Your ungracious host returns and is quite happy.

Posted on February 3, 2012, 4:54 pm by Jack Curtin

I wandered off the reservation again this week, sorry about that. It was particularly bad timing since January marked the strongest attendance log for Liquid Diet ever, an increase which averaged more than 500 additional visitors per day. So what do I do? Go AWOL and stifle the momentum. Timing is everything and I apparently I ain’t got it…

At least I didn’t just piss away the time I didn’t spend here. I did a lot of improving the premises this week and, in the process, made a discovery yesterday that has both delighted and excited me. You can read about that over at Mermaids if you are the sort who would want to read about something like that.

The good beer news is that Bitter American is back in the market and now a year-round release (just finished a can before sitting down to write this) and that Old Forge Brewing Co. came into the Philly market as of this week and Clown Shoes Beer will arrive here a week from today.  Meanwhile, if, as an Eagles fan, you find the whole idea of this year’s Super Bowl downright unpalatable, you might want to wash away that bad taste tomorrow at Teresa’s Next Door where, in typical Andy Dickerson fashion, they are having their celebration a day early. And what a celebration it is. Kolesar gots himself all the details.

As for me, as I bask in my more appealing surroundings and re-reading my own work from all those years ago (you did pop over to Mermaids so you know what I’m talking about, right?) with a fresh eye while trying to see how I can make use of it, I will inspire myself with good beer aplenty, perhaps mixing in a bottle of Dock Street Truffled Old Ale as as special treat. When I was unable to make either the press preview or official release, the brewery was kind enough to send me a bottle, for which I am most grateful.

Come to think of it, grateful is pretty much my operative state at present. It’s kinda nice.

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Posted in Beer Is Good, Breweries, Brewers, Brewpubs, Mermaids Singing, Personal, Philly | 2 Comments

Is a pint too much beer for the modern drinker?

Posted on January 30, 2012, 8:19 pm by Jack Curtin

Ben McFarland suggests that might be the case.

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Posted in Other Voices | 9 Comments

Belgium and I (albeit briefly) go to West Chester.

Posted on January 29, 2012, 6:23 pm by Jack Curtin

When I arrived at Iron Hill West Chester yesterday for the annual Belgian-style beer blowout shortly after Noon, I asked regional brewer Larry Horwitz how come it was that he’d offered me a special invite to come for a preview of the main event. “I wanted you to see the full menu before the beers started kicking,” he said, “and they will half an hour to 45 minutes after the official opening.”

That sort of kindness surely warranted the photo above (not one of my best, I admit, but the glare from the huge TVs on either side of the bar threw the lighting out of kilter) which shows you the listing of all 29 beers on tap.

Larry was prepared to offer me a huge sample of the whole lineup or my selection from it but I had to demur; I am no longer capable of ingesting any serious quantity of high ABV beers (this lineup would have sent any serious session-beer-advocate screaming from the room–the FE 15th Anniversary Ale from IH Newark was listed at 15% and the median had to be somewhere around 7%+) and then driving). Told to select a beer, I went for Earth Bread + Brewery Patersbier (a 6.7% biere de garde), but there was some problem with the keg, so I opted instead for the very fine Brett Dubbel from IH Lancaster (7.5%).  Later, before slipping out the back door as I said I would in Friday’s post, I had a Weyerbacher Verboten (5.9%), chosen mostly because of its reasonable (in context) abv and the fact that it is a personal favorite. The beer I missed, and probably should not have, was New Holland Blue Sunday.

Because I was early and left early (slightly past an hour after the 1pm opening), I saw only dedicated reprobates among the crowd, Nick and Meg Johnson, Bryan and Patty Kolesar, for example.  And Wanderin’ Joe Meloney wandered in as wanderers are wont to do. I also (courtesy of Larry) spent some time with a brewer/Christmas tree farmer from a brewpub most of you have never heard of, the results of which will be presented in a post here later this week once I catch up with him by phone and can record/write down the fascinating story he told me amidst all the noise.

As noted, I slipped out the back door, perhaps a bit sooner than I had intended. I needed some fresh air and, honestly, once I got it, the idea of returning to what had become a crowd of more people than I need on most occasions and a long line for another beer had lost its charm. I was also, I admit, concerned about the issue my dog-thing might have become for my neighbors since he has, of late, returned to his neurotic ways when left alone (more about that over here for you Buddy fans).

