Bruery Batch 300 is a homebrewer's Independence Day

Batch 300 is the winner of The Bruery's homebrew competition last Spring and David has been singing its praises around the house. Style wise, it's an interesting beer; a Belgian style ale brewed with citra hops and aged in oak cubes, i.e. an Oak Aged hoppy Tripel. Lov'n it. I'm also loving the witty repartee onscreen between Big Willie and Jeff Goldblum in INDEPENDENCE DAY.

It's also my brother Warren's last day in town (and we're eating Papa Johns pizza for breakfast, because that's how New Yorkers roll), and he told us a hilarious college memory. A pledge in his fraternity knew the below speech by heart and would get up at parties during band breaks and recite the entire speech. That would be too much for me, I would probably piss my pants to see that happen in its entirety, but you tell me.

Also, who would you vote for as President - Bill Pullman or President Palmer/Dennis Haysbert from 24?

The Batch 300 clocks in at 8.2% and thanks to a very intense piney hop flavor, it's a very American take on a Belgian tripel. The oak imparts a very vinous flavor as well but also contributes to a very balanced and smooth flavor that is without an overwhelming sweetness. As I continue drinking and the beer warms up a little and that complexity from the oak and hops combination really burns through. This is definitely a gentlemanly sipper, but it's oh so good! A tip of the hat to any homebrewer who makes a beer this complex. THE ROCK rating.

Bruery Black Orchard Dark Wit pulls off a hat trick

With my brother Warren in town and me moving out of LA in 6 weeks (you heard it here first), a trip to our favorite brewery The Bruery is in order. I'm designated driver on the way back, so naturally I drink several beers beforehand and plan to sober up while I'm at the brewery, but nobody believes I will! I don't know what I could have done to give them that belief...

 

After a detour to The Bruery Provisions store where Nick G, Warren, David, Aaron B, Jamie, Karl and his crew order some sampler plates and I stock up on beers from there store such as the Stone 15th Anniversary Imperial Black IPA, Iron Fist Velvet Glove and the brand new brew from The Bruery's Provisions Series, Snickelfritz, we're onto the main brewery.

Beer drinkers take blurry pictures. It's an occupational hazard

Upon arrival, I note a sign posted above the bar noting the Bruery produced 2500bbls last year - that's 31 gallons per 1 bbl - so 77,500 gallons. This year they produced 5000 bbls - 155,000 gallons - double! Wow. I've seen The Bruery in Chicago and New York, but I didn't realize until today after I asked the bartender, that this 4 year old brewery is in over 16 states. It's absolutely amazing. We started drinking their beer 3 years ago, and I suddenly feel like I've been at the epicenter of what will become one of the most renowned breweries in the United States. Bruery's a pretty damn special place. This will probably be my last time here which makes me sad - I might even miss the creepy babies hanging around here (Creepy Babies),  so I'm buying a long overdue hat to keep me company in San Francisco. 

The one beer I am going to have today is their seasonal Black Orchard Wit. The style is unique and I've never heard of a black belgian wit bier. It's 5.7% and chamomile is added for the aroma. This could be really amazing or Patrick Rue's day dream gone wrong, what will it be?

The flavor profile is fascinating and delicious, a subtle dark roast bitterness at the beginning that fades as the sweet belgian wit and spice (coriander and orange peel) subtle kick in. I'm going to use that word again because I don't know how else to convey this beer; it's so subtle. As far as unusual styles go, this is up there. I feel like the Bruery pulled of a hat trick here, combining all these ingredients to make a smooth and delicious brew. At the end of the day, we had already filled up our 3 growlers for the party at home with Loakal Red, Mischief, and Snickelfritz, when David walked away from the car and back into the brewery. He returned sometime later with a newly purchased 4th growler full of the Black Orchard. He bought (a probably unnecessary) 4th growler just to make sure we had more of the wit to drink this week because it was that good. A true gauge to the tastiness of any beer is the length a person will go to find and drink it. I think the 4th growler speaks to the power of this beer. BAD BOYS rating.

