100 Posts

The last post was Brew York City’s 100th post. This calls for a celebratory beer for all. Cheers!

(C) 2004, Comedy Central

Fourth Annual Beer Olympics

Bar Game Olympics IV was an auspicious day. Held on the 75th anniversary of the repeal of Prohibition, it was an apt day to celebrate beer. One last-second cancellation – I’m talking 11am before the Opening Ceremony at noon – left us in the lurch. Luckily, our man was willing and able to fill in. A slightly controversial early departure by Will was made known, but a planned afternoon switch with Rade would make it work. Better to have a new partner than none at all.

In attendance: Will, Jabe, Adi, Adi’s friend Tommy, Jason, Bee, Mike, and me.
After the Opening Ceremony, we proceeded to the first event, bowling. Before the event starts, teams were selected through the patent-pending BGOGC method. Without giving away too much, it involves small pieces of paper and a hat or similar concavity.
First team drawn: Adi and Jabe.
A formidable duo. Adi is a two-time Champ, winning back-to-back years in Bar Games II and III. Jabe is not only a professional athlete, but is good at every game I’ve seen him play, from ping-pong to ice hockey.

Second team drawn: Tommy and J.
This team is a dark horse, for sure. Both are newcomers to the games but both have been following the games for years. Strangers to one another, they share a common drive to prove that they belong and, more than that, win it all.

Third team drawn: Mike and Will.
This a powerful twosome, each playing to the other’s weakness. Mike’s strengths are experience, a strong showing at the shufflepuck inauguration in III, and an unrivaled hand at the erotic photo hunt. Mike’s weakness is the yard. Will is Yard Race record holder, one of the stronger darters, as well as a reliable all-rounder in bowling and pool.

Fourth team drawn: Bee and Charlie.
Bee and I could not have been more thrilled. Award-winning College Beirut partners, teammates in all imaginable sports, and drinking buddies, we felt confident. Bee is a first-rate Yard Race, a strong bowler and darter. My strengths have typically been shufflepuck, pool, and Buck Hunter. My biggest weakness is easily the Yard Race.

Bowling
Adi + Jabe – 114 + 142 = 256
Tommy + J – 147 + 81 = 228
Mike + Will – 108 + 178 = 186
Bee + Charlie – 133 + 95 = 228

Mike's Infamous Sidebowl

Despite needing just six pins in the final frame, I choked, hitting exactly five, tying us for second, and only earning us 2.5 points.

Bowling Scores

Standings after one event
Adi/Jabe – 4 points; Tommy/J – 2.5 points; Bee/C – 2.5 points; Mike/Will – 1 point.

Shufflepuck and pool were combined at Plug Uglies where we walked in around 2pm to find the bartender eating lunch having just unlocked the doors.
In round robin play here’s how shufflepuck finished up:
Mike/Will took first, Bee/Charlie in second, Adi/Jabe took third, and Tommy/J in fourth.

Adi and Tommy compete in puck.

In pool, Tommy and J came roaring back, taking a critical first place. Bee and I maintained with second place, Mike and Will came in third, and Adi and Jabe took an uncharacteristic (especially for Ad) fourth place.

After three events:
Bee/C – 8.5 points; Tommy/J – 7.5 points; Adi/Jabe – 7 points; Mike/Will – 7 point.
It’s still very much anybody’s game, particularly with the Yard Race approaching. The Yard Race really is the great equalizer and the only necessarily alcohol-related event of these most heralded of games.

Last year was a record-setting day of Phelpsian proportions at the Gingerman. The previous record of 48 seconds set by Owen and Will was beyond the four-minute mile. It was untouchable. Their combined passing and chugging abilities were a maelstrom of disappearing lager. However, that record was crushed twice last year, and the current record sat at 38 seconds, held by Adi and Bee, who went on to win it all in III.

