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philosophical question
In article >,
dgs > wrote: > But in a month or so, yep, it'll be outdoor drinkin' weather, and > there will be a couple of brewfests coming up in the Seattle area to > help kick off summer drinkin' season. Generally very nice outside; > in Tejanese, not unlike spring, with even less humidity. I'm really hoping to manage to line my annual summer trip to Seattle with a brewfest this year. Maybe you could offer a couple of tips as to which would be best? Speaking of brewfests, I hit the Texas Craft Brewers' Festival (http://www.txbrewersfestival.com/) weekend before last. Very well attended. In fact, so well attended that it became almost untenable due to the layout, which had all the beer tents on one side of a relatively narrow path that became way overcrowded. Of course, on the opposite side of the parking lot (yeah, it wasn't the best-ever idea to have a beer festival on a Texas parking lot in mid-May - even though the temps hovered in the mid-low 80s, the number of people in too-close quarters and the ambient heating from the asphalt combined to make it pretty miserable) there was hardly a soul at the various non-beer booths. Free advice: spread the beer tents out so we have a reason to walk around and don't have to all congregate in a single confined area. The beers were, for the most part, Austin-grown, although St. Arnold's was there, as as Rahr's. Again, the upshot is that most of us went to the festival to taste beers we, er, drink every single day. Not really what I want in a festival. I want to sample stuff that's not brewed at the brewpub where I hang out. Maybe next year. I did, however, have the first 2 absolutely SHITE beers I've ever been handed at a fest. From Lovejoy's, our funkiest brewpub. I'm going to give them the benefit of the doubt and say that somehow the lines got contaminated (although that's pretty inexcusable). If that's not the case, then there's something terribly, terribly wrong with that brewing setup. So many bad flavors I won't even begin to catalog them. Blecch. And finally, if you're in Austin and need a serious hop fix, get to the Bitter End for a pint of Hot & Naked IPA. You east coasters who like balanced beers will want to take a miss on this; Brian Peters, the brewer, wasn't there last night so I couldn't verify, but I'm going to guess this thing's like 75 ibu. Way over the top. ****ING GOOD. So good, I'm going there right now... dave in austin |
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dave kelley wrote:
> In article >, > dgs > wrote: > > >>But in a month or so, yep, it'll be outdoor drinkin' weather, and >>there will be a couple of brewfests coming up in the Seattle area to >>help kick off summer drinkin' season. Generally very nice outside; >>in Tejanese, not unlike spring, with even less humidity. > > > I'm really hoping to manage to line my annual summer trip to Seattle > with a brewfest this year. Maybe you could offer a couple of tips as to > which would be best? > [...] Two of them are coming up in June: http://www.washingtonbrewfest.com/summer/index.html is the Summer Brewfest, and http://www.seattlebeerfest.com/Index2%20SIB.htm is the Seattle International Beerfestival. Given that they're two weeks apart, perhaps a better question would be how much time you can take for your annual summer trip to Seattle. The Summer Brewfest is all about domestic craft beers, mostly local, but with plenty of good stuff from elsewhere; the International Beerfestival has beer from damn near everywhere worth getting beer from. Can't go wrong with either one, really. I'll be at both. Right now, we have the damndest thing going on - it's actually kinda hot out, like in the mid-80s; it hit nearly 90 yesterday. Very much not typical Seattle spring weather. If it's like this in June, bring your SPF 10e6 sunscreen. -- dgs |
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dgs > wrote in
: > dave kelley wrote: > >> In article >, >> dgs > wrote: >> >> >>>But in a month or so, yep, it'll be outdoor drinkin' >>>weather, and there will be a couple of brewfests coming up >>>in the Seattle area to help kick off summer drinkin' >>>season. Generally very nice outside; in Tejanese, not >>>unlike spring, with even less humidity. >> >> >> I'm really hoping to manage to line my annual summer trip >> to Seattle with a brewfest this year. Maybe you could >> offer a couple of tips as to which would be best? >> [...] > > Two of them are coming up in June: I would never go to Seattle just for the beer. Scott |
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"Scott Kaczorowski" > wrote in message
> I would never go to Seattle just for the beer. I feel the same way about my basement. -- Lew Bryson "As for talking shit in this NG, Lew, you're the undisputed king, and that's no SHITE." -- Bob Skilnik, 1/31/02 www.lewbryson.com |
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In article >,
Scott Kaczorowski > wrote: > > Two of them are coming up in June: > > I would never go to Seattle just for the beer. Nor would I. But if I'm going anyway, why not try and go when there's a beer fest to enjoy? dave in austin |
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Lew Bryson wrote:
> "Scott Kaczorowski" > wrote in message > >>I would never go to Seattle just for the beer. > > > I feel the same way about my basement. I feel the same way about Scott's basement - and the rest of California. -- dgs |
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dave kelley > wrote:
> Scott Kaczorowski > wrote: >> I would never go to Seattle just for the beer. > >Nor would I. But if I'm going anyway, why not try and go when there's a >beer fest to enjoy? I understand the Czech Republic has some nice beer. -- Joel Plutchak "I'm in beer class / Every Thursday night" - "Sinister Foxx", _Title TK_, The Breeders |
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dgs > wrote:
: : I feel the same way about Scott's basement - and the rest of : California. Scott probably doesn't have a basement -- basements are not easily found in SoCal -- houses are all built on slabs. -- Bill AT DOT reply to bbenzel adelphia net |
