Brooklyn Brewery Monster Barleywine needs to be rediscovered in a year

Gotta love any NYC street art that promotes Stephen Colbert and the Colbert Nation.

After another monster of a night, which included making Chile Con Queso at 5am (obviously I'm surrounded by Texans), I'm ready to spend my last hour in NYC with a beast of an ale, Brooklyn Brewery's Monster Ale Barleywine. I've been saving this fella all weekend under Warren's desk so it won't be drunk by some hooligan (i.e. Walker at 5am) and now it's mine, all of it! To be fair, I bought Warren and his roommates one of the best beers in the world to try at the same time, a Rochefort 10.

Love these two cities...And a monster sized picture for a monster ale.

*I love me some barleywine and this fits the bill so far. It's well carbonated and a sweet mix of caramel and chocolate that has a bite to it. However, the sweetness is pretty raw and the alcohol is noticeable. It's a solid barleywine but needs to age. However, I bought this in a 4-pack and there are not many brews of this style that are produced large quantity. TRANSFORMERS rating. 

Brass Monkey Red Ale is one funky monkey day drinking session beer

Well staying up to dawn last night scrubbed any brunch plans, but it's okay, because we're gonna go straight into day drinking at the Brass Monkey in the Meatpacking district. Warren's friends were had already been partying for hours, so our group settled into a back booth and Warren regaled us with college stories as the Belmont Stakes unspooled in the background. In both instances, you gotta love Southern kids. Coming from Pepperdine, Dan and I had a muted fraternity pledging and experience, which made Warren's stories about pledges kidnapping active members and tying them to a light post at their rivalry's school along sorority row, that much more enthralling.

Brass Monkey to my great surprise has their own house beer, a red ale. I'd guess from it's smoothness and subtle caramel notes, it's an Irish-style red ale opposed to an American, but I could be wrong. Regardless, it's easy to drink but a rather simple, tasty beer. Perfect day session beer. TRANSFORMERS rating

After bidding goodbye to our friend Nichole who had to go work at Pop Burger, we set our sites on one of my favorite restaurants in NYC, Fatty Crab (menu).

Last last trip we had it to-go and the food was cold but excellent. Tonight the food was hot, spicy and fantastic. It's Malaysian food, a style of food my naive pebble of a brain didn't think could exist. Lots of spices and spicy sauces. Like a bastard child, I'm the only one in my family who can't handle spicy food and I was this close to spontaneously combusting, but I was still loving it.

Thankfully, we had at our disposal Recession Specials; a tall boy of PBR, a shot of Mr. Daniels, and a shot of spicy pickle juice, which killed the bourbon bite. Of course, the pickle juice further inflamed my scorched tongue, which I had to dunk with PBR. A viscous cycle.

Hopefully you can tell, but the bread/buns the sliders arrive in are amazing. That sauce pictures is sweet like eel sauce but with a different consistency and not as strong. Pretty sublime stuff.

Afterward, a nap and then hitting the Big Apple with my taller, blonder and bluer-eyed little bro, Warren D. Love'n life.

Dogfish Head Robert Johnson's Hellhound On My Ale isn't just for the musically inclined

Good Beer NYC is a beer store and tasting room and is where I'm headed to meet Warren and Lorin, who both got out of work early. If I lived here and wanted to do a beer every day, Good Beer would be my Candyland. It's small space wise but filled to the brim with phenomenal brew from all corners of the globe. 

It would be a contest between this and Beverage Warehouse in LA for beer supply supremacy. And you know who the real winner is? Heyyy, this guyyy.

The Bro's Dubya enjoying Dale's Pale Ale

Flights are ordered and from their roughly 10 taps, I choose 3 lighter beers I couldn't find on the West Coast, a Sly Fox Helles, Troegs Sunshine Pils, and a Left Hand Polestar Pils, and rounded out my foursome with a strong dark ale I can find anywhere but have never tried, Sierra Nevada's Bigfoot Barleywine. We add a golden goose to wrap up the tasting, a pint of Dale's Pale Ale.

I wasn't really impressed with any of my choices, but that was expected. Pilsners and Hells are simple and clean - perfect day drinking beers but not a style that will woo me. Lorin's future roomie who currently lives nearby, Stephanie joined us to hair of the dog her hangover.