I’d like it to be known that this was our fourth consecutive year. We entered the Gingerman and asked for the requisite glassware, only to be rebuffed and told they were “for show”. We sent our lawyer (Will) and our most-respectable and charming participant (also Will) to talk to the management. Needless, to say we persevered, though one of the giant glasses was missing – no doubt broken by some unprofessional clod.

Yard by Yard

We used two glasses, letting two teams participate at a time. This prevented the awkward meeting of bulbs that often occurs when eight slightly inebriated contestants stand in a semi-circle and lift a three-foot glass at the same time. Gingerman management, take heed: We will be back this year. Please do not deny us.

With Max timing us, we set out. Fourth place went to Adi and Jabe whose chugging abilities while not poor, did not do them any great service. A poor pass also hampered them and they limped in after 1:20. Tommy and J came in third, around 1:15 or so, while Bee and I completed the drink in a minute flat.

However, there was awe amongst the many onlookers at the Gingerman this day. Mike, who started for his team, breathed in beer and nearly drowned himself. Will, seeing his partner in distress, grabbed the chalice and lifted it to the sky as though sounding a great oliphant to Charlemagne himself. Max, slack-jawed at the performance, barely remembered to tell us our time of one minute. Will and Mike had completed the Yard Race in a mere 28 seconds. In the presence of life-altering events, people remember moments differently. Will recalls a 26-second draft, while other recall up to 31 seconds. Either one is a Herculean feat.

A Champion at Work

Following the Yard, was Darts. Ship of Fools and its multiple boards gives us the most economical way to perform this event. Likewise, they have Big Buck Hunter and outstanding wings. Bee/Charlie came in first, then Adi/Jabe, Tommy/J, and finally, Mike/Will.

After the Yard and Darts, the standings:
Bee/Charlie – 15.5; Mike/Will – 12; Tommy/J – 11.5; Adi/Jabe – 11

With two events left, Big Buck Hunter and Erotic Photo Hunt, Bee and I knew we had to perform with the plastic shotgun. Will and Mike are both seasoned BBH marksmen, and Mike’s nude image sleuthing is legendary.

Jaber on BBH

Adi and Jabe went first, posting individual scores of 4642 and 4505, respectively. Strong showings, considering our mental states at this point after a day of fierce competition and cheap tap beer.
Bee and I were next. Bee put up a seemingly overpowering 5320, while I put virtual White Tailed Deer on the endangered species list with a 6310. Mike, with new partner Rade, shot an outstanding 4674. This could be enough to push them ahead as Rade, fresh from work and ready to kill, put up a 5283. Tommy and J, perhaps out of figurative ammunition, posted 3786 and 3896.
BBH Totals:
C/B – 11630; Mike/Rado – 9957; Adi/Jabe – 9147; T/J – 7682.

With only photo hunt remaining, we had previously decided to move onto Aces and Eights, in case a tie-break Beirut game was necessary. However, with our win on the gun Bee and I clinched the Gold and decided to celebrate by, well, playing Beirut.

Photo Hunt #1. Or is that a 2?

Photo hunt tallies:

Mike + Rade – 375044 + 204300 = 579344

J + Tommy – 235250 + 325464 = 560714

Jabe + Adi – 213942 + 145500 = 359442

Bee + Charlie – 191724 + 95553 = 287277

The final tallies on the day:

First Place: Bee and Charlie – 20.5 Points
Second Place: Mike and Rado/Will – 19 Points
Third Place: Adi and Jabe – 15 Points
Fourth Place: Tommy and Jason – 13.5 Points

All in all, a successful Olympiad, my first win and Bee’s second consecutive. With newcomers and visitors, World Records, and Beirut, it was one for the history books. Or at least the beer blog.

A Disappointed Adi had hoped for a three-peat. Charlie, left, finish first with Bee. Mike, right, finished second with Will and Rade.

Macallan Scotch Tasting

While beer makes my world go ‘round, I am not one to turn down a new experience. So, when Ad told me about the Macallan scotch-tasting he had passes to, naturally I had to accept.