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dave kelley > wrote in
: > In article >, > Scott Kaczorowski > wrote: > >> > Two of them are coming up in June: >> >> I would never go to Seattle just for the beer. > > Nor would I. But if I'm going anyway, why not try and go > when there's a beer fest to enjoy? Sorry. A poor excuse for a joke on my part... Actually, I *would* go to Seattle just for the beer. My limited experience is that the beer is excellent and widely available, I have friends there, and it's relatively conveniently located for me (unlike, say, Belgium). Scott |
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dave kelley wrote:
> In article >, > ers (Joel) wrote: > > >>>Nor would I. But if I'm going anyway, why not try and go when there's a >>>beer fest to enjoy? >> >> I understand the Czech Republic has some nice beer. > > > Yeah, but I can't get the magazine to pay my way there and back. > Seattle, on the other hand... The magazine's going to pay your way to Seattle? Nice of the magazine to do that. Don't believe everything you read in magazines, though. Next question: does Poland have some nice beer? It has to. C'mon, just look at a map! -- dgs "What, and join in your mad squid kettle games?" -- Lew Bryson |
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Scott Kaczorowski wrote:
> ers (Joel) wrote in > : > >> [...] >> I understand the Czech Republic has some nice beer. > > > Your wrnog, giggy. Kcik yo'ure ass, btich. -- dgs "What, and join in your mad squid kettle games?" -- Lew Bryson |
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"Scott Kaczorowski" > wrote in message <snip> > Actually, I *would* go to Seattle just for the beer. My limited > experience is that the beer is excellent and widely available, I > have friends there, and it's relatively conveniently located for me > (unlike, say, Belgium). > > > Scott Holy Shite, a Scott K sighting. What's up man? Seattle might be the best city in the U.S. for great beer and food. Although the latter is pretty expensive. Last time I was out there I had the Boundary Bay IIPA, and that stuff was killer. Sorta kind of like the dogfishhead 90 and 120 minute that I get to drink all the time now. Lucky me. -Steve |
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"JW Steve" > wrote in
: > "Scott Kaczorowski" > wrote in > message > > Holy Shite, a Scott K sighting. John Wayne Schneider. What a concept. They said you were dead. Got any new pictures of your wife? Sorry... > What's up man? Causing trouble. The main thread here seemed to be "Anybody drink any good beer lately?" so I thought I'd **** a few people off. Worked a little too well, maybe. Oops. Got Binkley to show his ugly head though, so it was worth it. > Seattle > might be the best city in the U.S. for great beer and food. Best beer AND food? So what's the best US city for beer? Just got back from a week in Portland. Family emergency, but we had a chance to visit a few pubs (though as it worked out, they were mostly McMenamins'). It's been a while since I was last there and I have to admit that I forgot about The Culture, Man. Any area that can support Edgefield, Cornelius Pass Roadhouse (?), and Grand Lodge has *got* to be goodbeer territory. 22oz of BB Porter at PDX? Oof. The Culture. Red Shed. **** me. I have *got* to go back there. Mike: Let's serve beer and whiskey in a shack. Brian: That's a GREAT idea! Sitting outside on a beautiful day at the Yardhouse Pub, The Commander said "I wish we had a place like this near us." Duh. Which isn't to say that the Brothers Mc make great beer (Though I had an IPA at the Roadhouse that I thought was exquisite. Hop flavor/aroma give The Commander a headache and She thought seriously about moving to another table from hop aroma alone. Oh yeah, and then there was, like, this malt stuff... And a Porter at the Black Rabbit Bar that was killer. And...The Firefly Koelsch - Somebody help me out here. Is this a reasonable representation of a Koelsch? I thought this was an *excellent* beer. Dry, but with body. Crisp, cloudy, bright white lingering tight head, just the ever-so-slightest bit of hop flavor/aroma. Some fruit but you had to look for it.) but they make good beer and The Culture...The Culture they have embraced and have been rewarded for their embracement. > Last time I was out there I had the Boundary Bay IIPA An Imperial IPA. What *will* they think of next? IESB? > Sorta kind of like the dogfishhead 90 I had that exactly once at the Brickskellar about five years ago and I have to say I was a bit disimpressed. I guess I was expecting Hop Blast and I just don't remember that. I could tell that the emphasis was on hops, but it was...neither here nor there. Obviously highly hopped, but to no great effect as far as I could tell. Mostly bitter. Lived up to its gimmick, I guess, I frankly found it a bit dull, and it was my first beer for the evening. I actually took notes, and of course I can't find them...Which begs the question: Why take notes? I think I can get this locally (I know I can get the WWS, Chicory Stout, et al) - I should try it again. > Lucky me. Yes you is. Scott |
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[Scott Kaczorowski wrote about Dogfishhead 90] > I had that exactly once at the Brickskellar about five > years ago > and I have to say I was a bit disimpressed. I guess I was > expecting Hop Blast and I just don't remember that. I > could tell > that the emphasis was on hops, but it was...neither here > nor > there. Obviously highly hopped, but to no great effect as > far as > I could tell. Mostly bitter. Lived up to its gimmick, I > guess, I > frankly found it a bit dull, and it was my first beer for > the > evening. I actually took notes, and of course I can't > find > them...Which begs the question: Why take notes? Scott K and JW Steve...brings back memories of days when GoodBeer was on the rise, rather than the decline as it is now. Anyway, I'm back in Houston (spent a year in the DC area). Dogfishhead 90 is on tap at the Gingerman, and is kicking ass. Problem is, like all DFH beers, DFH 90 is a bit inconsistent. And Victory is entering the Houston market. Haven't seen it yet, but will buy a case of Prima when it arrives. Bruce Reistle |
