most certainly will be back. On a side note, they have 10 taps on each side, assuming they double up, this still means they hope to have 10 beers on at some point?

Blind IPA Tasting aftermath

2010-08-22T11:08:00.000-07:00

Blind IPA Tasting aftermath by the Beer Guru

The following beers were included in our blind tasting:

Avery IPA

Bear Republic Racer 5

Bells Two Hearted Ale

Coast HopArt

Lagunitas IPA

Smuttynose IPA

Southern Tier IPA

Stone IPA

Sweetwater IPA

Victory Hopdevil

For fairness, all beers were sampled in the bottled form, and an effort was made to get the freshest beer by ordering most within the last two weeks (how long they were at the distributor is out of our control). All beers were placed in the chiller at the same time to attempt to keep the temperatures the same. When I first put this together, I wanted representation from the major IPA (call them mainstream if you want) producers. We had a contest if you could identify them all, you would get a growler and your tasting fee back, this prize went uncollected as it was quite difficult to distinguish a number of the beers. We also did a non scientific voting for the top three of which about half the participants (17 total) turned in their votes.

I had my suspicions about which beers would show well and purposely picked at least two that I believed to be underrated in most people’s eyes (Sweetwater, which gets a bad rap because 420 and Blue are everywhere, and Smuttynose, whose big beer series is one of the better made value series on the market). My suspicions on one of the top beers ended up being correct, as Bells Two Hearted was voted number 2 with 25% of the voters picking it number #1. The overall number one ended up being Sweetwater also with 25% of the voters picking it, but with more number twos than Bells. Third place was close enough to basically call a tie between Racer 5 and HopArt. Speaking of freshness, the first bottle of Racer 5 didn’t seem to be on to me, but the later bottles were back to what I expect.

The voting with points and first place votes in () and a simple 3-2-1 point system:

1. Sweetwater: 23 (4)

2. Bells: 19 (4)

3. HopArt: 14 (3)

4. Racer 5: 13 (1)

5. Southern Tier: 10 (2)

6. Stone: 7 (1)

7. Hop Devil: 5 (1)

8. Smuttynose: 4 (1)

Lagunitas: 4 (0)

10. Avery: 0 (0)

I am sure Avery was in a lot of peoples top 5 if I would have went out that far; it is a well-made example of the style and the new packaging is great in my opinion. The truth is when sampled together, a lot of these beers are quite similar. In the presence of other aromatic and hoppy beers, Sweetwater was harder to pick out with its signature grapefruit flavors. In my opinion, the closeness of these 10 well- made beers was very apparent with very few people disliking any one beer. It is funny how when it is not blind, people will totally rank on beers they don’t find acceptable, but when it may possibly be their favorite beer, they are more accepting and open. Mission accomplished.

Now as far as picking out the beers, the most we had submitted was 4 of 10 by one individual and only 1 submitted a form with 3 of 10 followed by two with 2 of 10, with six people getting 1 of 10 and as many not identifying one correct. I believe this was a palate opening experience for many. Email me if you want to know your score. beerguru@ymail.com

Blind stouts in the winter? Or maybe blind Belgians?

Brixx Mt. Pleasant- done

2010-07-16T14:26:00.000-07:00

Brixx- Mt. Pleasant- We have lost one

11 July 2010

I know you are going to say they were done awhile ago, but they were still on life support until my latest visit. Our Brixx has consistently lagged behind it’s chain brethren in NC for some time not only in beer, but food as well.

First the tap list: SA Summer, SA Lager, Amstel, AB Shock Top, Yuengling, Guiness, New Castle, New Castle Summer, MH #9, NB 1554, Starr Hill Dark Starr Stout, Star Hill The and Love, NB Lips of Faith Belgian Pale Ale, SN Summer, and Coast HopArt. This fine selection was rounded out by three empty tap handles and four tap handles strictly for show, guess five empty would have looked bad.

I had the sampler: New Castle Summer was as expected, SN Summer was slightly better, Starr Hill the Love was ok, and had to have HopArt due to one of the phantom handles. I was at a loss to get my next pint as I chose another phantom handle and had to settle for a Dark Starr Stout, not that my first choice wasn’t settling.

In talking with the bartender, they had a lot of empty taps because they were switching kegs over. For instance he told us the SA Lager was replacing Stone. We inquire as to why and he said Stone was too heavy and too expensive, they couldn’t do any deals with it. This puzzled me because the HopArt was $6.00 a pint which seems like plenty of room to deal, second place in as many days that I paid $6.00 a pint for Coast.

Cutting to the chase overpriced discs of dough with a small circular portion of topping in the middle and no significant beer. Why not give the business to Mellow Mushroom. As Otto would say DISAPPOINTED!

Cheers
The Beer Guru

IPA tasting 4/15/10

2010-04-17T08:24:00.000-07:00

Racer 5 was tasting pretty fresh and Maharaja was very fresh as well. Full Sail was surprisingingly refreshing with a citrussy hop effect.

Hops: Pale Ales, IPAs, and Beyond
April 15, 2010

Samuel Smith India Ale
Brewer: Samuel Smith’s Brewery Origin: Tadcaster, England Style: India Pale Ale ABV: 5.0% (45)

Full Sail Hop Pursuit (Brewmaster Reserve Series)
Brewer: Full Sail Brewery Origin: Hood River, OR Style: American Pale Ale ABV: 6.0% (55)

Victory Hop Devil
Brewer: Victory Brewing Origin: Downingtown, PA Style: American IPA ABV: 6.7% (60-70)

Bear Republic Racer 5
Brewer: Bear Republic Brewing Origin: Healdsburg, CA Style: American IPA ABV: 7.0% (75+)

Coast HopArt (draft)
Brewer: Coast Brewing Origin: North Charleston, SC Style: American IPA ABV: 7.7% (80)

Stone Ruination
Brewer: Stone Brewing Origin: Escondido, CA Style: American Double IPA ABV: 7.7% (100+)

Avery Maharaja IPA (draft)
Brewer: Avery Brewing Origin: Boulder, CO Style: American Double India Pale Ale ABV: 10.6% (102)

Hoppin’ Frog Hop Dam Triple IPA
Brewer: Hoppin’ Frog Brewery Origin: Akron, Ohio Style: Imperial IPA ABV: 10.0% (168)

Some Information on the hops you are tasting

Hops were used in continental Europe as early as the 9th century. Hops were perfected in Germany by the 13th century, and imported to England in the 15th century. Use in England had taken root by the 16th century. Hops were indeed used for their ability to balance the sweet malt flavors, but more so due to their preservative properties. The term pale ale in England dates to the 17th century and India Pale Ale dates to the late 18th century. American versions of these beers are relatively new and typically employ a more vigorous hop addition both in bittering (more towards the beginning of the boil) and aromatic (end of the boil or steeped or even in the fermentation stage).
Hoppiness: English Pale Ale – English IPA – American Pale Ale – American IPA – American Double/Imperial IPA

Sampling of some hop varieties (alpha acid in parentheses, this is a bitterness scale)

Amarillo (8-11) high alpha with citrus and floral similar to Cascade
Cascade: (4-7) balanced bitterness and aroma variety, pleasant floral, citrus, and spice. The American Pale Ale standard
Centennial: (9-11) mainly a bittering hop with floral and citrus notes, Cascade on steroids
Chinook: (12-14) high alpha with a resiny grapefruit aroma. Descendant of Golding
Citra (10-12) citrusy high alpha hop
Columbus / Tomahawk: (15-17) used as a bittering hop, very high alpha acid and intense aroma
Fuggle: (4-6) traditional aroma hop due to its mild aroma, darker beer hop typically
Galena: (10-13) high alpha with balanced bittering capabilities
Golding (4-6) sought after hop for bittering and aroma, traditional British ale hop
Kent Golding: (4-6) English aroma hop
Nugget: (11-14) high alpha with strong herbal aroma properties
Simcoe (12-14) high alpha with sharp piney aroma
Summit (17-19) extremely high alpha hop
Warrior (15-17) high alpha with cascade like aroma
Willamette (4-7) slightly spicy good aroma and bittering hop. American version of Fuggle

Last months British Tasting List & Info

2010-04-17T08:22:00.000-07:00

British Isles
March 18, 2010

Fraoch Heather Ale
Brewer: Brewery Craigmill Brewery Origin: Strathaven, Scotland Style: Gruit ABV: 5.0%

Belhaven St. Andrews
Brewer: Belhaven Brewery Origin: Dunbar, Scotland Style: Scottish Ale ABV: 4.6%

Samuel Smith Nut Brown Ale
Brewer: Samuel Smith’s Brewery Origin: Tadcaster, England Style: Brown Ale ABV: 5.0%

Samuel Smith Organically Produced Ale
Brewer: Samuel Smith’s Brewery Origin: Tadcaster, England Style: Pale Ale ABV: 5.0%

Wells Bombardier ESB (draft)
Brewer: Wells & Young Origin: Bedford, England Style: Extra Special Bitter ABV: 5.5%

Welsh ESB
Brewer: Felinfoel Brewery Origin: Felinfoel, Wales Style: Extra Special Bitter ABV: 6.5%

Hoppy Otter
Brewer: Otter Brewery Origin: Devon, England Style: English IPA ABV: 6.8%

Old Engine Oil
Brewer: Harviestoun Brewery Origin: Alva, Scotland Style: Old Ale ABV: 6.0%