I know nothing about scotch except that until a matter of months ago, I could barely look at it, let alone smell or taste it, without retching. However, I have opened my mind a bit and was ready for this single malt. Again, I have very little idea of the difference between a single malt and a blend.
When we got upstairs, we were welcomed with a fine oak 10-year scotch, either neat or on the rocks. We took a seat and grabbed some hors d’oeuvres one of which was perhaps the best I’ve ever had. It was thick-cut, maple bacon with some sort of chutney on top. I don’t really know what type of chutney it was—it’s unimportant when compared to the bacon.
Anyway, after the 10-year, we were given a brief presentation by Graeme Russell, a Macallan brand ambassador. The presentation was essentially a VH1-style clip show featuring goings-on from the year the scotch was made.

The first scotch was a fine-oak 15, matured in 3 different types of casks. The nose had hints of cinnamon, the palate was vaguely fruity—orange and raisin mostly—and the finish was lingering.
The next was a fine oak 17, a really pretty amber color with a more floral aroma and a peatier taste and citrus finish.
After these, we had two sherry oak scotches. That is, these were aged in barrels previously used to age sherry. The color of each of the second two was more amber, deeper, and less gold. The sherry oak 12 was very smooth with hints of caramel in the nose, vanilla in the mouth, and a moderate wood finish.
Finally, the sherry oak 18 had a much stronger, more astringent mouthfeel than the others. There were hints of ginger, which gives you an idea of the type of almost-bitterness that it had.
The presentation was well-done and my favorites were the fine-oak 15 and the sherry oak 18. And of course, they all went very well with maple bacon.

Greatest Office Ever

I figured I’d get this post out of the way before December. My office had an Oktoberfest (I KNOW, I SUCK AT THIS) and it was strong to quite strong. Louis–pronounced “Loo-ee”–our resident Frenchman, who has since left, went and purchased a great deal of beer for us all to sample. I also brought in a double-deuce of Pilsner 89 for everyone to enjoy and it was met with a decent amount of enthusiasm. The common phrase seemed to be: “You brewed this? It tastes like beer!” Music to my ears. Anyway, the beer selection included some I’d already tried. Here was what was new to me:

• Innis & Gunn
• Fischer Amber
• Black Sheep Ale
• Tusker
• Pinkus Pilsner
• Oude Geuze Boon
• Young’s Chocolate Stout
• Heller Bamburg Aecht Schlenferla Rauchbier
• Scaldis Dubuisson
• Sam Smith
• Ayinger Oktoberfest

Special shout out to the Heller Bamburg which had so much smokiness, it was like drinking a meat tray. It is certainly a unique brew and certainly not a session beer by any stretch, but well worth trying, especially in winter time. The alcohol does not overwhelm as the main flavor is pure smoke.

Also Innis & Gunn uses oak bourbon barrels which imparts a fantastic earthy vanilla flavor and thick malty mouthfeel. Again, worthy of whatever your local distributor charges.

Oude Geuze Boon was, to me, more a sparkling wine than anything else. Many of my coworkers thought it was champagne. Certainly there were strong apple notes and the carbonation was reminiscent of a lambic.

Sucktoberfest

According to this site, there was supposed to be an Oktoberfest street fair in my brother’s neighborhood at the beginning of October (I know, I’m the W.B.E.). So, after a pretty rough Saturday night, we all got motivated for some German bratwurst and beer; a little hair of the dog. It happened to be opening day for the Giants, so Will and I were pretty pumped. The girls humored us.
We staggered west until we saw the ubiquitous NYC street fair booths: Mozzarepas, tube socks, and banzai trees. As we looked south toward the heaving hordes, we were dubious. We should have trusted our instincts long before we got out of bed. However, fall was upon us and we were in the spirit. All the boys wanted was a couple of Spaaten, but it was all for naught. Crappy glass wares and sweatshop-labor baby clothes is all we saw. Needless to say, we were crushed

Still, we pressed on. Surely, one of those booths off in the distance must offer an amber relief from our staccato stupor! The farther we fought through the corn-on-the-cob munching crowd, the more we battled against the imitation-Thinsulate-glove buyers, the deeper we fell into the quicksand of quantity over quality, and the farther we tumbled from pints of happiness. We never found a beer at that street fair. We never found bratwurst. We left home in search of German delicacies and ended up with Italian sausage.