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"Bruce Reistle" > wrote in
ink.net: > [Scott Kaczorowski wrote about Dogfishhead 90] > >> I had that exactly once at the Brickskellar about five >> years ago >> and I have to say I was a bit disimpressed. > [snoip] > > Scott K and JW Steve...brings back memories of days when > GoodBeer was on the rise, rather than the decline as it is > now. Where's Nyarlathotep when you need him? Decline...I guess I have to agree. I do software for The Borg, so I don't know shit about business. But it seems to me that the process has been a natural one. Fadish, this group used to have an enthusiastic newbie every day... But things have tapered off and yet we can still get that GoodBeer, no? It hasn't gone away. If it had gone away, then it was pointless to begin with. But it didn't. So there. I do lament the passing of the originals. I won't go to New Albion, but case in point: The City of Angels in Santa Monica. And yet...Father's Office is still there (And was from the start. My initial awareness of the entire state of Oregon was due to Father's Office. But then you can no longer get your hair cut next door with a beer in your hands. Which is lame.) And Library Alehouse, while unadventurous is relatively new. And...and that's ****ing Santa Monica, the new ****ing Brentwood fer goodness' sake. > Anyway, I'm back in Houston Jesus Cristo en colores. The Bitch is back. > (spent a year in the DC area). > Dogfishhead 90 is on tap at the Gingerman, and is kicking > ass. Problem is, like all DFH beers, DFH 90 is a bit > inconsistent. Like I said, it was five or six years ago. Er...D'oh! Well, hell, how 'bout that (looking at pictures), it was August of 2002. Guess I had a few beers... The Commander and I did D.C. for vacation that year (one the VERY best vacations I've ever had, but then, I'm a museum dork). In any case...I emailed SJ before leaving re East Coast bevies I'd not had, and DFH was near or at the top of his list. So I made it a priority. FWIW, the high beery point (the 'Kellar was the only place we went four times) for me as a vertical of T'Hardy. A 60- something (??? The oldest one they still had available, which had a bit o' the cardboard but still very enjoyable.), and a coupla 70-somethings. Wow. That beer certainly changes from vile swill (my opinion of it to that time) to lovely, lovely stuff. Hey Bruce: Show us your tits. Scott K |
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In article . net>,
"Bruce Reistle" > wrote: > Anyway, I'm back in Houston (spent a year in the DC area). > Dogfishhead 90 is on tap at the Gingerman, and is kicking > ass. Problem is, like all DFH beers, DFH 90 is a bit > inconsistent. > > And Victory is entering the Houston market. Haven't seen it > yet, but will buy a case of Prima when it arrives. I was at the Austin Gingerman about 2 hours ago, where we have Dogfishhead 60, 90, and 120, as well as a number of kegs of SNCA still to kill. No word on Victory reaching this outpost. Who's the distributor? Maybe some strings can be pulled... dave BTW - Worth trying this week if you're in the area: Bitter End: Pale Ryder Pale Rye Ale. I'm not a big rye fan, but this is a pretty good one. Real Ale: Devil's Backbone. Belgian-style. ****ING GOOD. |
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"Scott Kaczorowski" > wrote in message ... > "Bruce Reistle" > wrote in > ink.net: > <snip> The reports of my death have been greatly exaggerated. I put my meager reasoning ability to work in midtown manhattan as a patent litigator. Good, interesting work, life she's good. As for the wife, I have lots of new pics and she's more endowed than ever. Although, that has something to do with our 2 month old son. I personally think the beer scene is better than ever. The cream has risen and continued to kick ass. Some genius made some distribution deal where the best beers on the right coast get distributed to my local watering holes (Victory, Stoudts, DFH, Magic Hat, et al.) These guys know WTF they are doing I'll tell you what. I can believe a single incident with the 90 minute could leave one unimpressed. I have the luxury of bellying up to the bar at their place in Rehobeth once a year and getting it fresh from the tap. You probably only got about 5 minutes worth after sitting in a keg in some bar. I got about 89 minutes worth when they poured it fresh. Plus they have 120 minute, which is mighy fine in its own right. That brings us to victory and the prima, which is quite possibly the perfect beer. My locale is now flooded with the stuff. Finally, I've been pondering the best city for beer question and I'm stumped. It could very well be Seattle, but they don't get right coast beers. Out here, I can get most of the good shite from the left coast, but I don't think the converse is true. As crazy as it sounds, the answer could be New York. Bruce, good to hear from you. So did you hang with Beercommie when you were in DC or what? -Steve |
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"dave kelley" > wrote in message ... > > I was at the Austin Gingerman about 2 hours ago, where we > have > Dogfishhead 60, 90, and 120, as well as a number of kegs > of SNCA still > to kill. > Sounds good. The Houston G-Man has Sierra Nevada Harvest and IPA, as well as DF 60 and 90. No DF 120 as far as I know. > No word on Victory reaching this outpost. Who's the > distributor? Maybe > some strings can be pulled... > > dave > Dave, the distributor is CR Goodman, or at least that is what I've been told by a reliable source. > > Real Ale: Devil's Backbone. Belgian-style. ****ING GOOD. This is true. I've had it at the G-Man in Houston several times. Bruce Reistle |
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"JW Steve" > wrote in