Skullsplitter
Brewer: Orkney Brewery Origin: Orkney, Scotland Style: Wee Heavy ABV: 8.5%

Some Information on the styles you are tasting

Beer in the British Isles goes back approximately 4,000 years when a ale made with a mix of herbs was produced in present day Scotland. Modern hopped beer was imported to England as early as the 1400’s. The name ale was actually used to refer to an un-hopped product and beer was the imported hopped product. While continental Europe mostly went the way of the lager, the UK held steadfast to their ales. Although the British Isles stylistically follow most English ales, the styles have a unique twist or have migrated to and are considered a separate style altogether. The Scottish historically used peat to roast the malt and this smoked peat flavor found and loved in so many whiskeys is present in a great deal of their beers. Irish stouts were given a boost when energy restrictions were placed on breweries in England during World War I not allowing them to roast their malts long enough for stout production. English have used the term Mild, Bitter, Extra Special Bitter, and Pale Ale. These are typically relative terms and when asked “how bitter is the bitter?”; the answer is “more bitter than the mild.” What this means is a brewery’s lineup may follow an order, but interpretations from brewery to brewery vary. Unfortunately, many historic breweries in the UK have succumbed to mergers and acquisitions.
Mild: Alcohol is usually low as is hop bitterness, this is a session beer, but it has flavor. Toasty, grainy flavors can be present and carbonation is usually low. Color can range from pale to dark brown.
Bitter: Differentiated from the mild by the use of paler malts and more hops as the name suggests. Alcohol is still low as well as carbonation.
Extra Special Bitter: Hoppy (dry) and stronger version of the bitter. Sometimes called Best, but then the regular offering may be called Ordinary.
Pale Ale: Flourished in Burton-on-Trent where the calcium sulfate (gypsum) in the water helped to extract and balance the hop bitterness. Many brewers treat their water to mimic the Burton water when producing a classic English Pale Ale. This is also thought to be a bottled version of a bitter.
India Pale Ale: Stronger version of Pale Ale brewed to make the journey to the English station in India. More hops, more malt make for a fuller bodied beer.
Old Ale: Full malt flavors set this style apart from barleywines. Alcohol also has a wider range in this style, look for dried fruit flavors and a little acidic edge.
Barleywine: English versions tend to be balanced between the malt and hops, but expect malt sweetness and some heat from the alcohol, definitely a sipping beer. Typically this is the strongest beer a brewery would produce.
Brown Ale: This beer is thought to be spun off the darker mild ales with a low hop presence and nutty flavors.
Porter: The color is brown to black and flavors are coffee, fruity, minimal to no roasted flavors, and sometimes slightly sour to match the historical tastes.
Baltic Porter: Stronger version of English Porter made to ship to the Baltic countries, some modern styles have been adapted to a lager yeast.
Irish Red Ale: These are easy drinking beers with tea like hops, look for rounded, toasted malt flavors
Irish Dry Stout: These are actually lower in alcohol and have bodies on the lighter side even though they are still very dark and scare most light beer drinkers. They are very sessionable beers usually served on nitrogen for a creamy texture.
Foreign Export Stout: As with IPA, this beer is rooted in the long voyages to tropical locales, thus a stronger beer. The long journey is no longer there, but the style remains and is still brewed and enjoyed in tropical locations around the world.
English Stout: Roasted presence is in the forefront, hops are typically well in the background for balance. Alcohol is still surprisingly low.
Milk or Sweet Stout: As the name implies, they have a larger amount of residual sugars resulting in a bigger body to counter the dry roast flavor. Milk stouts obtain this residual sugar by the addition of lactose to the kettle. Often referred to as a Cream Stout.
Oatmeal Stout: As the name implies, oats are typically added to the grain bill and this will impart more body and a smoothness that has popularized this style.
Russian Imperial Stout: High octane version of stout brewed to win over the Russian Czars. Huge roasted burnt chocolate flavors and even shows some fruitiness found in higher malt content beers such as barleywines. Alcohol should be and is noticeable.
Winter Warmer: As with most great brewing areas, a special beer is brewed around the winter holidays. This beer is usually a stronger version of the brewery’s regular offerings and can include some spices. Samuel Smith is a classic version.
Scottish Ale: long boil to caramelize the malt sugars giving these beers deep colors and rich malty mouthfeel, smoky flavors are typical, and low hop character is typical. Subdivided by their strength and sometimes still referred to by the extinct shilling system. Varieties include Light (60 Shilling), Heavy (70 Shilling), and Export (80 Shilling).
Wee Heavy: or Scotch Ale is defined as 160 shilling by the above system, stronger versions of a Scottish Ale with tea like hop character, these should be enjoyed in a snifter or an authentic Scottish thistle glass.
Gruit: Ale made with herbs and fruits in lieu of hops, style dates back thousands of years. Spices used may include yarrow, wild rosemary, heather, seaweed, pine, and any indigenous fruits and berries. Some herbs are said to have added some mind altering effects beyond the alcohol.

Daniel Island Grille 4/10/10

2010-04-17T08:16:00.000-07:00

Short review, not much on the beer front:

Went for lunch on the first Saturday of Family Circle. Inside was empty when we got there, outside had no tables available so we settled on the outside bar. I was not drinking so my wife ordered the Ranger IPA (on tap inside @ $5.50 a pint) and the bartender didn’t fret about getting it. Service was a little slow at the bar. Other beers on tap included Sweetwater 420, Dogfish Head 90 minute, and Sierra Nevada Torpedo bottles were advertised. Nothing too out of the ordinary (obviously not dealing with the two main craft distributors). Menu is pretty extensive. We had the chicken spring rolls which were ok for flavor, but dry (overfried) and light on the chicken, could have used something to bind it together too. My wife got the buffalo chicken salad and it was served in a giant tostada, sauce was good on the chicken and she seemed to enjoy it. I ordered the steak sandwich which was served with caramelized onions and cheese. The flavor was good, but it could have used something to combat the dryness. Overall the menu is pretty extensive and the food is decent, and a good beer can be had, but don’t expect a wide selection on that front and it was pricey for New Belgium product.

Poe’s Tavern – Sullivan’s Island, SC 3/19/10

2010-04-17T08:09:00.000-07:00

Have been here many times, but never a review. This can serve as a compilation I guess. Food: menu is small but the burgers and tacos are good. I have probably ordered the tuna tacos 80% of the time, mahi tacos 10%, and burger the rest of the time. All are good and safe bets. My wife orders the buffalo shrimp salad most of the time. Also, fries are some of the best in the area.

The beer at Poes is OK, decent amount of drafts, but most wasted on inane products. I have also been here when the draft system has been down, the beer tasted flat, and have also got a different beer than I ordered. For the most part though, the beer was served acceptably.

Last time I was there, I was squinting to see what was on tap when the bartender said the list is on the board. The list on the board is firstly not up to date and secondly only lists the brewery not the beer. This is something I find more and more with uneducated servers. I have ranted about this before. When asked what beers they have, they answer with the name of the brewery and omit which style. This probably comes from their macro upbringing in the beverage industry. Nobody ever says which Budweiser is that on tap? Needless to say, I never did find out what Kona was on tap although I wouldn’t have ordered it anyway. A second thing that happened after the first bartender left (shift change) was a server asked the bartender which Southern Tier and where it was from? This is a tourist destination so they were likely looking for a local product. The bartender did tell her the type, but just said I don’t know about location, not “so and so knows” or “I will find out.” Anyway, I told her Lakewood, NY and she looked at me and said “is that really where it is from?” I was thinking no, I go around to bars and make up places when people ask where a brewery is from. Minor point: most, not all of the bartenders think they are something special. Servers have been better.

The last item that is a peeve is when they are busy, it is a crapshoot for a table. You are forced to hawk over people trying to guess which one will finish first. Sometimes, if you have good Karma, a table opens up as you walk up, but then you probably gain bad Karma because there is likely someone else somewhere else in the place who has been waiting longer. The answer to this is they are busy enough where they don’t care, just be forewarned.

Will I go back, duh, yes. I just wish they cared more about the customer and the beer.

Foster’s Pub: March 4, 2010

2010-04-17T08:04:00.000-07:00

This is my second visit to Foster’s. I was panned by other reviewers for being too harsh. Honesty is a tough pill to swallow sometimes. All of my earlier comments were factual and I did review this as a beer bar which is what it was sold to me as. If this was a corner pub, it may have been a slightly different review. You will notice a lot of my comments can easily be fixed by owner/management. I too want this place to survive as Mt. Pleasant does not have many craft beer establishments, and yes I do not need help with the beer menu, but if they are going to remain in business as a beer bar, 99% of their customers will need help with the beer menu. I do work in some capacity with craft beer.

On to my second visit, the beer menu had several corrections including a readable font and the correction to Southern Tier IPA (It is Unearthly). No pricing still, can’t understand this especially with the large format bottles. You won’t sell the bottles unless you price them, nobody wants to sit there and ask their server how much this and that is. Wine list also has no pricing? Tap list is unchanged from two weeks ago and is still one of the better ones in Mt. Pleasant. I would also have a slightly different lineup on the taps, but I won’t get into that as it may seem like too much information for some. Bar was full; bar tables about half full and restaurant area had one table filled. We chose a bar table again. Our other server was on, but we were attended by someone different. It was quite a wait for our beers, and our server from 2 weeks ago actually asked if we were being helped in the interim. No fault of our server I believe, the bar had two people working and they were just slow. Two other people were drinking off the taps, and the majority of the bar was drinking bud light bottles. Education of your clientele could push some of these to your drafts. I am fearful that the taps will be won over by the bigs.