What I really needed for an event like this was a driver, but the last time I had one for this particular one, I ended up a blithering idiot, so there may have been a psychological component to my early departure as well. But that’s my problem. For those of you who have never been, Belgium Comes to West Chester is now established as one of the crown jewels on the ever-expanding local beer event calendar. Like Friday the Firkinteenth or the Bock Fest & Goat Races, you gotta go at least once. And good luck with stopping with just one.

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Posted in Beer Events, Brewpubs | 1 Comment

What I have done done, what I plan to do.

Posted on January 27, 2012, 8:39 pm by Jack Curtin

This is a photo of storm clouds gathering over the new Sly Fox Brewery in Pottstown today. I assume it was taken from the rooftop with Brian O’Reilly’s iPhone, as have been the steady stream of pix which have appeared in a regularly updated Facebook album (again, I regret that this is the way it is and some of you will not be able to and see them).

I am, I admit, quite astonished by this. I always believed that the out-of-focus and pretty awful photos he use to provide were the result of his incompetence. Now that it is clear that the equipment is totally in control, I have apologized to him but, as you can imagine, having to do that is really uncomfortable. The photos that advanced smartphones can take these days are amazingly good.

In any case, of all Brian’s photos at that Facebook site, the one I like best is this one, because it is both poignant and predictive…

Predictive? As I understand it, the plan is to throw Corey Reid into the first boil at the new brewery (whether this was Patrick Mullin’s idea is not yet clear) so that he will always be part of Sly Fox. It’s quite a sacrifice but it has to be admired (I am told that the original plan was to throw Suzy Woods in rather than Corey, which is why she left and is now at Allagash).

I visited the new brewery yesterday and things are moving along smoothly. It now looks like brewing might begin there mid to late February if all goes well. The Tasting Room/Pub/Whatever will probably not open until early summer.

That was yesterday, which is, as they say, gone (except for those who say the past is never over, but let’s not get too serious here, I have beer to drink).

Tomorrow, which is not yet here (except for those who say all time exists all the time and only our inadequate perception precludes our recognizing that, but let’s not get too etc….),  I plan to re-visit the scene of my worst day ever in this beer-writing gig, the day when, for all practical purposes, I first began to realize that a person of a certain age (that would be me) could no longer hang with the likes of the reprobates with whom he had shared Excessive Consumption on a regular basis for the better part of a decade. I will be cheating a bit, arriving early for a preview session and trying to escape before the hordes descend.  It is a chance to stare into the abyss and then walk away.

Pray for me…

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Posted in Beer Events, Breweries, Brewers, Brewpubs | 2 Comments

For amusement purposes only.

Posted on January 27, 2012, 11:54 am by Jack Curtin

The annual “Best” lists at RateBeer.com were released today and, with no concern for his valuable time or his mental health, Kindly Old Mr. Curtin scoured through them to find all (he hopes) Philadelphia regional results and then posted this invaluable information at the usual place.

Greater love hath no man than this: that he lay down his life for readers of meaningless minutia… Something like that.

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Posted in Beer 2012, Breweries, Brewers, Brewpubs, Cafes, Restaurants, Taverns, Fun Stuff | Leave a comment

The New Belgium scenario could involve the Delaware Valley.

Posted on January 26, 2012, 1:28 pm by Jack Curtin

Anent yesterday’s story here about Sierra Nevada going to build its East Coast plant in Asheville, Lew Bryson has a good piece on his site about whether New Belgium might land in our neighborhood. As the story notes, the “short list” comment around which such speculation is built is not new but just a reiteration of what the same spokesperson told the press last year (I wrote about last November).  Still, things have now changed and, as Lew writes, there are some who will conclude  “that New Belgium will now look away, since Sierra Nevada’s in town. There’s not room for two big breweries in town.” (he goes on to explain why such a conclusion is questionable).

The post is well worth a read and the comments are interesting as well (the one from “Anonymous” is particularly thought-provoking). Unfortunately, as is the way it works these days,  there’s another art of the discussion taking place on Facebook, which not all of you chosen to join so you can’t access it.Those who can, might want to.

For what it’s worth, I think it would be a great thing for this region should New Belgium build here and it might even inspire grumpy old sorts such as I to forgive them for having entered East Coast markets last year and not including Pennsylvania. I also believe that it would help, not harm, our established breweries.

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Posted in Brewers, Other Voices, Philly | Leave a comment

North Carolina it is…

Posted on January 24, 2012, 2:52 pm by Jack Curtin

…for Sierra Nevada. Some interesting details  (in bold) as well….

Sierra Nevada Brewing Co. to tap Henderson County

By
Times-News Staff Writer

Henderson County could be on the verge of a major economic coup.