: > "Scott Kaczorowski" > wrote in message > ... >> "Bruce Reistle" > wrote in >> ink.net: >> > <snip> > > The reports of my death have been greatly exaggerated. Hauled off into the woods and ass-raped to death by the Russian mob. That's what I heard. > I > put my meager reasoning ability to work in midtown > manhattan as a patent litigator. Oh SHIT that's right! You're a shyster. Forgot about that... > Good, interesting work, > life she's good. As for the wife, I have lots of new pics > and she's more endowed than ever. Although, that has > something to do with our 2 month old son. I *knew* you were having sex with that woman! I KNEW it! Congratulations! That's fabulous. I'm very happy for you both. So what did you name the little tyke? I hope it was "Storm King." > I can believe a single incident with the 90 minute could > leave one unimpressed. It's spoken of highly - I'll have to swing by the local goodbeer retail outlet and see if they have it. Hopefully a reasonable facsimile of straight-from-the-pipe. > I have the luxury of bellying up to > the bar at their place in Rehobeth once a year and getting > it fresh from the tap. You probably only got about 5 > minutes worth after sitting in a keg in some bar. Had it on tap in D.C. Couldn't have been too terribly off, no? > That brings us to victory and the prima, It does? > which is quite > possibly the perfect beer. I've gotten away from the Victory beers for some reason Can't be a good reason, so I am left to wonder why... We've been getting them here for quite some time. In fact, I think the LA area was one of the first on the dist list (Jim?) but that assumption may simply be due to sheer stupidity on my part. Oddly, I've never seen any of 'em on tap 'round these parts. > I've been pondering the best city for > beer question and I'm stumped. It could very well be > Seattle, but they don't get right coast beers. Out here, I > can get most of the good shite from the left coast, but I > don't think the converse is true. As crazy as it sounds, > the answer could be New York. Theoretically, the middle of the country could have the best selection. But does that make, say, Dayton a great beer city? I dunno... I do know that I tend to agree with Nick's slogan, and I might not bestow Best Beer City status on selection alone. I gotta say that Portland is a damn fine beer city, regardless of right coast importation levels. I'd like to hear from dgs on this, but of course he's too timid to voice a real opinion. Scott |
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"Scott Kaczorowski" > wrote in message ... > "JW Steve" > wrote in > : > <snip> > > The reports of my death have been greatly exaggerated. > > Hauled off into the woods and ass-raped to death by the Russian > mob. That's what I heard. > Nope, you'd be suprised at how much ass-raping you can take and still live. > > I > > put my meager reasoning ability to work in midtown > > manhattan as a patent litigator. > > Oh SHIT that's right! You're a shyster. Forgot about that... > Well, I don't believe I've posted since I started working, so previously I was just a potential shyster. <snip> > I *knew* you were having sex with that woman! I KNEW it! > > Congratulations! That's fabulous. I'm very happy for you both. > Thanks. > So what did you name the little tyke? I hope it was "Storm > King." > No, his name is Ascher Drew. My original proposal was Piraat Boch, and then Ascher Draak. Needless to say, these proposals were alcohol influences, but ultimately we went with something not too far from one of them. <snip> > > I have the luxury of bellying up to > > the bar at their place in Rehobeth once a year and getting > > it fresh from the tap. You probably only got about 5 > > minutes worth after sitting in a keg in some bar. > > Had it on tap in D.C. Couldn't have been too terribly off, no? It seems to me that the dry-hopping is much more time sensitive. It's not a matter of being off, it's just a matter of how quickly that effect wears off. The bottles I get are decent but absolutely no where near what I get at the source. Also, the overall quality and consistency of all their beers has increased dramatically in that time frame. <snip> > > don't think the converse is true. As crazy as it sounds, > > the answer could be New York. > > Theoretically, the middle of the country could have the best > selection. But does that make, say, Dayton a great beer city? If it did, then maybe. > I dunno... I do know that I tend to agree with Nick's slogan, > and I might not bestow Best Beer City status on selection alone. > > I gotta say that Portland is a damn fine beer city, regardless > of right coast importation levels. It certainly is. Portland would be the other obvious choice and slightly ahead of Seattle IMO. I would put Anchorage in the top ten along with the Philly area (or maybe Lancaster). Not sure about Cali cities as I've never spent much time out there. Also Denver probably deserves a mention, but again, I have no experience there. Outside of that, the pickens are pretty slim. Whatever happened to giggy Broolz anyway? -Steve |
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"JW Steve" > wrote:
> [...] litigator [...] Oo, who brews THIS doppelbock? (sorry, that word just stuck out for some reason... maybe due to the Monster Ale I just finished drinking right now) -- //*================================================= ===============++ || Russ Perry Jr 2175 S Tonne Dr #114 Arlington Hts IL 60005 || || 847-952-9729 [NEW!] VIDEOGAME COLLECTOR! || ++================================================ ================*// |
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"JW Steve" > wrote in message