Generally, a few corrections to the beer menu, but still a work in progress.

Food, we skipped the appetizers and had a burger and chicken sandwich. Burger was good, good flavor and plenty of pimento cheese, tomatoes didn’t look appetizing, but the flavor was good. Standard fries were my choice of side and I liked them although the quantity could have better matched the burger. Wife had chicken sandwich which was tasty as well; bleu cheese coleslaw was soggy and a bit oniony for her, to me the flavor was fine, just the texture off. Menu is a little limited as another reviewer mentioned. Maybe switch to some classic pub dishes for entrees and add some more sandwiches.

I will likely go back in a few weeks to check on progress. This is exactly the place that could use the beer guru.

Foster’s Pub: February 19, 2010

2010-02-23T16:19:00.000-08:00

This is in the old JR’z Neighborhood Sports Grille location in Belle Hall (Food Lion shopping center): 545 Belle Station Blvd, Mt. Pleasant, SC 843.388.5711. I know of no website and they are not currently listed in Beer Advocate. This has been discussed in the forums in Beer Advocate and prompted me to wander over on a Friday with friends. Atmosphere is not exactly pub like, they have a pool table, no dart boards, but the feel is still very “strip mall,” a little too open and not at all intimate. We sat in the bar table area which is the majority of the establishment, as there is a little area that has restaurant height tables beyond a half wall that I would assume is made as a standing area. Neither the restaurant area nor the standing area was being utilized at 8pm on a Friday. The pool table was in use and several of the bar tables were occupied along with most of the bar seats. I was excited to see so many taps and we were greeted quickly by a friendly waitress. We were asked if we were familiar with craft beers when we asked for a beer list, and we acknowledged that we were and that was the reason we had come. Later, I wondered what we would be told if we had said we weren’t familiar because as I learned, the establishment wasn’t all too familiar with craft beers either. They would allow a sample of any of the tap beers which I feel is appropriate and appreciated.

The beer list needs several improvements, it is a paper insert in a protective case so it will be easy to change (smart not spending money on printing). First, the font is unreadable and small, in darker light of a pub, a more simple font is required. Second, there are no prices anywhere on the list. I would assume that Allagash Interlude is quite pricey, but an unsuspecting patron could order it on the name. That brings me to my next beef: how about a description of the beers or at least a style? Finally, the errors were too many to ignore and actually affected our evening:

Bells was listed as though it was Beauty and the Beast: Belle’s (what was it really?)

Dogfish Head 90 minute was simply listed as IPA

Laughing Dog had no beer, just the brewery, turned out to be Alpha Dog

Pils was spelled as if you were getting some sort of aspirin: Pills

Fin du Monde was fin de monde

Duvel was spelled Duvell

Also seemed to be errors with the bottle list, which had separate bombers listed, and there were several that I do not think come in small bottles: Allagash Fluxus and Interlude are two.

Now I know some of you are thinking that I am being a little nitpicky, such as I usually am about a newspaper getting facts right, but a few minutes would have caught all of these errors unless there is no one with the knowledge to catch them, which is what I suspect. The other reason I am listing all of these, and this was just upon cursory review of the list, is what I mentioned above about affecting our evening. The last and biggest mistake was that Southern Tier IPA was on the draft list, which is a good beer and a fine start to an evening. My wife ordered one and our friends each ordered one. My wife immediately caught that it wasn’t right and after one of our friends, a hop head, put it aside for something lighter, we guessed that it was likely Unearthly, an 11% beer as opposed to the 6.5% beer we had ordered (later confirmed). Don’t get me wrong, it is a great beer, just not what you want to start the night off with. On the pricing, all of the drafts were the same price - $5.00 for an American pint - which is likely a little less than 14oz. I do not see how they will stay in business charging the same price for Stone Levitation, Victory Donnybrook Stout, Hennepin, and Unearthly when the keg prices of some of these are double others. Last beer item was the offer of a lime with my Hennepin, have not heard of that one before. Ranger IPA was $4 by the bottle, can’t comment on any other bottled prices.

On to food, we do not expect much from the food side, we ordered several appetizers. Onion rings were overdone, real crispy, but served with a good dipping sauce, mozzarella moons were fine, but probably should source a better marinara, buffalo cheese sticks were a little bland, and the wings were crispy, but lacked flavor and sauce, which I would think could be corrected. Overall, the food needs some improvement.

We were told they were going to hold tastings at the restaurant in the future, after we inquired about samplers, which they may or may not offer in the future.

As you know, I consult on beer and this is exactly the place that could use my services, and hopefully they will get someone who knows beer in here. Just can’t tap a bunch of beers and think it’s fine. Just like wine, you need to educate your customers.

Belgian Tasting held February 18, 2010 @ WineAwhile

2010-02-23T16:09:00.000-08:00

Well, we have had our second (a rep tasting with Chimay) on February 11th and our third tasting on February 18th. They were both well attended.

I’ve had all of these beers previously and I continue to select beers that represent a wide variety for the tasting. Belgium as many are aware is a holy land for beer lovers.

Allagash White Portland, Maine Witbier ABV: 5.2%
A Belgian style brewery from Maine started us off. A little fuller bodied than the classic Hoegaarden, but fairly accuate interpretation of the style with coriander and orange peel spices on a 50% wheat backing, crisp upfront with a mellow finish. Available by growler fills, this one was well liked.
Orval Villers-devant-Orval, Belgium Belgian Pale Ale ABV: 6.9%
One of the Trappist beers, dry hopped and the use of brett (a wild yeast) in secondary set this beer apart from the orther Trappist beers. This was sampled at about eight months, many purists think at least six is optimal for this to develop in the bottle. It had a nice balance of the acetic with the sweet malt, finished fairly clean for all that is going on in the beer, and definitely has a velvety feel. Many chose this as there favorite
Pauwel Kwak. Buggerhout, Belgium Belgian Strong Pale Ale ABV: 8.1%
This is typically compared to Duvel, but I found the malt to be more sweeter upfront, the color to be more towards amber than gold. Alcohol is well hidden in this one, and you have got to love the glass, a small yard glass said to be invented by the namesake of the beer who invented the odd shape so coachmen who were not allowed to leave their charges at his inn could enjoy his beer, and by that I mean buy his beer.
Ommegang Abbey Ale Cooperstown, New York Dubbel ABV: 8.5%
This brewery is actually owned by Duvel Moortgat after being started by American Belgian beer pioneers Don Feinberg and Wendy Littlefield who still own a large Belgian beer importing company. This was the first brewery to create bottle finished corked Belgian style beers in the United States. As with all of their beers, this is a fine example of the style. Tasted a slight bit on the cold side, this beer warms up with nice sweet malt and spicy yeast character. Rich and complex are two other descriptors I would use.
Unibroue La Fin Du Monde Chambly, Quebec Tripel ABV: 9.0 %
Although aquired by Sleeman, then Sapporo, Unibroue continues to keep the quality and of their beers high. This is a good example of what to expect from Unibroue, fairly classic triple, maybe slightly more on the malt side of some famous Belgian triples, but hits on the spiciness. Fruitiness also comes out more in this style due to the pale malt grain bill.
La Chouffe Houblen Chouffe Mechelen, Belgium Belgian IPA ABV: 9.0%
I had told participants that Belgium does not stress hops, but a newer style to Belgium is the IPA. I tend to call these hoppy triples and most times they pan out that way. This is no exception, the hops here are not aromatic on the taste, but drying and work to balance the fruitiness of the yeast, the spiciness remains but is coupled with the hop notes. Beer finishes clean and leaves you anxious for the next sip.
Het Anker Gouden Carolus Noel Mechelen, Belgium Belgian Strong Dark Ale ABV: 10.5%
This is one beer I tend to put some aside each year as it really evolves in the bottle. These can sometimes be a little hot (alcohol presence) when fresh, but this one comes across with plenty of sweet malt and spice to wrestle the alcohol under control. Definitely a sipper, but very complex with big fruitiness from all the working yeast. This along with A’Chouffe above has always been one of my favorite breweries.
Trappist Rochefort 10 Rochefort, Belgium Quadrupel ABV: 11.3%
This was a winner, not too many shied away from this even given the high alcohol. The flavors of dried fruit and a somewhat subdued malt sweetness that was tempered with a toastiness made for a perfect package. A definite crowd pleaser.

The trivia was: How many Trappist abbeys produce beer? Can you name them?
The correct answer was seven, this answer was actually given away the week before. three were in the store the night of the tasting Chimay, Rochefort,and Orval. The others are Westmalle, Achel, Westvleteren, and the one from the Netherlands, La Trappe (Koningshoeven).

For those who lingered, I broke out a 2006 Ommegang Three Philosophers which was drinking great, all that cherry had plenty of time to marry into this beer. Also, had on hand a Judas from Aiken-Maes and Ciney from DeMarche (straight from Belgium) the last two have been in my house for about 2 years, the Judas is similar to the Kwak, although with the age, it had more copmplexity. The Ciney is a dubbel, and that extra age knocked down the carbonation and really rounded the beer out, took a few sips to describe the flavors. Unfortunately, neither are available, but the Three Philospohers is definitely a beer to stow away.