I suppose it could have been worse.

Except the Giants lost.

Brewtopia Success

I love Brewtopia–or the Great World Beer Fest, as they call it. Last year was at the Javits Center, this year it was over at Pier 92. Nicole scored press passes (again) from the kind folks at Schmaltz Brewery on what was a crappy, rainy Friday. As we neared the pier, people were pouring across the Westside Highway. We got upstairs to a huge line, and very little order. We waited for a few minutes before finding the table with our passes. We looked back to see the huge line, and our spot in it which was no longer. Luckily, we were press and just walked in the back in front of the world. It’s good to be the king.

Sending me into a beer festival is like sending, say. a small human–maybe a toddler, into a convenience store with a large array of confections.

Iget a little excited.

Anyway, if you look at some older posts, you will know I like to take notes. And that they quickly devolve from careful details to a few shorthand jots and abbreviations. Here’s what we tried:

• Sly Fox IPA
• Sly Fox Stout
• Ithaca Cascazilla
• Heartland Brewery Ploughman’s Ale
• Heartland Brewery Oatmeal Stout
• Dogfish Head 60 Minute
• Dogfish Head Peche
• Oskar Blues Gordon’s
• Captain Lawrence Liquid Gold
• Okocim Polish Lager
• Zywiec Porter
• Zywiec Lager
• Lagunitas Kill Ugly Radio
• Lagunitas Copper Ale
• Schmaltz He’Brew Jewbelation
• Butternuts Snapperhead IPA
• Smuttynose Old Brown Dog Stout
• Smuttynose IPA
• Saranac Pomegranate Wheat
• Arcadia Double IPA
• Arcadia London Stout
• NOMAD APA
• Original Sin Cider
• NJ Association of Homebrewing Stout
• NJ Association of Homebrewing IPA
• Legacy Hoptimus Prime
• Legacy Hedonism Ale
• Brooklyn Winter Ale
• The Belgian Room Maredsous
• Cricket Hill IPA

That’s 30. What a glorious way to spend a Friday. Along with meeting some great people, including the NJ Homebrewers, Cask-beer aficionado Alex Hall from NOMAD (nestled in the Purple Valley–Go Ephs), and Jeremy Cowan from Schmaltz.

Blind Taste Test – Pale

OK, I can’t promise too much, Dirty Harry is on MaxHD and I’ve got a few Butternuts Pork Slap Pale Ale sitting in my mini-fridge. Oh man, those guys just robbed the bank. Poor bastards didn’t realize that Inspector Callahan was having a hot dog at Jaffe’s Kwik Lunch right across the street. He’s still chewing, after wasting two crooks. So badass.

By the way this Pork Slap, while not overly hopped has a beautiful caramel color with a slight murky cloudiness and a clean aroma of hops. The head is creamy with a beautiful clinging lace that leaves rings down the glass. The mouthfeel is thinner than most pales, it is not as aggressive as some of its other canned counterparts—like OB Dale’s—or even bottled Sierra Nevada, but it has a sweetness on the tip and sides of the tongue that eases any alcoholic bite that sometimes accompanies the higher ABV pales.