... > I personally think the beer scene is better than ever. The cream has > risen and continued to kick ass. Totally agreed. The availability of good beer continues to widen, at least in my experience, and there are a lot of breweries out there doing really good things. Even better, they're venturing out into wider areas, and not just sticking to the same old styles that everybody and their neighbor's dog brews. > That brings us to victory and the prima, which is quite possibly > the perfect beer. My locale is now flooded with the stuff. I'm jealous. Victory's LA distribution seems to have dried up, or gotten amazingly spotty. Haven't taken the time to write Jim or Bill to inquire. > Finally, I've been pondering the best city for beer question > and I'm stumped. It could very well be Seattle, but they > don't get right coast beers. Out here, I can get most of the good > shite from the left coast, but I don't think the converse is true. > As crazy as it sounds, the answer could be New York. That's a bit like asking who's the best hitter ever. So many criteria can go into that. While the major West Coast brands do make it out your way, the best stuff is very local, like LaConner or Diamond Knot around Seattle, that probably have about a 200-mile distribution radius, if that. But New York does have some really good places - I really liked Spyten Duyvel (sp?) in Brooklyn on my last visit to NYC about a year ago - and seems to be getting a few more, and the selection at a lot of them is outstanding. But it seems there are still too few places like that for a city its size. Of course, the same could be said for one of my favorite drinking cities, my former home of Chicago. Some outstanding places with outstanding selection and outstanding atmosphere. That last bit is what's become most important to me. Thrity taps in a place I wouldn't otherwise go? Yawn. Four five beers I'd enjoy drinking any day of the week - hell, one or two - in a place I love hanging out in? That's what I like. Fortunately out here in L.A., there are some places that definitely fit that bill. I'll put a place like Father's Office, Cafe Boogaloo or Lucky Baldwins up against any pub anywhere in this country, just because they're great places to relax and drink in. I'll take that over raw selection any day, now. And it is one of the things many of the NY places have going for them. As well as Chicago and Portland. Oddly enough, I've only been to one or two places in Seattle that I'd rank in the same league in terms of atmosphere. -Steve |
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JW Steve wrote:
> "Scott Kaczorowski" > wrote in message > ... > >>"JW Steve" > wrote in m: >> > > <snip> > >>>The reports of my death have been greatly exaggerated. >> >>Hauled off into the woods and ass-raped to death by the Russian >>mob. That's what I heard. >> > > Nope, you'd be suprised at how much ass-raping you can take > and still live. I don't think Scott's surprised by that kind of thing any more. In fact, I don't think any of us, whether we read Usenet or not. The early 21st century is kinda like that. >>>don't think the converse is true. As crazy as it sounds, >>>the answer could be New York. >> >>Theoretically, the middle of the country could have the best >>selection. But does that make, say, Dayton a great beer city? > > > If it did, then maybe. How 'bout Chicago? It's a pretty damn good beer city. Could be better, considering the situation with the Real Ale Festival, but as it is ... pretty good. >>I dunno... I do know that I tend to agree with Nick's slogan, >>and I might not bestow Best Beer City status on selection alone. >> >>I gotta say that Portland is a damn fine beer city, regardless >>of right coast importation levels. > > > It certainly is. Portland would be the other obvious choice and > slightly ahead of Seattle IMO. I would put Anchorage in the > top ten along with the Philly area (or maybe Lancaster). Not > sure about Cali cities as I've never spent much time out there. San Francisco's quite good. There are those who hate hate hate the attitudes at the Toronado; I've never had a problem there. Lots of other decent joints, brewpubs aplenty, even more across the Bay, and if you're lucky, you'll get some fresh brewed-in-Berkely-but- born-in-Austria Trumer Pils somewhere. Both Jackson and Kaczorowski can tell about decent beer places scattered about the vastness of L.A. and San Diego. > Also Denver probably deserves a mention, but again, I have no > experience there. Outside of that, the pickens are pretty slim. Denver has a pretty good brewpub thing going on, and a world-class multi-tap joint, the Falling Rock. Phoenix has some decent brewpubs and multitappers scattered about here and there. Washington DC has several decent (but oh so yuppie) brewpubs and a handful of good beer bars, and a decent little Belgian place out near Eastern Market. > Whatever happened to giggy Broolz anyway? Er ist nach Deutschland gegangen. Seriously. He's not hatin' it. -- dgs "What, and join in your mad squid kettle games?" -- Lew Bryson |
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In article >, dgs > wrote:
>JW Steve wrote: >> Also Denver probably deserves a mention, but again, I have no >> experience there. Outside of that, the pickens are pretty slim. > >Denver has a pretty good brewpub thing going on, and a world-class >multi-tap joint, the Falling Rock. Phoenix has some decent brewpubs >and multitappers scattered about here and there. Washington DC has >several decent (but oh so yuppie) brewpubs and a handful of good >beer bars, and a decent little Belgian place out near Eastern Market. At the risk of encouraging him... I have to roll my eyes at the people who haven't really been around, yet feel free to yammer about "the best" cities for beer. Sure, there are a lot of little towns in the middle of the country that have zero decent beer. There are also a lot of little towns in the north, south, east, and west that have zero decent beer. And there are some oases of very good beer in places that the highly opinionated haven't been and probably will never visit. <shrug> -- Joel Plutchak "Why is it floating in my beer?" - "Little Fury", _Title TK_, The Breeders |
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Scott Kaczorowski wrote:
> "JW Steve" > wrote in > : > >>[...] >>I've been pondering the best city for >>beer question and I'm stumped. It could very well be >>Seattle, but they don't get right coast beers. Out here, I >>can get most of the good shite from the left coast, but I >>don't think the converse is true. As crazy as it sounds, >>the answer could be New York. > > > [...] > I gotta say that Portland is a damn fine beer city, regardless > of right coast importation levels. What "regardless" is this that you lot speak of? The Randalizer has showed up in PDX, applying its strange and arcane hopping effects on Dogfish Head beers there. Yesterday, I was at a little industry gathering at one of Seattle's more interesting distributors - one that handles only specialty beer brands and wines. Among the goodies in the latest edition of their book: Dogfish Head, Victory, Allagash, and Ommegang. No Heavyweight yet, but we do what we can, while swilling down Far West, Elysian, Hale's (might get my vote for most improved brewery of 2005 if they keep it up), and on and on. I'm also now living in a neighborhood with a good brewpub five minutes' walk away, and a damn fine little multitap house twenty minutes' walk (or five minutes' drive) away. Seattle doesn't suck for good beer or good beer availability. Well, the Safeway near my home is lame, and getting lamer, but there are other supermarkets offering good beer selections not much farther away. PDX *is* a damn fine beer city. So is Seattle, and getting ever so much more so. Tonight, Old Sol wheat wine will make its annual appearance at the Big Time brewpub. Tomorrow is Hale's night at the Dog & Pony, living proof that a good beer bar can thrive and even prosper in the 'burbs. Thursday, Fish Brewers night at my local. Friday, some guy named Sam from Delaware is showing up to flog his book, and I betcha there will be some of those Fishhead Dog beers too. We had a great local brewfest last weekend, have another one coming up on the first weekend of July. Life ain't at all bad here, if you don't mind the traffic and a little rain now and then. It's almost like every day of living here is what some people would imagine as a perpetual vacation. I have a friend who moved out here from the Jersey side of the Philly 'burbs some years ago, and that's how he considers living in the Seattle area. Sure, we gotta work for our livings, but quality o' life is good in our little provincial corner of the country, and there is lots of good beer - left coast, right coast, imported. Occasionally, even good stuff from the middle shows up, like something special from Goose Island. > I'd like to hear from dgs on this, but of course he's too timid > to voice a real opinion. I'm having a talk with the Russian mob. This ass-raping thing seems all the rage these days. -- dgs "What, and join in your mad squid kettle games?" -- Lew Bryson |
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JW Steve wrote:
> [...] Seattle might > be the best city in the U.S. for great beer and food. Although > the latter is pretty expensive. It is? Good eats in Seatown can be pricey, especially at the swankier upper-end joints, but it's possible to get good eats here without breaking the bank ... much as it is in, say, San Francisco, L.A., or NYC. But NYC has Peter Luger's, and it's still one of the very best steak joints in the known universe. > Last time I was out there I had the > Boundary Bay IIPA, and that stuff was killer. Sorta kind of like > the dogfishhead 90 and 120 minute that I get to drink all the time > now. Lucky me. The regular ol' BB IPA is the house "standard" IPA at my local. Dogfish Head beers make regular and frequent appearances in these parts, both in bottle and on tap. But honestly, if I want to go for the extreme high-octane end of Sam's range of beers, the World Wide Stout beats out the 120 Minute "IPA" any day for me. The WWS has character and great flavor along with its alcohol punch. The 120 Minute gets more than a bit cloying after a while, no matter how many IBUs lie under that malt blast. -- dgs "What, and join in your mad squid kettle games?" -- Lew Bryson |
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In article >, dgs > wrote:
>120 Minute gets more than a bit cloying after a while, no matter >how many IBUs lie under that malt blast. I think old age has mellowed you. Unless you define "a bit" as "assloads" and "after awhile" as "before the initial swallow is but a memory." To call that beer undrinkably underattenuated is an understatement. They should have stopped with the most excellent 90 Minute. -- Joel Plutchak "Why is it floating in my beer?" - "Little Fury", _Title TK_, The Breeders |
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"Joel" > wrote in message ... > In article >, dgs > wrote: > >JW Steve wrote: > >> Also Denver probably deserves a mention, but again, I have no > >> experience there. Outside of that, the pickens are pretty slim. > > > >Denver has a pretty good brewpub thing going on, and a world-class > >multi-tap joint, the Falling Rock. Phoenix has some decent brewpubs > >and multitappers scattered about here and there. Washington DC has > >several decent (but oh so yuppie) brewpubs and a handful of good > >beer bars, and a decent little Belgian place out near Eastern Market. > > At the risk of encouraging him... Oooh better not talk directly to "him." > I have to roll my eyes at the people who haven't > really been around, yet feel free to yammer about > "the best" cities for beer. Sure, there are a lot > of little towns in the middle of the country that > have zero decent beer. There are also a lot of > little towns in the north, south, east, and west > that have zero decent beer. And there are some > oases of very good beer in places that the highly > opinionated haven't been and probably will never > visit. <shrug> > -- Same ol' Joel, still holding grudges and talking crap about something you know nothing about. If I haven't been around, nobody has. Pray tell, let me hear these oases you speak of? I've been to several dozen in the country, I'm sure you've been to them all. Let's compare the beer scene in these places: Juneau, Maui, Idaho Falls, Jackson WY, Flagstaff, Corpus Christi, Clearwater FL, Lancaster PA, Pittsburgh, Norwich VT, and Baltimore. You go first. Thanks for reminding me how amusing it ss to me that you are such a condescending quirky little freak man-boy. I guess time doesn't heal whatever deep emotional issues that make you that way. -Steve |
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dgs > wrote in