Nest Tasting will be March 18th: British Isles- Don’t miss it

Some additional information I added on the back of the tasting sheets:

Beer in Belgium dates to the middle ages. The world-renown trappist breweries date to the mid 1800s. Belgium has always been known as a country that cared more about fermented beverages and gastronomy than world power. The variety of beer styles in Belgium is staggering, and up to the American craft brewing movement, was surpassed by no country in the world. Within each style is a range that many would consider to be styles within themselves; fruity, spicy, sweet, low hoppy-ness, and sometimes quite strong are some common descriptors. Hops are often aged prior to use to reduce the flavor, but still retain the preservative qualities. . A better way to attack Belgian beers is to just sample until you find one you like. The Belgians really don’t adhere to any rules and it is to our benefit.

Witbier: Cloudy due to the unfiltered nature and amount of wheat utilized in this beer. Often spiced with orange peel and coriander. This is a style that has caught on in America and even the big brewers have made examples of this, albeit not great ones. Carbonation is high and usually has a nice white head.
Belgian Pale Ale: Most of the spice profile comes from the yeast, but a few are spiced. Sweetish malt is usually dominant with less of a hoppy profile than their English counterparts. Some more modern examples have increased hop levels.
Belgian Strong Pale Ale: Stronger version of Belgian Pale Ale with the hops still in the background. Duvel is said to be an example of this style, but some argue Duvel is a style itself.
Belgian Dark Ale: Range of characteristics and color. Flavor can be dry and spicy to sweet and malty.
Belgian Strong Dark Ale: Stronger version of Belgian Dark Ale, usually spicy from the yeast and can even contain some extraneous spices, and many Belgian Christmas beers will fall into this category.
Belgian IPA: Think hoppy tripel. Aromatics typically do not play a part here, but rather bittering hops to dry the malt sweetness.
Dubbel: One definition is that a dubbel uses twice the malt of a single, but this is not true as most breweries creating a double (double or dubbel?) do not make a single (enkel) any more and if thy do make a lighter beer, it is usually referred to as a blond and is not half the strength of the dubbel. There are beers made for consumption within the monastery called patersbier or “fathers beer” which is low and alcohol. It is typically a brown beer, fruity, and a little sweet.
Tripel: As with the dubbel, this is defined as having triple the malt of a single, but this again is not accurate, Chimay, for instance, has 7% alcohol in the dubbel, but only 8% in the triple. Even with attenuation rates going down as the alcohol increases, the math still doesn’t work. Not to mention that the use of sugars, which attenuate quite well, isn’t even added to the mix. These are paler, stronger than the dubbel.
Quadrupel: Obviously, not four times the malt, but this is intended to be stronger than a tripel, darker, and sometimes spiced. It would be the equivalent to our barleywines, and many Belgian Christmas beers are brewed to this style. Several American breweries have picked up on this style.
Flanders Oud Bruin: The “Old Brown” or “Flanders Brown” name comes from the aging of the beer which allows sour flavors to develop. Flavors are complex and include sweet fruit, caramel, tartness, and slightly acidic. Sort of a sweet and sour beer.
Flanders Red Ale: Similar to the brown versions, the red ales mostly undergo aging in wood which increases the acetic flavors. It is a very wine-like beer.
Bière de Champagne: Also known as Bière Brut, this is a delicate beer, usually pale in color and highly carbonated. High in alcohol and sometimes spiced. Serve in a flute as you would champagne.
Saison: Also known as farmhouse ale or style, and meaning Season. Historically brewed in the winter for consumption during the summer work season. Usually cloudy with an earthy profile, spicy yeast flavors, and a tartness to quench the thirst after hours spent in the fields.
Bière de Garde: “Keeping beer” closely related to Saison and utilized for the same purpose, but typically these are the French counterparts.
Lambic: Unique to Belgium, true Lambics are created in the Senne Valley where wild organisms act on the wort (unfermented beer) to create some sour flavors and a nose that is best described as “horse blanket.” The beer is always aged to allow the strong flavors to mellow, and almost always blended. Lambic- Unblended: Very few examples exist in Belgium on tap and only one in the states I have seen in the bottle. It is aged, but still very sour beer with little to no carbonation. Gueuze: A blending of old and young lambics to create a secondary fermentation when bottled, it is then usually aged for a little longer. Faro: Sugar is added to sweeten the beer. Historically a second beer was added for refermentation, but this is not the case in modern examples. Fruit: Kriek (cherry) and frambroise (raspberry) are very traditional and were added during fermentation resulting in a dry beer, but modern examples sometimes use syrups denounced by purists to sweeten the beer. Other fruits you may see are cassis (black currant), druif (grape), aardbei (strawberry), and pomme (apple). Rarer still are banana, pineapple, apricot, and plum.

Porter/Stout Tasting held January 28, 2010 @ WineAwhile

2010-01-30T07:15:00.000-08:00

Well, I now have a quasi part time job as the resident beer guru (beerguru@ymail.com) at Wine Awhile (www.wineawhile.com) in Mt. Pleasant, South Carolina. My friend Anthony has done a great job at making this a top notch wine shop with a great selection of wines. But the most unique wine item in Wine Awhile is the Napa WineStation®. This system allows you to charge up a special card and then sample a wine by the taste, half glass, or full glass. When first introduced, the system served eight wines in this manner; it has recently been expanded to 24 wines. My favorite wines in the store are the Argentine Malbecs, which are very approachable, versatile, and in my opinion one of the best values on the market for quality vs. price.

Back to beer: We held our first tasting on Thursday, January 28th and it was successful. I met some new people and talked Porters and Stouts with them. They probably heard more about these styles than they wished, but I can’t help myself. Another great thing about the evening was that the draft system was finally operational. After over a year of pleading with Anthony that he needed a draft system so he could have the ability to sell growlers, it is finally a reality.

So onto the tasting itself: I’ve had all of these beers previously and I selected them for their representations of the varied sub-styles within the styles of porters and stouts. Originally, I was considering just stouts, but as many are aware, stouts came from porters so I thought it was necessary to include at least a couple. As always, the beers we tasted were on special the night of the tasting and the growler of Bell’s Expedition Stout was a steal.

Meantime London Porter London, England English Porter ABV: 6.5%
This beer was a favorite of several attendees, it has nice coffee and chocolate flavor that lingers just long enough. This comes in a corked top 750ml bottle and the brewery sells a line of classic English style beers.

Nøgne Ø Porter Grimstad, Norway American Porter ABV: 7.0%
This is a Norwegian brewery, but most of its offerings have a American style leaning. This type of porter is brewed with more hops to counter the dark malt flavors and leave a drier finish. I expect to see this brewery’s line expand in the store as it is one of my favorite breweries.

Avery Out of Bounds Stout Boulder, CO Dry Irish Stout ABV: 5.1%
Irish stout had to start off the tasting although this one is a fuller bodied version if you are used to Guinness or Murphys. One of the reasons Irish stouts took such a hold on the market is that during the war when there were limits on malt for the English breweries that did not apply to Ireland. This beer has a big nose of coffee and roast; it is fairly dry on the palate from the extensive use of dark malts, but finishes with a real pleasing roast coffee flavor.

Orkney Dragonhead Stout Orkney, Scotland English Stout ABV: 4.0%
This brewery has long been a favorite of mine with all their beers having that touch of smoked peat flavor that makes it Scottish. In this beer the smoke taste is subdued by the dark malts. It was the thinnest in body of all the beers tasted as to be expected from its sessionable alcohol content, but fairly full flavored and dry on the palate. Would love to see this one on tap someday or even on cask.

Dogfish Head Chicory Stout Milton, DE American Stout ABV: 5.2 %
Again, this one was favored by several attendees. It is a seasonal beer produced by the off centered people at Dogfish Head. The malt flavors are backed up by the use of chicory and coffee. The flavors marry very nicely to produce a quite drinkable stout of moderate alcohol. Dogfish Head is just beginning to make inroads in South Carolina and the store carries their complete available line, but expects to see many more off centered beers in the future.

Samuel Smith’s Oatmeal Stout Tadcaster, England Oatmeal Stout ABV: 6.0%
Again, favored by many, oatmeal is utilized to round out the dark malts and typically gives the stout a smoother mouth-feel. This style was pretty much dead until revived by this brewery in the late 80’s. Many American microbreweries have followed suit. This beer is said to be the benchmark for the style originally created to add nutrition to beer along with other forays such as milk stout and oyster stout. Whatever the original idea was, this is one enjoyable stout. Try their other offerings for classic English styles and a fruit beer lineup that even men will like.

Bell’s Expedition Stout (draft) Kalamazoo, MI Russian Imperial Stout ABV: 10.5%
This is our first draft beer to be utilized in a tasting. Poured into a pitcher and completely opaque. This beer is not for the faint hearted, it is strong and meant to be shared. It has classic stout flavors, just compacted into a smaller space. The hop use is more severe, but this is still a balance issue and not in the forefront. In my opinion, these beers always taste stronger out of the bottle so be careful when consuming on draft. This is available in the pint, half pint, and take home growlers perfect for sharing with friends.

Southern Tier Choklat Lakewood, NY American Double Stout ABV: 9.1%
I allowed this beer in the tasting even though personally I don’t care for it. I love Southern Tier and think they do a great job with most of their beers. They tend to go over the top and I usually like that, but this one doesn’t do it for me. With that said, I can have a “to each his own” attitude as several tasters including Anthony picked this as their favorite. Also think it sold the best so if you like this one get in quick as this is a seasonal beer. Try their other blackwater series stouts: Oat (Imperial Oatmeal Stout), Jahva (Imperial Coffee Stout), Mokah Imperial (Chocolate/Coffee Stout), and Crème Brulee (Imperial Milk Stout). Just so you don’t think I don’t like Southern Tier, I enjoy the other four in the series and the Oat is my favorite with surprisingly enough Crème Brulee up there too. Currently in the store, we have the Oat and Choklat.