After catching up with my friend and new friend, Lorin and Steph depart and Warren and I hobble back to the apartment. Warren is on crutches from an ankle surgery and I couldn't imagine canvassing NYC on four legs. Fortunately, we stop on the way back and pickup cookies and one of the more amazing dessert-edly delights I've tasted, a Cake Truffle. It's the most amazing funfetti birthday cake you've ever had, but in the palm of your hand. My inner fat kid is screaming!

Back at the homestead, I pop open one of the beers I bought at Good Beer, Dogfish Head Hellhound on My Ale. This beer was on my list of beers to drink in New York, and I'm relieved it was so easy to find.

There's such a rich mythology and purpose behind this beer that my words wouldn't do it justice, so here's what the brewer Sam Calagione has to say about it:

"2011 marks the 100th birthday of Mississippi Delta bluesman Robert Johnson who, according to legend, sold his soul down at the crossroads in a midnight bargain and changed music forever. Working again with our friends at Sony Legacy (yup, the same folks we did our Miles Davis-inspired Bitches Brew with), Dogfish Head pays tribute to this blues legend by gettin the hellhounds off his trail and into this finely-crafted ale.

Hellhound is a super-hoppy ale that hits 100 IBUs in the brewhouse, 10.0 ABV, 10.0 SRM in color, and dry-hopped with 100% centennial hops at a rate of 100 kilos per 100 barrel brew-length. Can you tell we at Dogfish are stoked for this mighty musical centennial? To accentuate and magnify the citrusy notes of the centennial hops (and as a shout out to Robert Johnsons mentor Blind Lemon Jefferson) we add dried lemon peel and flesh to the whirlpool."

My fraternity brother, good friend and Warren's current roommate, Dan, enjoying the Hellhound. Only Dan and his roommates would put a golf net in their NYC apt. instead of a table.

These Dogfish fellers are pretty wild. Their enthusiasm and passion for beer is inspiring. And fortunately, so is their beer. The alcohol is well hidden behind a sweet golden colored body and a very citrus flavor profile. As expected, it's intensely hoppy both in flavor and aroma. This is a wonderfully wild and zesty beer to drink, if only once. THE ROCK rating.

Goose Island IPA welcomes me to New York City, four hours late

This was one hell of a day. I wake up early and successfully fly standby for an earlier flight, hoping to arrive in NYC at 7pm rather than 12am in order to spend time with the broham, the brosef, the hambone himself, my brother Warren. However, as we're about to land the plane starts dropping and jumping around, causing the woman next to me to start yelling and grabbing my arm. This is what happened next -

True story. So our approach is canceled and we're diverted out to sea, and about an hour later diverted into Atlantic City. At this point we're 2 hours late. To compound my woes, my phone's screen is broken and I have no way to contact my friends in NYC except my brother, whose number is the only one I have memorized. Long story short, we land in NYC after being on that damn plane for 9 hours, and I f*cking needed a drink. Fortunately I have the best brother in the world and he had a double shot of Maker's Mark and a Goose Island IPA waiting for me when I arrive five minutes to midnight - just in the nick of time!

Goose Island IPA upholds the Chicago brewery's golden standard. It has a light caramel malt that's sweet but makes room for the robust hops, which don't overwhelm the palate. This is a very drinkable IPA, a hoppy midwest session beer, and it's deserving of THE ROCK rating.

Afterward Warren and his two coworkers, Mike and Scuba Steve (pictured) head over to Pop Burger for some 1am brews and burgers. Warren's excited for me to try his favorite Barleywine, the Anchor Steam Foghorn, which is excellent. I'm excited to try the Brooklyn Chocolate Stout (amazing) and our lovely manager/waitress Nichole pushes the Brooklyn Local 1 & 2 on us. I'm an easy sell them all. The #2 is Belgian Strong Dark Ale and isn't quite as delicious as the #1, but you still can't go wrong with it. Warren has to be up early to trade commodities so we call it a night at 2am.

A burger so big I actually had to unhinge my jaws like a snake to eat it. Charming Walker, such a class act

A long, shitty day of zero drink'n ends with a burst of delicious brews from all over the U.S. Thank you brother and NYC for delivering, can't wait to see what the weekend entails!

Brooklyn Brewery Local 1 post 80's coverband Rubix Cube

So Saturday night in NYC was fan-freaking-tastic, we saw the sweet (& ridiculous) 80's coverband RUBIX CUBE at the Canal Club -

Keytar --> Rocked my face off.