: > Scott Kaczorowski wrote: > >> "JW Steve" > wrote in >> : >> >>>[...] >>>I've been pondering the best city for >>>beer question and I'm stumped. It could very well be >>>Seattle, but they don't get right coast beers. Out here, >>>I can get most of the good shite from the left coast, but >>>I don't think the converse is true. As crazy as it sounds, >>>the answer could be New York. >> >> [...] >> I gotta say that Portland is a damn fine beer city, >> regardless of right coast importation levels. > > What "regardless" is this that you lot speak of? JWMcDaddy seemed to me to be implying that sheer selection (ie, importation from either coast) was high on his list of attributes he feels important for Best Beer City in the US. I disagree. Sheer selection is important to neither a Good Beer City nor a Good Beer Bar. If this were true, House of Brews in Huntington Beach would be a good place to go have a beer. It ain't. > The Randalizer has showed up in PDX, applying its strange > and arcane hopping effects on Dogfish Head beers there. Huh? > Yesterday, I was at a little industry gathering at one of > Seattle's more interesting distributors - one that handles > only specialty beer brands and wines. What brand of personal lubricant to you prefer? > Among the goodies in > the latest edition of their book: Dogfish Head, Sucks. > Victory, Sucks. > Allagash, Sucks. > and Ommegang. Really sucks. > I'm also now living in a neighborhood Uh, it's a "'hood." BTW, how's your boo? > PDX *is* a damn fine beer city. I thought it was an airport. Even as such, the selection is very good and the environment is certainly better'n your typical ??X. > Life ain't at all bad here, if you don't mind the traffic > and a little rain now and then. I'm sold. Are you hiring? > It's almost like every day of living here is what some > people would imagine as a perpetual vacation. OK. Good. Thanks. The bragging is fine, but now you're just being a ****. > I have a > friend who moved out here from the Jersey side of the > Philly 'burbs some years ago, and that's how he considers > living in the Seattle area. Yeah? I got me a friend who used to bad-mouth soCal in public up, down, and counter-clockwise. Now, he lives here and he has said: "I was wrong. I'm never leaving." So. There. > Sure, we gotta work for our livings, I'd like to know which part of the US I can live in that allows me to NOT work for a livings. I'd like to see a graph with x==income and y==beer. > but quality o' life is good in our little > provincial corner of the country, You exaggerate for effect. Provincial? Nice job on the, what?, $3B subsidy for the Bloeing 787? Is the pier/rail line under construction or is that for a later day? > and there is lots of good > beer - left coast, right coast, imported. Occasionally, > even good stuff from the middle shows up, like something > special from Goose Island. We have the odd festival at Lucky Baldwin's (Did I say "odd"? The Belgian Festing alone is worth airfare and room. Dave flies kegs in. I can't imagine the expense. The IPA Festing too. The latter is coming up... Hey DonLWOP...) The local Rock Bottom (not a bad RB at all) has Cask Night (or somesuch) on Thursdays, Brewers Night on Tuesdays (?) where a new beer is tapped for the first time and the brewer gives a spiel and the pints are a buck 'til the keg is gone (yes, a gimmick, sure). The Sheraton Four Seasons does a beer tasting the second Wednesday of each month (?). Cafe Boogaloo does a promotion or two per month. SJ quiched and quiched hard on the Real Ale Fest in San Diego (Sorry, Bill. My two backups also went to the quiche card. I simply could not do the 100miles-drinking- 100miles alone.) so I can't speak to that. Sierra Madre Brewing was recently bought by LB's to convert to a Belgian Cafe. Haven't been, no idea if they are going to brew there, but even so I think it just might work. Etc. Note the non-specifics above. You don't have children, do you Don? Many cities certainly have beery opportunities, but you seem to have the opportunity to capitalize. >> I'd like to hear from dgs on this, but of course he's too >> timid to voice a real opinion. > > I'm having a talk with the Russian mob. This ass-raping > thing seems all the rage these days. I'm well-stocked with Hydra-Shoks and '06 AP. I won't go willingly. But the personal-lubricant-preference issue becomes suddenly relevant, yes? Scott Dad he made whiskey and he made it well Cost two dollars and it burned like hell I cut hickory just to fire the still Drink down a bottle and you're ready to kill |
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Scott Kaczorowski > wrote:
(Joel) wrote in >> At the risk of encouraging him... > >You can't address him directly? Killfiles are forever. -- Joel Plutchak Spammers usually ignored, jerks cheerfully killfiled. Deal with it. |
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dgs > wrote:
: : The regular ol' BB IPA is the house "standard" IPA at my local. : Dogfish Head beers make regular and frequent appearances in these : parts, both in bottle and on tap. But honestly, if I want to go : for the extreme high-octane end of Sam's range of beers, the World : Wide Stout beats out the 120 Minute "IPA" any day for me. The WWS : has character and great flavor along with its alcohol punch. The : 120 Minute gets more than a bit cloying after a while, no matter : how many IBUs lie under that malt blast. Buy it in bottles and give it a year or more -- you'll be surprised at how that cloying sweetness mellows into something akin to a really good barleywine. I'm currently looking for another case of the 120 -- if anyone knows of a source that has stock and will ship please let me know. -- Bill AT DOT reply to bbenzel adelphia net |