Sorry, back to the taste test. In August (I know, I know), my brothers, my dad, and I had a blind taste test of pale ales and IPAs. I spent some time collecting bottles and sixers and brought them all to Nantucket where the ladies were kind enough to serve us the samples in glasses so we wouldn’t know which was which. I am a self-professed die-hard hophead, so I was pretty eager to try a lot of the brews, but it is worth noting that we had a huge pizza dinner (courtesy of Foood for Here and There, for anyone familiar with Nantucket eats) and were over-served on meat-lovers’ pies and High Life.

The Champagne of Babies

Here are the beers, in the order we sampled them, with some of the more intelligent comments that we wrote down and an average of the points we awarded each out of 100. Note that Will was in a sling, so didn’t write a score and his comments were verbal–and particularly insightful. Remember, these are all quotes, I just didn’t want to put quotes around every sub-point. Enjoy, let me know what you think.

Here’s a ‘before’ look at this pleasant Nantucket summer experience.

• Magic Hat Fat Angel
  • Good hoppiness and mouthfeel, overall poor finish. 68
• Rogue Dead Guy
  • Good head-retention, hints of honey, cloudy, perfumed. Will described this as being “like French artillery: weak, and with no range.” 59
• Lagunitas Maximus
  • Strong hoppy start but with a bitter, metallic, licorice finish. 57
• Stone Double Bastard (courtesy of Kirk Struble from Westside Brewing Co.)
  • Dark head, high, ABV, “undrinkable, tastes like liquor”, “terrible alcohol taste.” 40 (Max gave this a “fail” so only Dad’s 30 and my 50 factored in here.
• Cisco Indie Pale Ale
  • Fruity finish, peachy aroma, unremarkable. 54.3
• Stone Coast Batch 420 IPA
  • Soft aroma, no floral hoppiness, thin and undistinguished. Will said it tasted like “dandelion soup.” 65
• Tuckerman Pale Ale
  • Smooth, traditional, creamier, wheaty aroma, poor head retention. 75.3 (Harry just entered the stadium. Scorpio’s in big trouble. Here comes the “you tried to kill me” exchange. Harry makes a great shot across the football field to drop Scorpio.)
• Middle Ages Wailing Wench
  • Good sweet honey finish, sweet hoppiness but low IBU and carbonation, nutty, honey-infused but pure. Will sez: “Like Pooh’s underwear”. 80.3
• Harpoon IPA
  • No negatives but uninteresting, unbold, drinkable, good head retention but too lager-like. Will sez “like a Midwestern preacher’s wife.” 69
• Red Hook Longhammer
  • No character, hoppy but too much tip of the tongue, unexciting but drinkable. 66.6
• Cisco Whale’s Tale
  • Poison, nail polish, gone bad, meaty aroma, Velspar varnish, acidic. Will sez: “This fucking sucks.” 33 (Another “fail” from Max).
• Anchor Steam
  • Copper, good head-retention, full and tasty. 82.6
• Stone IPA
  • Acidic and fruity, perfumy after-taste, decent legs. 77.6
• Sierra Nevada Pale Ale
  • Soft, slow carbonation, professional and nicely hopped. 86

So there it is, the Davidson Blind Taste Test. I have to admit that I think sampling 14 of anything as assertive as IPA–especially after a huge pizza dinner–makes it difficult to discern a great deal. Also, the comments became decidedly shorter by round 10. A lot of these beers would be great on their own, in a proper pint glass, so my apologies in particular to Dead Guy, Stone DB, and Cisco Whale’s Tale (which we’re pretty sure was skunked. I had it on tap a few days later, and it was delightful). As you can see, the overall winners were Anchor Steam and Sierra. I would claim bias; being able to pick out Sierra should not be hard for this particular group. However, it was the last beer sampled and we were all about aled out at that point, so it’s pretty fair. A notable third and fourth place go to Tuckerman’s and Wailing Wench. Tuckerman’s was a bit lighter than the others which, after the gluttony that occurred pre-test, probably accounts for why we liked it. Wailing Wench will need a second visit. I saw some at the Union Square Whole Foods (where I got the Pork Slap) and will have to have further conversations with the beermeister there who showed the requisite enthusiasm. He chooses, orders, and stocks the beer and asked what I thought he was missing. I mentioned Dale’s which he said they’d had but were sold out and he offered to order something specially. Point being, a great selection with great prices, but I digress.