The brother's Davis take over a table

Oskar Blues Old Chub treats me like scottish royalty, minus bagpipes

I'm at the Alibi Room Friday night introducing the original and by far the best Food Truck food, Kogi, to my brother. Having planned to take him here at some point, I also know what beer I'm getting...OLD CHUB

No, that that old chubby guy, this beautiful scotch ale is from Colorado brewery Oskar Blues, makers of my favorite imperial red ale, Gordon's Red Ale. Oskar Blues also holds the distinction of being one of the first craft breweries to embrace the use of aluminum cans to distribute their product but there's a metallic taste to my first sips of the Chub, so I'm doing the American thing and granting it freedom from its aluminum bonds. Plus I'm a certified beer snob now and must have any beer other than Bud Light poured into a glass.  Excuse me, sir, after passing the grey poupon, can you pass me something Belgian?. That's me, a Snobby Chub.

Kogi knocks my socks off

Did somebody order a scotch, style? The hops are minimal and a rich, malty chocolate flavor permeates the profile. It's full bodied and smooth as jazz. Wow, if there was a chorus of Old Chub drinkers with me, we would all raise up and sing it's praises. Chub is by far the best beer out of a can I've ever had, but I'm glad it's in a glass. If you haven't tried beer from Oskar Blues, don't let the metal fool you - they're worth their weight in gold. THE ROCK rating.

AleSmith Horny Devil mirrors Louie C.K. tonight

David's been saving this AleSmith since December 2010 and we're hoping to compare it to a newer Horny Devil soon. The room is filling with great irony as Warren, David and I are watching Louie C.K.'s latest episode, which is entirely focused upon the topic of masturbation. This season of LOUIE has been outrageously funny. This is the opening sequence from tonight's episode:

Louie is awesome, but the Fox News reporter gets a few jabs in as well, "Shakespeare definitely masturbated" being my favorite. Onto the beer! And Louie's "O" Face...oh oh oh

This is an 11% belgian golden strong brewed with coriander. The spice is deftly utilized with a soft touch. There's a light yeast aroma and the flavor is smooth and slightly sweet, not a lot of caramel going on but a very balanced sweetness. The alcohol is skillfuly hidden as well. This is a nectar of the gods. Did Michelangelo brew this ale? I'm very excited to see what an un-aged 2011 Horny Devil is like. BAD BOYS rating.

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!

Hopf Weisser Bock

The style is a Weizenbock, which is technically a Dunkel Weizen with a higher alcohol level. However, it's reddish in color and is much lighter than the Franziskaner Dunkel Weisse I had yesterday afternoon. A citrus aroma is followed by a full bodied hefe, but I thought it lacked in a taste palate. Now, as far as brothers go, Warren D liked how it finished.

Don Draper isn't that impressed. Get out and give me 20 ideas for a post. NOW

It's perfectly amiable, like a neighbor who walks his dog every morning by your house. He waves, but you don't know him. You wave back but don't attend his bbq. He's friendly but innocuous. TRANSFORMERS rating

Franziskaner Hefe-Weisse Dunkel Joins Delicious Ribs and Queso con Chorizo in My Belly

I'm stoked for so many reasons I can't even tell you.

Ha! Really? This is my blog, of course I'm going to blabber about it. My taller little brother Warren was in town this weekend from New York. Saturday we went to the beach and I returned to make ribs for the first time. Usually cooking is David's department, but he's away in Chicago so I stepped to be the Emeril. BAM! While the ribs were slow roasting for two hours, Warren helped me make chile con queso with chorizo, which Melissa B, Brad G, Jessica W, Warren D, Nic R, and AJ came, saw, and obliterated. And when the ribbies were finished, I was ready with excellent beer.

Fact: Fat Friars Love Pork Ribs. Go Figure

The Franziskaner Dunkel Hefe-Weisse is the moodier, darker brother of the beer I drank Thursday but retains the hefe-weisse's sweetness (btw in German hefe = yeast, weisse = wheat). The dark caramel malts and spices mix together nicely. As far as pairing goes, the pork ribs were already sweet from the Goode & Co. bbq sauce and a more complimentary beer choice would've been a dark ale without the hefe-weisse sweetness, like a Bock. But whatever, I love sweets and the bier was great. The ribs were freaking great. Who's got two thumbs and makes awesome ribs? THIS GUY.

This fella was a well balanced bier and the combination proved a nice change of pace from the normal hefe's and dark beers I've imbibed lately. THE ROCK rating.