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"dgs" > wrote in message ... > JW Steve wrote: > > > [...] Seattle might > > be the best city in the U.S. for great beer and food. Although > > the latter is pretty expensive. > > It is? Good eats in Seatown can be pricey, especially at the > swankier upper-end joints, but it's possible to get good eats > here without breaking the bank ... much as it is in, say, San > Francisco, L.A., or NYC. Probably true, but the high end is higher than New York for the most part. Even out in the burbs, places were pretty pricey. > But NYC has Peter Luger's, and it's still one of the very best > steak joints in the known universe. Indeed, although the Metropolitan grill ain't too shabby either. > > Last time I was out there I had the > > Boundary Bay IIPA, and that stuff was killer. Sorta kind of like > > the dogfishhead 90 and 120 minute that I get to drink all the time > > now. Lucky me. > > The regular ol' BB IPA is the house "standard" IPA at my local. > Dogfish Head beers make regular and frequent appearances in these > parts, both in bottle and on tap. But honestly, if I want to go > for the extreme high-octane end of Sam's range of beers, the World > Wide Stout beats out the 120 Minute "IPA" any day for me. The WWS > has character and great flavor along with its alcohol punch. The > 120 Minute gets more than a bit cloying after a while, no matter > how many IBUs lie under that malt blast. Not a problem for me. I certainly wouldn't make a session beer, but I have no complaints because it's what I expect from a beer like that. Same with those impy IPAs they are making out that way these days. WWS is good stuff as well. Although, I think the extreme end of most brewers is smack dab in the middle of their stuff. Not sure how much of it gets distributed beyond DE, but every time I go there they have a bunch of massive beers on tap. -Steve |
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"Scott Kaczorowski" > wrote in message
... > JWMcDaddy seemed to me to be implying that sheer selection (ie, > importation from either coast) was high on his list of > attributes he feels important for Best Beer City in the US. > > I disagree. Me too. I outlined that elsewhere, so I won't repeat. I definitely appreciate selection and, more importantly, variety, but I appreciate an enjoyable place to drink more. One of my favorite pubs in the UK, located way out in the hinterlands of Plymouth, doesn't serve a wide range or any spectacular beers. And I love the place because the atmosphere is outstanding. Same deal with a Lees pub (where the beer can be quite spectacular, especially the mild, stuck on a dirt road two miles outside of Manchester. Atmosphere trumps selection any day, for me. >> and Ommegang. > > Really sucks. Actually, yeah. Tremendously over-rated. >> PDX *is* a damn fine beer city. > > I thought it was an airport. Even as such, the selection is > very good and the environment is certainly better'n your typical > ??X. Portland definitely has places that win on the beer selection/quality scale as well as the atmosphere scale. I'd be quite content planting down at the Horse Brass, Laurelwood (during non-kiddie-infestation hours) or Rose and Raindrop any day. >> friend who moved out here from the Jersey side of the >> Philly 'burbs some years ago, and that's how he considers >> living in the Seattle area. > > Yeah? I got me a friend who used to bad-mouth soCal in public > up, down, and counter-clockwise. Now, he lives here and he has > said: "I was wrong. I'm never leaving." Who the **** would ever say such a thing? Oh, wait. -Steve |
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"Steve Jackson" > wrote in message news:aiZte.3398$1q2.778@trnddc01... > "Scott Kaczorowski" > wrote in message > ... > > > JWMcDaddy seemed to me to be implying that sheer selection (ie, > > importation from either coast) was high on his list of > > attributes he feels important for Best Beer City in the US. > > > > I disagree. > > Me too. I outlined that elsewhere, so I won't repeat. I definitely > appreciate selection and, more importantly, variety, but I appreciate an > enjoyable place to drink more. One of my favorite pubs in the UK, located > way out in the hinterlands of Plymouth, doesn't serve a wide range or any > spectacular beers. And I love the place because the atmosphere is > outstanding. Same deal with a Lees pub (where the beer can be quite > spectacular, especially the mild, stuck on a dirt road two miles outside of > Manchester. Atmosphere trumps selection any day, for me. > Yes, it's high on the list, but it's not the only consideration. I might talk about atmosphere if I thought it was a big distinguishing characteristic. Practically every city has some cool places with great atmosphere and they pretty much define the city's beer scene. Many cities only have one or two. Just because of its shear size NYC probably has as many as anywhere else, including Portland. The number of small belgian bars pouring 6 or 8 outstanding Belgian beers is staggering. My point wasn't just about selection, but pervasiveness as well. Craft beers and high quality imports have made a huge gain in popularity in NY just since I've been here. And it's been quiet, so that the local hole in the wall suddenly pours Magic Hat and Victory in addition to the SNPA that used to be a staple. Of course you also have all the bars that traditionally were "beer bars," and the list of those goes far beyond DBA and Blind Tiger. There are three within walking distance of me in Broolyn Heights that give many of the top places in Portland a run for their money. > > Portland definitely has places that win on the beer selection/quality scale > as well as the atmosphere scale. I'd be quite content planting down at the > Horse Brass, Laurelwood (during non-kiddie-infestation hours) or Rose and > Raindrop any day Win compared to what? The HB and R&R are solid bars, but do they blow away others in your mind? Hell, I've been to both of them and can't say I even remember a distinguishing chracteristic about either. I do remember the Glacier Brewhouse in Anchorage, where you could watch a three hour sunset, The Hangar in Juneau with a killer selection and a view looking out at the float planes landing in front of 15,000 foot mountains. Then there is Million Dollar Cowboy Bar in Jackson, with the six foot stuffed Grizzly that some guy killed with his bare hands. These places got character and it doesn't come wearing Burgenstock with socks on (well maybe a little bit in Jackson). > > >> friend who moved out here from the Jersey side of the > >> Philly 'burbs some years ago, and that's how he considers > >> living in the Seattle area. > > > > Yeah? I got me a friend who used to bad-mouth soCal in public > > up, down, and counter-clockwise. Now, he lives here and he has > > said: "I was wrong. I'm never leaving." > > Who the **** would ever say such a thing? > > Oh, wait. Is it you Giggy? Are you out in Cali now? > -Steve > > |
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