Listed below are the substyles of Porters and Stouts with a list of some of the beers available in the store (all of the beers above are currently available):

English Porter: The color is brown to black and flavors are coffee, fruity, minimal to no roasted flavors, and sometimes slightly sour to match the historical tastes.
Baltic Porter: Stronger version of English Porter made to ship to the Baltic countries, some modern styles have been adapted to a lager yeast. Currently in stock: Smuttynose Baltic Porter.
American Porter: Adapted from the English porter, noticeable differences include higher hopping rates, possible addition of smoked malts, chocolate, and coffee. Currently in stock: Stone Smoked Porter, Bell’s Porter.
Irish Dry Stout: These are actually lower in alcohol and have bodies on the lighter side even though they are still very dark and scare most light beer drinkers. They are very sessionable beers usually served on nitrogen for a creamy texture.
Oyster Stout: Oysters have been used in stouts since early in the 20th century to give the beer a nutritional value; present day versions often do not use oysters.
Foreign Export Stout: As with IPA, this beer is rooted in the long voyages to tropical locales, thus a stronger beer, the long journey is no longer there, but the style remains and is still brewed and enjoyed in tropical locations around the world.
English Stout: Roasted presence is in the forefront, hops are typically well in the background for balance. Alcohol is still surprisingly low.
Milk or Sweet Stout: As the name implies, they have a larger amount of residual sugars resulting in a bigger body to counter the dry roast flavor. Milk stouts obtain this residual sugar by the addition of lactose to the kettle. Often referred to as a Cream Stout.
Oatmeal Stout: As the name implies, oats are typically added to the grain bill and this will impart more body and a smoothness that has popularized this style.
Russian Imperial Stout: High octane version of stout brewed to win over the Russian Czars. Huge roasted burnt chocolate flavors and even shows some fruitiness found in higher malt content beers such as barleywines. Alcohol should be and is noticeable. Currently in stock: Founders Imperial Stout, Great Divide Oak Aged Yeti, Boulder Obovoid, Brooklyn Black Chocolate Stout, Victory Storm King.
American Stout: Usually separated from its European cousins by its hop presence although still balanced. The use of chocolate, coffee, and even fruit to enhance the flavors is typical. As with other American styles, the door is wide open. Currently in stock: Bell’s Cherry Stout (tart cherries).
American Double Stout: Related to the Russian Imperial Style, but as with the American Stout, coffee, chocolate and even fruit can also be used. Alcohol tends to exceed the RIS style. Some are barrel aged in used whiskey or bourbon barrels. Big roasted flavors are typical. The sky is the limit with this style with versions topping out at 18% abv. Currently in stock: Bell’s Java Stout, He’brew Jubilation 13 “Bar Mitzvah”, Founder’s Breakfast Stout (coffee & oatmeal), Southern Tier Oat, Stoudts Fat Dog.

NEXT TASTING: February 11th @ 5:30 Chimay will be on hand to go through their beers and some of their artisinal cheeses February 18th @ 5:30 I will lead you through a variety of Belgian Beer styles, should be a good one with some draft examples too.

The Distillery, Savannah, GA

2009-08-10T07:49:00.000-07:00

Walked in around 2:30, bar to the left, tables on the right and a few more towards the back, one open area. Large chalkboard over the entrance, but not being utilized for current selections. Menus a little slow to reach us considering only 6 tables taken and 2 waitresses on. Had to ask for a beer list and no talk of what's new except to inform us that she was out of 2 that she crossed off. I noticed some taps that were not on the list so I guess I would have to go find out for myself what is on tap. Also, WTF with 2 beers that are out, no backup kegs???

I ordered a Donnybrook Stout; they actually had 3 Victory products on tap (3 were on the list). My plan was to have 3 beers here. My wife inquired as to the hoppy beer flight 5- 6oz pours for $16 (expensive a bit) The waitress said it changes and did not offer to find out what was on it. I am not a big fan of some predetermined and untold sampler, she ordered it anyway and I guess they needed to get rid of Anchor Porter because that was included in the flight.

We ordered Onion Rings, I had the shrimp po boy, my wife had the chicken fingers, son had hamburger, daughter had turkey sandwich. Fried food was questionable and I actually didn't feel too well during my meal. Oil was definitely past it's useful life. Pretty sure the shrimp wasn't fresh, guess I assumed in Savannah it would be. Kids liked there meals. They say beer battered chicken fingers, but they seemed to be standard fried food.

After sitting with an empty beer for some time, finally am asked if I want another one, Sierra Nevada Brown Saison and wife got a hopdevil. Planned on a third, but didn't have another hour to wait. Overall, the selection is good for Savannah, a few beers I didn't see anywhere else, but alot of trivial stuff included. I did like that they don't carry any macros, but they havee PBR. This place has alot of room ofr improvement and I would have to see some before I would eat here again. My recommendation is to grab beers here and leave dining for somewhere else. Service was not knowledgeable nor competent, one flight is labeled mystery, but it seems they all are mysterys. Sign actually boasts of their knowledge???

http://distillerysavannah.com/

And what is a "Prohibition Style Bar", a speakeasy?, not sure what they mean.

Mellow Mushroom Mt. Pleasant

2009-03-04T05:37:00.000-08:00

2/22/09 Tap List (disappointing trend)

Yuengling
Blue Moon
Leinenkugel Sunset Wheat
Sweetwater 420
Stella Artois
Coast 32/50 Kolsch
Shock Top
Lagunitas IPA
Bogart
Newcastle Brown Ale
Guiness
Bass
Magic Hat #9
George Killians
Abita Purple Haze
Sea Dog Blueberry Wheat
Redhook Long Hammer
Terrapin Rye Pale Ale
Sam Adams White Ale
Kona Longboard Lager

Is it wheatfest and nobody told me.

Brixx Mt. Pleasant Tap List

2009-03-03T11:30:00.000-08:00

Tap List as of 2/28/09 (comments)

Foothills Hoppyum
Highland Gaelic
Carlsberg (Why?)
CoastHopArt
Flying Dog Tire Bite Golden Ale
Coast DIS Stout
Sierra Nevada ESB
Widmer Hefeweizen
Sam Adams White Ale
Amstel (Again, why?)
Shock Top- OUT (good)
Thomas Creek Rootbeer
Murphys Stout (nitro)
Flying Dog Doggie Style Pale Ale
Brooklyn Weiss- OUT
New Castle Brown Ale
Lagunitas IPA- OUT
Ommegang Hennepin
Weihenstephan Dunkelweizen
Acrobrau Dark (are these kegs free or what?)
Arcobrau Lager
Yuengling
Terrapin Golden Ale
Founders Dirty Bastard

Asheville Trip report

2008-08-07T10:39:00.000-07:00

Asheville August 1-3, 2008
Disclaimer: this is mostly from memory, so accept my apologies for any errors

Traveled to Asheville for a weekend to mostly sample their beer offerings. Preliminary planning included a total of eight planned beer stops and one shopping stop. We were to hit one brewery and one draft place on Friday night, the remainder of the places on Saturday, and shopping on Sunday.

Friday Plan
French Broad (on way in)
Hotel (Four Points)
Barleys (dinner)
Actual
French Broad (on way in)
Green Man Ales (on way in)
Four Points (sampler/check in)
Barleys (dinner)
Asheville B&P Downtown
Thirsty Monk
Mellow Mushroom

Saturday Plan
Asheville B&P (Merrimon)
Green Man Ales
Jack of the Wood
Mellow Mushroom
Bier Garden
Thirsty Monk

Actual
Asheville B&P (Merrimon) lunch
Carolina Cigar Company
Cats & Dawgs- (French Broad beers)
Jack of the Wood
Ed Boudreaux’s (fed the kids dinner)
Cats & Dawgs (dinner)
Thirsty Monk

Sunday Plan
Bruisin Ales

Actual
found the BierGarden
Bruisin Ales

Highlights: Thirsty Monk and both breweries (French Broad and Green Man Ales).
Disappointment: Barleys (not for beer of course) Four Points (supposed beer selection)

Friday was pent up “kid in a candy store” for us as. Asheville as compared to Charleston is Day and Night, they are light years ahead of Charleston. I have not seen such support of local beer since our visit to Vermont many years ago. Yes, the larger East Coast cities, even in the Southeast, have decent beer offerings, but the concentration of beer and the lack of a large BMC presence in Asheville was a breath of fresh air. Business is the main reason things are as they are. I keep desiring a Barley’s sized draft place in my neck of the woods or a Thirst Monk, but what I have to realize is these establishments would likely fail. Thirsty Monk would fail due to the lack of BMC, grandma, and jager, and Barleys would fail because as we were told by our waitress “We are not very kid friendly here”.

I digress, onto the trip. Made it to Asheville in less than 4 hours, arrived at French Broad late in the afternoon, and sampled all that they had: ESB, Alt, Irish Stout, Re-Session Golden Ale, Berliner Weisse, Pilsner, and Wee Heavy-er. All were well made and accompanied by self serve pretzels and a note not to feed the dog, although he gave it an effort anyway. We were thinking wouldn’t it be nice if Coast (in our neck of the woods) were legally allowed to do something like this. We were also thinking we could hang here quite a while (a thought that happened often in our trip). Bought some 22’s of the ESB, Wee Heavy-er, and Dunkel Witte along with some glassware. They also have music at night in the brewery.