Officials with California craft-beer maker Sierra Nevada Brewing Co. are expected to announce this week they have chosen Western North Carolina for the company’s much-publicized East Coast expansion, sources with knowledge of the negotiations have told the Times-News…

Chico, Calif.-based Sierra Nevada — the nation’s second-largest craft-beer producer, which distributes to all 50 states — is expected to build its new facility at Ferncliff Industrial Park in Mills River.

[ --- ]

Company officials have said they want 50 acres to build the facility, which likely will include a restaurant, tasting room and music venue in addition to the brewing and bottling operations.

Now then, where will the New Belgium shoe drop?

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Posted in Breweries, News | Leave a comment

Another loss. [Update 24 Jan 12]

Posted on January 23, 2012, 10:03 pm by Jack Curtin

Assuming this is true, the beer community in Philadelphia, as well as the sports community, is a bit less bright and shiny tonight. Andy Musser was a great advocate for good beer and was Anchor Brewing’s man about town for years until the company was sold. He helped me out several times, both when I was writing about sports back in the day and more recently during this beer writing gig.

Update:

There is an excellent obit and feature story on Andy and his career(s) in today’s  Philadelphia Daily News.

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Posted in Beer Buddies, News | Leave a comment

Truffle time. It was probably inevitable.

Posted on January 22, 2012, 2:50 pm by Jack Curtin

Start with this:

Dock Street Brewing Co and Four Seasons Hotel Philadelphia Announce
“A Beer Four All Seasons”
Truffled Old Ale is first in a series of four collaborative beers

Dock Street Brewing Co. and Four Seasons Hotel Philadelphia are proud to unveil the first in their new “A Beer Four All Seasons” collaboration series.The Truffled Old Ale debuts on January 30th, 2012 and is the first of four seasonal beers to be jointly brewed. The beers will be produced in limited quantity and available exclusively in the Swann Lounge at Four Seasons Hotel Philadelphia.

Then check out Craig LaBan in this morning’s Inquirer:

The mere mention of a truffled beer is enough to incite shudders and raised eyebrows. Even accomplished brewer Scott Morrison conceded that the “terrible” task of melding such a powerful savory flavor with beer brought trepidation: “How am I going to pull this off?” But with his recent return to Dock Street Brewing Co., he knew this first of several planned seasonal collaborations with the Four Seasons Hotel had to be ambitious. So Morrison didn’t hold back, crafting a sturdily malted English strong ale, then sending it off to the hotel to be aged in used chardonnay barrels, after which it was blended with a measured dose of truffle-steeped vodka. The result, once married, stunned most everyone who took a sip. The rich, moussey head did not smell like the garish cologne I expected. It tasted more like black coffee, dark chocolate, and figs on the first well-rounded sip. The barrel oak lent structure, and then the truffle appeared, subtly opening a trapdoor to a deep, dark earthiness that lingered, until we all took the next sip.

I write a lot about how brewpubs are often the linchpin which helps revitalize an old neighborhood or get a new one off the a running start, and the current day version of Dock Street surely fits that pattern to a T. But there is another side to that coin. The establishment of good, flavorful beer as a high-end product worthy of respect at fine dining venues is an aspect of brewing which helps grow the customer base which makes those old neighborhoods come alive again.

In the big picture, you gotta work the penthouses as well as the row houses. And I continue to be very impressed by what’s happening on S. 50th St. in West Philly.

Plus also, you know, The Dude, forgotten but not gone.

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Posted in Beer Styles, Brewers, Brewpubs, Philly | Leave a comment

How the weekend has gone.

Posted on January 22, 2012, 2:14 pm by Jack Curtin

Since I burdened you all with my weekend schedule/plans, it seems only fair to provide a follow-up. It was pretty much a 50/50 split.

That short story writing thing did not happen. I’d like to blame it all on the inevitable Carl P and his recalcitrant iPad which has issues I’ve been trying to help him solve all weekend so that he can read and offer comments here and at Mermaids (sort of like sleeping with the enemy, now that I think about it), but that would be (mostly) unfair. In truth, the subject paragraph they sent and  asked to be the foundation of an 850-word story did not intrigue me at all, so I bagged it almost from the start.

The Beer Drinker of the Year resumes, on the other hand, have been, as were last year’s fascinating. I think I’ve got it down to four or five entrants from who I will select my top three (then comes the really had part, putting them in one-two-three order), but I will likely go through all ten one more once bright and early tomorrow just to be sure.

The copious amount of beer part I nailed.

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Posted in Beer Geeks, Personal, Writing | Leave a comment