Anyway, it might have been a good idea to do the test in the afternoon with plenty of water to accompany. Will and I got overserved; here’s the ‘after’ photo. Sorry.

BrewFest Success

I was itching to get out of work like never before for this thing. Not only was it Friday, but I had a beer festival to get to! The line was snaking from the entry tent all the way north, then east past the store fronts. The line moved quickly and soon we were in, holding our sample glasses. And they were, in fact glass, a nice touch. Heartland Brewery was the sponsor so, despite their “Ruby Tuesdayness,” the event had good funding. Even Brewtopia last year had plastic sample cups.

The event was not laid out terribly well, there should have been cordons at the approaches to the taps so as to prevent people cutting in. That said, I never waited more than a couple of minutes for a taste. For some reason, this event was populated by more people there to get drunk than actual beer enthusiasts. At the Oskar Blues tent, I was describing Dale’s to someone and asked if he liked IPAs. He said “I like all beer.” A good man, for sure, until he added, “I’m just here to get drunk.”

Come on, people. Don’t pay $50 to drink beer in four-ounce increments as though they were well-shots at Brother Jimmy’s. Slow down, enjoy your brew.

Anyway, that is unimportant. Below are the beers I tried. The asterisk indicates that it’s new to me.

Abita Amber*

Abita Turbo Dog

Amarillo Anonymous*

Brooklyn Oktoberfest

Butternuts Porkslap Pale* (Fantastic website)

Crop Circle Amber*

Defiant Cherry Cask Ale*

Flying Bison Barnstormer*

Flying Dog IPA

Geary Autumn*

Geary Pale Ale*

Great Divide Pale Ale*

Ipswich Pale

Ipswich Stout*

Keegan Lager*

Keegan Pale*

Kelso Nut Brown*

Long Island Meadery Traditional Style*

Leinnenkugel Sunset Wheat*

Oskar Blues Dale’s Pale Ale

Oskar Blues Old Chub*

Pacific Rim IPA*

Peak Organic Pale* (had their Nut Brown at Farm Aid, which was a better brew)

Rogue Amber

Simcoe IPA*

Six Point Righteous Rye*

Six Point Sweet Action

Southhampton Grand Cru*

Smuttynose IPA

Sprecher*

Weyerbacher IPA*

 

As you can see, 31 beers, most of which were new to me. That’s a successful evening of brewfesting. The stand-outs were the Pacific Rim IPA and the Simcoe IPA. The Peak Organic Nut Brown I’d had really was better than the IPA. Some of the pales just didn’t have enough body. Six Point, as hard as I try to like it as a local brew, has that problem. Both the Sweet Action and Righteous Rye just lacked and sort of significant body or solid mouthfeel. As always, OB Dale’s was outstanding as was Abita Turbodog.

The Southampton Grand Cru also deserves a nod. I’ve not been too impressed with their IPA, so it was nice to have a good Belgian to mix it up on my Hop Quest.

Next up, Brewtopia 2007!

 

NY Brew Fest!

Got a message from a fellow beerhead yesterday about this. It took some doing trying to get through to the Brewery as the number listed online was wrong. However, good ol’ Metro NY had a Heartland ad with the correct number so I finally spoke to someone this morning while I was walking from the 6 to the E at 51st and Lex (one of a few stations that provides service). I also got an email reply from the wonderful beerfest organizers saying that more tickets had been released online. I snatched one up most rickey-tick. So, my initial though fleeting fears of tickets to this seaside oasis being sold out were all for naught. I’ve printed out my ticket–a glorious 8½” x 11″ key to a golden door of hops and joy. Hope to see you there.