En route to French Broad, we blew right by it and ended up turning around at Buxton Ave, this was fateful as we had to drive right by Green Man Ales on our way back to stop at French Broad. So, seeing how it was a little walk from out Hotel, I convinced everyone that we should stop before the hotel at Green Man. Nice indoor outdoor bar in the brewery of course with a small bar area. Sampled all they had: Gold Ale, ESB, IPA, House Stout, and Belgian Golden Ale (out of the cask). Again, all were well made and served with complimentary pretzels with Lusty Monk mustard. Wife’s favorite and probably mine too was the IPA, but the Belgian was awful tasty too. Bought some glassware and a bottle of the Lusty Monk.

Finally get to the Four Points and check in (Brew Package which entitled us to ½ price beer samplers everyday and 2 breakfasts). I would recommend the location, hotel is clean, but there is some road noise from 240. Everything in town is easily walkable. Stopped downstairs to get the aforementioned sampler and we were a little disappointed tat it was dominated by Highland. We were also told it did not rotate except the SA seasonal. So much for Four Points being a local beer gem. Would have been quite easy to have 4 different breweries on their taps, all local.

Stopped at Bruisin Ales for recon on the way to dinner at Barleys. Impressive to say the least, love how everything is displayed even thought they go against the general thinking on laying down some beers, although the seem to be selling the beer not aging it. Also like how single/ six pack prices are on everything. Selection is great and has all the locals you will want or need. Prices seemed ok. On to Barleys, were seated downstairs and I did some recon upstairs, asked the guy at the bar if you could order beer and take it down as children were for some reason not allowed upstairs even at dinner time. Friendly service upstairs, said I could order them and take them down (supposed to only give me one, but let me order two and taste a third) Show up downstairs to my wife who had already ordered a beer as she was told you couldn’t order form upstairs and not told you could bring them down yourself. She had told the waitress I was up there looking. Anyway no big deal 3 beers for 2 people (SN Torpedo, FH Hoppyum, and CVBC Firewater). Asked for kids menu and were told “We are not very kid friendly here”. As I looked around at the large number of toddlers and strollers, I thought maybe I am missing something. Ordered 2 apps, 1 came, then our entrees. Asked where our other app was and the food carrier said the kitchen was out of them (breadsticks) and our server should have known that. Server comes up a minute later and says the kitchen just told her that they were out, but don’t worry she will take that off the bill (as if it were a favor). Ate our food which was good not great and ordered another beer (Pisgah Vortex, and I can’t remember what my wife had). As I predicted prior to the check coming, our waitress turned friendly. As a final note, the hostess was quite intimidating and not at all welcoming. Overall, good beer ruined by bad service. Next time, we will just hit the bar and remember to lock our kids somewhere prior.

I was originally thinking this would be the extent of what we did on Friday, but we needed to cleanse the bad service so we decided to walk over to Asheville P&B. Spartan décor made for business with a large outside area. Our waiter even though we were only ordering a sampler and eventually a pint was much friendlier than our past experience. Sampled all they had: Roland’s ESB, Shiva IPA, Ninja Porter, Scout Stout, Rocket Girl, Scottish Ale, and I believe Red Light. Ordered a pint of the Shiva. Again all were good, sessionable beers. Outside we tried to get to play cornhole, but it was being monopolized by people who were playing the longest game in history. Lots of dogs outside and generally a nice place to hang with or without family.

By chance, our path took us right by Thirsty Monk on the way back. Fairly empty upstairs so we planted ourselves at the bar, kids in tow. Bartenders were extremely friendly and helpful, after having a beer upstairs, she told me my tab would follow me down if I wanted to check out the Belgians. They offer flights of beer and I partook (We had the following: Wedge Porter, Green Flash IPA, Southhampton IPA, Houblon Chouffe, Strubbe Doedel, and Pauwel Kwak. Grabbed a few glasses and headed back to the hotel.

Mellow Mushroom was in our path on the way back, kids wanted a snack so in we go for what would be the last place: ordered up CVBC Firewater IPA and struggled to finish it in my bloated state.

As could be seen, we hit it a little hard on Friday, and my Saturday morning run with my son was slow, and what made the run worse was the course, nice first half and a horrible second half (don’t ever run along Riverside Road above 240), also apparently just about ran by Wedge Brewing without knowing it. Anyway, got back and decided to drive to Asheville P&B for some pizza. Kids loved this place, definitely a must stop with kids; contains a game room and a movie theater. Sampled the Old School Pale I think (formerly Pisgah Pale) and the JT’s Oatmeal Stout. $5 a pint and you keep the glass.

Today was to be shopping and stop at the places we had already hit, so we shopped a bit, Malaprops bookstore (kids liked the selection there), Mast general store (a must stop, bit of everything), Eco toy store, Carolina Cigar, and we walked through a few craft galleries.

Next beer we had sitting outside Cats & Dawgs (Grove Plaza) had 3 French Broads on tap we had the Alt and the ESB.

After that, Jack of the Wood. It was a bit dark inside and I could see sitting in here on a chilly day, service was good, we ordered some snacks and sampled the IPA and Bells Oberon.

Then more walking and shopping and a stop at Ed Boudreauxs where we had SN IPA, CVBC Firewater, Pisgah Nitro Stout, and the kids ate, after tasting their food, we decided we should have also eaten here, but we weren’t hungry enough. I think we will plan on eating here next time, good tap & bottle list.

Walked around a bit more, and ended up back at Cats and Dawgs for a hot dog, we were still not hungry, but decided we should eat prior to heading to the thirsty Monk. Had another French Broad, Pilsner this time.

Ended our night at the Thirsty Monk (had Nice Choufe, Liefmanns Kriek, and Wedge Golem, again forgot what my wife ordered). A fitting end to a great beer weekend.

Sunday, we arose and walked around found the Bier Garden (walked around inside, lots of signs saying no one under 21 allowed in certain rooms, not sure what that was about as it looked to be the game rooms) The bar area was nice, but the rest looked nightclubbish, not what I expected form what it is called. The taps looked good with some Acme which I had not seen around town yet. Finally killed enough time to stop at Bruisin Ales on the way out. I had to show restraint as we were going away the next few weekends and would be stopping at Knightleys in Orlando. People at Bruisin on both visits were very nice and interested in the beer and were ready with help and suggestions, a top notch store. So here is what I ended up with:

Terrapin RoggenRauchBier
Dieu du Ciel Corne du Diale, Rossee D'hibiscus, Route Espice, Derniere Volonte
Bieken Honey Ale & Glass
De Dolle Oerbier & Glass
Boon Oude Kriek & Glass
Nogne Pale Ale
Harpoon Firth of Forth
Pisgah Hellbender
Mikkeleer Struise
Dogfish Palo Santo Marron
Ola Dubh 30
Meantime Coffe Porter
Bells Kalamazoo Stout
Bells Java Stout
Weyerbacher 13
SKA ESB cans (for the pool)
La Chouffe glass (goblet style I did not have)

I would highly recommend Asheville as the premier beer destination in the Southeast.

High Gravity, Shut up already!

2008-01-24T08:01:00.000-08:00

I am so sick of the “high gravity” term used in our area. The last straw was today when reading a review of Moes Downtown in the Post & Courier, the obviously beer ignorant reviewer states “High-gravity beers can be had in Magic Hat… and Red Hook IPA…” Magic Hat is most likely #9 at 5.1% and LongHammer (Red Hook IPA) checks in at 6.5% (at least it is a little above the previous 6% cap). She goes on to say she thought LongHammer was named that because you can get hammered on the higher alcohol content. Yes, 1.5% higher than Bud, 3 longhammers = 4 buds, wow.

Why is it that everyone assumes every new beer in the Charleston market is high gravity? I hate the term, most of the beer drinkers, even the so called aficionados, do not know where the term gravity comes from anyway.

My wife will ask what micros do you have or what craft beers and the waitress will respond, oh you mean high gravity. No, I meant what decent beers do you have?

Not that I ever read the restaurant reviews in the P&C for more than entertainment, but come on, do 2 minutes of research.

The term is craft beer, it can be 4% or it can be 12%, and guess what both can be enjoyed properly.