Sunday morning greeted me with Patsy's Pizza and a trip to Sidebar for NFL games. With an hour before my flight, I picked up something local: Brooklyn Local 1.

Numero Uno is a Belgian style beer that tastes of light spice and banana. This is damn good and in the vein of Pranqster. I'm quite happy that my Milk Is For Babies has brought me to your golden goodness, I love this style of beer especially from American brewers.

Thank you Brooklyn Brewery and New York city for being good to me. Next time I will be in town more than 36 hours and will enjoy even more of your beer and crazy people. THE ROCK rating.

McSorley's Dark Ale in NYC

Continuing to piss excellence, little brother Warren knew exactly where to take me Saturday afternoon. McSorley's was established in 1854 and is officially NYC's oldest bar. They serve two types of beer; McSorley's light and dark. That's it. Walls crawl with history, pictures and newspapers from every era imaginable. With sawdust covering the ground, people from all walks of life mingle here and take advantage of the $2.50 beers. 

Only $10. Wow

The bar should be on your NYC bucket list. It'd be a really fun place to settle in at a table with 10 close friends and kill the afternoon. You might get real rowdy...

The light ale is like a marzen and heavy on the malts. Not a premium microbrew but a pretty good party brew. I'm going to count the dark ale as my beer. It's a solid stout, toasty with hints of chocolate and coffee. Like an enriched Guiness that's not as full bodied. TRANSFORMERS rating.

Hey New York, PROBST!

Karl Strauss Stargazer IPA

Rushing to the airport for my red-eye to NYC for the weekend, I stopped off at the brew pub for a Stargazer IPA and a meal from Tony Maroni's something or other.

Garcon, where's my dog food?

The night didn't get off to a great start after Jabar lied to me about the food. This 'really tasty' Maroni's chili bowl was crap. I've had Alpo better than this. As for the the Stargazer IPA, it's decent. There are solid hops upfront, but it lacks follow through. I grabbed a 2nd beer and struck up conversation with a fellow traveler, which caused me to almost miss my flight for the 5th time since graduating college. I need to get a watch that doesn't have "Beer O'clock" written on its face.

I've been gone 4 out of the last 5 weekends and loving it, I can't wait to see my lil bro, hit the town and drink some great beer! ARMAGEDDON rating.

Oh my gosh, Ommegang , Hennepin delivers

The last beer from Ommegang we drank last Friday, Three Philosophers, and was no good. However, the New York brewery rebounded with a beer chosen celebrate our first official group tasting with Blake L, Jay S, Sara P and Aaron B.

Hennepin is a 'Farmhouse Saison' and has a beautiful golden body with a sweet and floral and slightly spicy taste. It's crisp and delicious. I could say more, but in researching this beer, I found a comment on the Ommegang website that makes a very powerful statement which I'd like to share with you. Thank you everyone at the tasting, that night was a blast! BAD BOYS rating.

(posted 12/11/2007) "How sad that we learn some very important things at the late stages of our lives. I have spent a lifetime, well at least from about 16 to 85 looking for the perfect beer. Eureka, today I found it. I have no stock in the company, no vested interest, no axe to grind, but today I had a bottle of Hennepin Beer from the Ommegang Brewery. It has an alcohol content of 7.7% and a superb body and taste. Since I love you all, I am passing on my discovery." Robert (85 years old)

We appreciate your sentiment Robert.

Ommegang Three Philosophers May Be Wise But You Taste Barf

David and I bought a three pack of Belgian style beers Saturday at the Toys R' Us of alcohol, Beverage Warehouse in Marina del Rey. Beers came with a free glass (always a sucker for novelty glassware).

David warned me that Three Philosophers was not his favorite of beers. I always liked the label and for whatever reason, doubted him. He warned me...

A Picture Says A Thousand Words

Online, everyone loves this beer. A, A-, B+. It's like a nerd's report card (nerds always get B+ in gym class, duh). We brought it over to a nearby party with all sorts of fun people and were 'generous' enough to let the group taste. 1 out of 6 girls liked the beer. Wow. I bequeathed the rest to the sole fan, Taylor. Biggest issue? It has a pervasive Cherry flavor. Three Philosophers is a "blend of Belgian dark strong ale and Lindeman's Kriek (a classic cherry lambic directly from Belgium."  I just really didn't enjoy this and I wrote some inappropriate notes which I won't share but I will say this - your nice label and free smallish beer glass fooled me like a true sucker. You are my first but not last PEARL HARBOR rating