Christmas Tasting Review

2007-12-28T08:26:00.000-08:00

Hosting a party where you are responsible for cooking and serving all the food is not the best way to sample beers. I was actually too busy to render anything but a good bad opinion on most beers, and way too busy to write anything down. Fortunately, I get to revisit most of these beers in the weeks that follow due to the packaging geniuses who invented the six pack. Cost for hosting a party of this size (food & beer) for about 30 people easily exceeds $1,000 and you will want 4- 12 oz bottles of each beer or equivalent others. I did get away with less when my quantity was limited, I purchased 2 bottles of Hitachino thinking it was the larger bottle and it ended up being an 11 oz bottle, so we gave limited pours on that one (nobody wanted extra anyway)

Below are some of my comments on the beers from memory:

1. Blue Point Winter Ale: Again, this is an oddity, it tastes more alcoholic than the advertised 4.5% on BA, Blue Point puts it at 5.5% which seems more accurate. Reminds me of an oktoberfest ale, not too impressed.
2. Harpoon Winter Warmer: This too me has some sentimental worth and I like it for it’s expression of the season and it is quite palatable
3. Long Trail Hibernator: a bock beer name, but a supposed scotch ale, I guess if I was to decide, I would call it a bock ale, tasty enough though
4. Boulder Never Summer: nice hops on this one, first time I have had it.
5. Shipyard Prelude Special Ale: decent beer, nothing special
6. Spanish Peaks Winter Cheer: better than expected, but outclassed by the field
7. New Holland Cabin Fever: pretty much delivers on the brown ale style, but probably a better style choice for their winter offering would be nice.
8. Goose Island Christmas Ale: again another solid ale, more hops than other browns.
9. Anderson Valley Winter Solstice: thank god the heavy vanilla is gone from about 2 years ago, but this beer is better sampled on it’s own. Vanilla flavors seemed to really pop out when tasted with other beers in not a good way
10.Magic Hat Odd Notion: nice enough beer, hard to categorize, pretty smooth for it’s advertised abv, little bit of spice I believe form the yeast
11. Anchor Our Special Ale 2007: this is a classic brew and you either love it or hate it. Not one to be sessioned even though it’s strength would lead you to believe it could be. I have always liked it except for one year when it tasted like liquid Christmas tree, and I am not talking piney hops.
12. Sweetwater Festive 2006: I did not secure a current year of this, but I like to call this Anchor OSA Junior, even though it is a stronger beer. A solid choice for spice lovers.
13. Sly Fox Christmas 2007: This was hard to sample due to the carbonation. There seemed to be some good tastes underneath, we will see as I have a bottle stowed away.
14. Great Divide Hibernation Ale: This is typically a solid choice and a good example of what I like in a winter warmer
15. Harvey’s Christmas Ale: classic English style sets it apart from the field, this is typically better when not tasted with it’s hoppy American counterparts.
16. Kiuchi Hitachino Nest Celebration Ale : Again, too carbonated to get a great taste of, but unlike the Sly Fox, I am not so sure this would be better sampled larger, and I have none left.
17. Allagash Grand Cru Winter 2007: This is a solid beer from a solid brewery
18. August Schell Snowstorm: This surprised me, I was expecting weakness, but it was a nice drinking dubbel.
19. Smuttynose Winter: This is growing to be one of my favorites, this brewery is making some solid beers in it’s big series and that enthusiasm has carried over to it’s winter seasonal.
20. Gritty McDuff’s Christmas Ale: solid beer form a brewery I hadn’t had in about 10 years. ESB by style, but not really, good hops and strong enough to qualify as a winter beer, but not too strong where you can’t have several
21. Rogue Santa’s Private Reserve: this is as far as I know relabeled red and is solid.
22. Sierra Nevada Celebration Ale 2007 (Draft): hops are a little less than bottled version, a classic and judging by the way my keg is pouring, almost gone. Bottle is solid as ever
Sierra Nevada Celebration Ale 2006: Along with the 05, these were similar, the big aromatics are gone, but the bittering hops remain and this is a nicely balanced beer.
Sierra Nevada Celebration Ale 2005: see 06
Sierra Nevada Celebration Ale 2004: absolutely no noise on opening, scared me that it was flat, but plenty carbonation on pour, smooth, almost as if the 05 was cask, no aromatics left. I think this is probably as long as you want to go and luckily, I have no more left, but I do have 05 for next year. I also am going to hold off a bottle of each for a blind taste next year.
23. Clipper City Winter Storm Ale: Hoppiest of the night so far.
24. Southern Tier Old Man Winter: I believe this brewery will make a name for themselves in the next few years
25. Lancaster Brewing Winter Warmer: a decent beer, there may be hope for them yet with this and hop hog
25 ½. De Troch Winter Geuze: too sweet for a gueze, but pleasant enough and a good palate break
26. Birrificio Italiano Cassissona: cassis is definitely there, but more in aroma, it is not overwhelming and not overly sweetened. I liked it.
27. Weihenstephaner Korbinian 2007: This is a classic, no need to comment
28. Anheuser Busch Brewmasters Private Reserve: A shadow of the beer before it, stronger with less flavor.
29. Left Hand Smoked Goosinator: you need to like smoke to appreciate this. I held a bottle back for my enjoyment later.
30. Eggenberg Samichlaus 2006: another classic, need I say more. I think this is one of the smoothest 14% beers on the market.
31. Atlanta Brewing Red Brick Winter: out of it’s class here.
32. Nogne Winter (God Jul) 2007: loved it, another beer that screams Christmas. I think Nogne knows what their doing with their porters.
32 ½. Blackbeerd Stout great beer and it held up well against the others
33. Victory Storm King Stout 2007: beautiful hop aroma which I enjoy, but some like to age it out of this beer which I also enjoy
Victory Storm King 2005 memory is getting fuzzy here, fortunately, I have more of these and plan on doing a mini vertical soon.
Victory Storm King 2003 best yet, smooth
34. Brooklyn Black Chocolate Stout 2007: I like this beer, I just like Storm King better and David was right, I like Coast better too.
Brooklyn Black Chocolate 2005: another beer that benefits from age and I will likely do a mini vertical of these soon, maybe add the Dark Horizon into that tasting.
35. Boulder Killer Penguin Barleywine 2006: probably out of style here introducing a barleywine, but I loved the name, and the beer is good.
36. Schmaltz Hebrew Genesis 10:10 2006: This wasn’t a favorite last year and it was still not enjoyed again, I think it is just a little too thick of a beer and a bit cloying.
37. Schmaltz Hebrew Jewbelation 11 2007 Sorry, don’t remember this one too well, but it was still a thick beer and I am thinking they may drink better on their own rather than in context.
38. Troegs Mad Elf 2007 this is a quite strong beer that has cherries and honey to smooth it out. Overall I think this beer works quite wellTroegs Mad Elf 2006 a year doesn’t alter the beer too much, as expected, the nose is noticeably different, but the flavors are still lively, will have to do a side by side if I have any left.
39. DuPont Avec Les Bon Vouex 2007: this is a classic, no notes needed. For those wondering avec les bon vouex means with our best wishes.
40. Kerkom Winterkoninkske: I love this brewery, they are a solid Belgian brewery making a solid line and this beer does not disappoint.
41. Corsendonk Christmas Ale: This is definitely my favorite Corsendonk, but among this competition, it is left behind
42. Huyghe Delirium Noel 2007: another classic, I have several back vintages of this I am saving
43. L’Abbaye du Val-Dieu Grand Cru 2006 : memory fading, but I have more in the fridge
44. Dubuisson Scaldis Noel 2007: see 43, but this is a classic anyway, these were the small bottles, I have several big ones from years past
45. Ommegang Chocolate Indulgence: I really don’t remember this one, which may be bad because if it was great, it would of stood out. I have a bottle in the fridge which I will likely open this weekend to see.

Trip to NJ (with a stop in Richmond)

2007-12-27T11:53:00.000-08:00

Forced to drive the almost 12 hour trip to NJ, we have for the last 2 years, stopped overnight in Richmond. Last year, we stopped at Legend Brewing and this year after an unsuccessful attempt at stopping in June; we were able to stop at the Capital Ale House Downtown. We stayed at Crowne Plaza, a short 2 block stroll to the Ale House. Great tap selection, and waiter was attentive enough, carried a list of what is dead and what replaced it. We were disappointed that racer 5 was kicked, but were happy when we found out Hop Stoopid was in its place. Obviously some of these kegs are rare and to keep a good supply would be impossible. While this can be frustrating to some, this is really why a place like this is so interesting.

We sampled Delirium Noel (steal the glass, disappointed that it was not the Noel glass, but a plain delirium glass), Breckenridge 471, Lagunitas Hop Stoopid, Saranac IIPA, Stone Ruination, and St George IS on cask. They also offer any of there bottled beer to go at a discount, we left with Einbecker Mai Bock, Bells 2 Hearted, and Bear Republic Hop Rod Rye. Beers on draft typically come in small (12 oz) or large (I think 22 oz), but some special offerings are one size. There were plenty of beers I would have liked to try and understand the difficulty in offering samplers, but I would definitely favor a sampler menu. We were seated in the back, and it is sort of out of the way, the ambience of the front bar area is much more desirable.

Other notables that we did not get to try while we were there were Aventinus, Bells Double Cream Stout, Gouden Carolus, Storm King on cask, and plenty others. They also offer approximately 300 bottle selections to go with the 46 taps.

One disappointing thing I saw were some college aged kids with there Delirium glasses half filled and ordering Coors Light in the bottle; I think as a server I would have to refuse that request.

On to NJ, first night, a trip to Oak Tree Buy Rite, great place and what seems like an ever expanding beer selection. Dan was very accommodating and spent time outlining what was new and his comments if he had tried it. I ended up dropping quite a bit on about 6 mixed cases. Highlights; for me anyway, were Mikkeller Santas Little Helper, Kertmutske Christmas (Nightcap), Nogne Dark Horizon. Have tried the Nightcap already and it was delightful to say the least.

Second day, I have my nephew drive me to a planned 3 brewery tour. Plans were to hit Ship Inn, River Horse, and Triumph (Princeton) and return to Somerset in 4 hours. Left at 11, Ship Inn opens at noon, we saw we were likely to get there about 11:45, and I mentioned that Easton wasn’t that far away, check Weyerbacher’s website and not open for anything on Friday it seems, so we head to Ship Inn, they opened early anyway. Three of the four English styled ales on tap, all well done, ESB had a nice hop bite, session was a mild pale ale and the porter was classic English porter maybe with a little more American hops. Left there with an ESB growler.

River Horse has a small tasting room and the taps were giving the server some problems, she poured me four beers from bottle (ESB, Hop Hazard, Belgian Freeze, and Trippel Horse) then was able to get three tap samples to compare, noticeable difference in the Hop Hazard, bottle version sings of a Belgian Yeast which may have worked it’s way in. The bottled version of the Belgian Freeze and Trippel were better in my opinion, then again the taps were a little screwy. Left there with some six packs, a mixed twelve. By the way, tasting is a $1.00, quite a bargain.

Original plan was to hit Princeton, but time was starting to catch up with us, so we headed across the river to the New Hope location, and found them pouring seven beers (Honey Wheat, Amber, Lager (told it was a dunkel, but believe it was the bock), stout, IPA, Belgian gold, and a Pale Ale on the hand pump). All of the beers were nice, nothing remarkably good and definitely nothing bad. The hand pump pale could be a nice session beer. New Hope is a funny town and the patrons were definitely a mixed bag, three guys next to us found it interesting that I was taking notes, they asked if I was confused, and I explained what I was doing. They also made remarks about River Horse and Belgian Beer in general, but they were obviously not in the know. After trying to educate one for a few minutes, he seemed to give up.

If I had to go back to one and enjoy several pints, the Ship Inn would be my choice as the beer was highly sessionable, tasty, and the atmosphere was great.

Cheers

Christmas Tasting the setup

2007-12-12T08:53:00.000-08:00

Usually, I have to travel far and wide to collect the beers for my yearly tasting. One year, we had Cross Country Nationals in Chicago, and my tasting was definitely Midwest themed. Last year, I had to rely on a Cross Country Regionals in North Carolina and a stop at Brawley's to feed the party.

Some background: Moving to South Carolina was definitely a beer shock and hosting a yearly Christmas tasting after the move was going to be hard on two fronts: lack of beer and lack of beer appreciators. I started with like 25 beers at the first tasting, it was a calm event with decorum and a gift swap. We kept it to neighborhood due to my not wanting to be responsible for driving under the influence. We peaked last year with over 60 beers (52 official, but to make it seem less daunting, I didn't count multiple vintages in the program) This year we are looking at over 50 (46 officially)

Here's the list

Welcome Beer: Samuel Smith’s Winter Welcome 2007: Great Britain
1. Blue Point Winter Ale: New York
2. Harpoon Winter Warmer: Massachusetts
3. Long Trail Hibernator: New Hampshire
4. Boulder Never Summer: Colorado
5. Shipyard Prelude Special Ale: Maine
6. Spanish Peaks Winter Cheer: Colorado
7. New Holland Cabin Fever: Michigan
8. Goose Island Christmas Ale: Chicago
9. Anderson Valley Winter Solstice: California
10. Magic Hat Odd Notion: Vermont
11. Anchor Our Special Ale 2007: California
12. Sweetwater Festive 2006: Georgia
13. Sly Fox Christmas 2007: Pennsylvania
14. Great Divide Hibernation Ale: Colorado
15. Harvey’s Christmas Ale: Great Britain
16. Kiuchi Hitachino Nest Celebration Ale : Japan
17. Allagash Grand Cru Winter 2007:
18. August Schell Snowstorm: Minnesota
19. Smuttynose Winter: New Hampshire
20. Gritty McDuff’s Christmas Ale: Maine
21. Rogue Santa’s Private Reserve: Oregon
22. Sierra Nevada Celebration Ale 2007 (Draft): California
Sierra Nevada Celebration Ale 2006
Sierra Nevada Celebration Ale 2005
Sierra Nevada Celebration Ale 2004
23. Clipper City Winter Storm Ale: Maryland
24. Southern Tier Old Man Winter: New York
25. Lancaster Brewing Winter Warmer: Pennsylvania
26. Birrificio Italiano Cassissona: Italy
INTERMISSION – GO EAT!!!
27. Weihenstephaner Korbinian 2007: Germany
28. Anheuser Busch Brewmasters Private Reserve: Missouri
29. Left Hand Smoked Goosinator: Colorado
30. Eggenberg Samichlaus 2006: Austria
31. Atlanta Brewing Red Brick Winter: Georgia
32. Nogne Winter (God Jul) 2007: Norway
33. Victory Storm King Stout 2007: Pennsylvania
Victory Storm King 2005
Victory Storm King 2003
34. Brooklyn Black Chocolate Stout 2007: New York
Brooklyn Black Chocolate 2005
35. Boulder Killer Penguin Barleywine: Colorado
36. Schmaltz Hebrew Genesis 10:10 2006
37. Schmaltz Hebrew Jewbelation 11 2007
38. Troegs Mad Elf 2007
Troegs Mad Elf 2006
39. DuPont Avec Les Bon Vouex 2007: Belgium
40. Kerkom Winterkoninkske: Belgium
41. Corsendonk Christmas Ale: Belgium
42. Huyghe Delirium Noel 2007: Belgium
43. L’Abbaye du Val-Dieu Grand Cru 2006 : Belgium
44. Dubuisson Scaldis Noel 2007: Belgium
45. Ommegang Chocolate Indulgence: New York

also have De Troch Winter Geuze and hopefully a growler of Blackbeerd Stout from Coast

Now with all of this beer, we have to feed people and luckily cooking is another passion of mine. We stick to easier foods that taste great and absorb alcohol. All in all, this is a month's worth of thought and preparation for 4 hours each year. This year, I am happy to have 18 new beers on the list, that is how I usually grade myself. One thing that seems to amaze me is that people will object to real hoppy beers, but take very easily to the strong beers from Belgium.

I will report back after the event.

I will likely offer my services next year locally to put on theme tastings as a beer consultant. There are a lot of wine based companies that offer the service, but I believe I will be the first beer based one locally.

Cheers

Blues House of Wings

2007-11-19T08:56:00.000-08:00

Blues House of Wings
Route 41, Mt. Pleasant

Friday night, thought we would try Blues House of Wings that had opened up on 41 in Mount Pleasant. We weren’t expecting much in the way of beer and unfortunately were accurate in our pre-assessment. The exterior is not too inviting; if not for the cars in the lot, we would have thought they were out of business. Inside, not much different, tables and booths in a generic setting, tvs at each booth, and a divider between an adjacent area with more tables and the bar, most likely divided smoking from non-smoking pre ban. Not decorated in any discernable fashion and seemed pretty cluttered with storage boxes and things.

The entry area is cluttered and there’s a vacant display case and no sign of a hostess, and no sign telling you to seat yourself. Finally flagged a waitress and were told to grab any seat. We grabbed the one booth left but it was still dirty from the last patrons, so we had to wait until that was cleaned up.

Took a walk over to the bar to check out the taps and they were absent - no draft beer. Not a good sign.

There was one extremely busy waitress and lots of folks waiting for food. A second waitress finally came to see us and she told us she’d been “thrown out there” and to bear with her because it was her first night. Service was slow at first, but picked up. Bottle list was straight out of the bar owners guide to not having to think about a beer list. Do we really need Iron City and Iron City Light? Best selections were Sierra Nevada and Sam Adams, others were run-of-the-mill BMC and the usual imports. Would it kill somebody to carry a case of decent beer?

We ordered Wings as they are advertised as the best wings in Charleston. Also ordered the loaded Nachos and the kids ordered Hamburgers. Wings are all grilled which is a nice change. The teriyaki worked well on the grill, but the advertised buffalo were dry rubbed, no sauce. They weren’t bad, but they were definitely not Buffalo Wings. Nachos were actually sized about right for two and had enough cheese for the chips, can’t stand when they have one lump of cheese on top and the patron has to somehow divide this over the bone dry chips below.

Beer Selection: Bottle: D, Draft: n/a
Food Selection: C
Food Quality B-
Ambience: D
Service: C
Value: B*
* I believe we had happy hour pricing on the beer as it was $2.75 for SNPA.

Overall impression: food was fine and the prices were decent, but it didn’t wow us by any means. Still think Wild Wing has better wings even though they do not have much of a beer menu either. But the ambience in Wild Wing is better – you don’t feel like you’re in the back of someone’s storage room, which is about as much ambience as you could get at Blues House of Wings. Would consider doing take-out from this place in the future but likely wouldn’t eat in again unless the beer menu improved.

Welcome

2007-07-05T11:22:00.000-07:00

Welcome to my first attempt at a blog.

One thing I am never at a loss for, and that is an opinion. I was lucky enough to turn 21 (the absurd legal age in my state of residence at the time) in the late 80's. Having a palate for wine, I was an easy convert to the microbrew revolution. Homebrewing seemed like an obvious hobby and I was soon producing some of my own beer. This was after a failed attempt at making wine. I still have a taste for wine, but beer has become a passion.

Low Country refers to the area of South Carolina I currently reside and will likely die. I moved from the Mid Atlantic where the beer scene was quite lively and continues to be. At the time of my migration south, the local beer scene was abyssmal. Due to changes in laws, we are seeing a wider variety of beers on retailer's shelfs and bar owner's taphandles, which has given me hope and an opportunity to launch this page.

I don't know exactly what this blog will turn into, but I will start by collecting my thoughts and opinions on everything beer. I will try to offer some insight as to what is going on in the South Carolina coast as far as beer is concerned.