Beer Nut

You get to choose

Posted on July 2, 2009 by Norman Miller
Filed Under Beer, contest | Leave a Comment

The Boston Beer Company is letting beer fans choose their new beer.

The 5th Annual Beer Lover’s Choice contest will begin on Monday, and continue through Sept. 30.

Beer lovers will have a chance to sample two different beers, and then vote on which one will be released in six packs in January of next year. beers

This year’s contenders is the Samuel Adams Pils and the Samuel Adams Ale.

The Pils is described as a traditional Czech pilsner “with a twist.” It is brewed with five different Noble Hop varieties.

The beer is very well-done. I prefer German pilsner’s over Czech pilsners, but this is an easy drinking beer, with a nice little hop bite.

The Ale is actually and IPA, and is brewed with German, English and Americn hops.

This is a very good IPA - not overwhelming like a double IPA, but very well-balanced, with some fruity notes to it.

My vote is going to the IPA. I’m always looking for an affordable IPA in six packs, and I think this could fit the bill nicely. A lot of people have wondered why Sam Adams has not brewed an IPA, and now they can change that.

Click here to find a list of tastings where you can vote for your favorite beer. New tastings are added every week.

A night in Philly

Posted on July 1, 2009 by Norman Miller
Filed Under Beer, bars, brewpub, food | Leave a Comment

Every year, I take at least one beer trip. This year, I chose Pittsburgh and Philadelphia.

I wrote about Pittsburgh in this week’s column, which you can read online later today by clicking here, but I saved Philly for the blog.

I had been to Philly before, but my friend, Charlie Breitrose, had not, so we decided to break up the trip to Pittsburgh by spending one night there before returning to the Bay State.

Philadelphia has a reputation as a strong beer city, and it’s a well-earned reputation. There are some fantastic bars.

The first stop you have to make when you are there is Monk’s Cafe. I’ve only been to one bar in the northeast that has a comparable Belgian beer selection (Ebenezer’s in Lovell, Maine). 06264s16thst

Monk’s is small, cramped and dark, but the beer list is absolutely amazing. Many rare beers you can get nowhere else in the country.

One of those beers is Monk’s Cuvee, which is a blend of three different Cantillon Gueuzes. The sourness makes you pucker, but it’s refreshing and there is an unexpected, but pleasant hop backbone in this beer.

The bottled list is also great - several pages long. The prices are, for the most part, not that bad. Nothing but good beer here. They also had Russian River’s Consecration Ale available. I seriously considered buying a bottle to go.

The great thing is the bartender was very knowledgeable, and was also helpful. We were looking for a place for dinner that also had good beer, and she recommended a couple of places that may not get a lot of press, but fit what we were looking for.

We stopped at the Good Dog Bar & Restaurant. Great beer selection, but I think myself and Charlie were the only ones without tattoos in the place.

I grabbed a couple of local beers with dinner - Sly Fox’s Willamette Pale Ale and Yard’s Pale Ale. My dinner, a grilled cheese sandwich with grilled apples and bacon was excellent. The side of french fries and sweet potato fries with a homemade sauce completed the stop there.

We then headed to the Nodding Head brewpub for a couple of beers. This place was packed, but the service wasn’t bad at all. The best beer they had was The Phunk, a sour ale. The Acerbic Wit was spot on for the style.

If you like bobble head dolls, this is the place for you to go. They are everywhere.

Our final stop of the night was Jose Pistola’s . It’s a Mexican restaurant/pub, which just happens to have some really good beers on tap. The Lancaster Milk Stout, full of creamy goodness, was a good nightcap. One complaint - the bathroom is two flights up from the main bar, which turns into a long walk after three days of drinking.

I had fun this beer trip - 17 bars in three days, I brought back plenty of good beer I can’t buy here, including beer from Bell’s, Duck-Rabbit, New Holland and Terrapin.

The one thing I realized is, I’m getting too old for three days of drinking this much. Future beer trips will now feature more time at bars, enjoying the particular beers, rather than trying all the different bars the city has to offer.

Do you have any beer trips planned this year? Where are you going? Or what has been your favorite trip?

‘Gansett beer rally in Boston

Posted on June 30, 2009 by Norman Miller
Filed Under Beer, swag | 3 Comments

Sorry I haven’t posted lately, I have been on vacation. Click here tomorrow to read about my trip.

Narragansett owner Mark Hellendrug wants to build a brewery in New England.

To do that, Narragansett must sell 7.5 million cases of a beer per year.

So, beginning on Thursday, Narragansett will host a rally in Boston.

Hellendrug is asking ‘Gansett lovers to join him at Copley Square at 5 p.m. on Thursday for a march along Boylston Street. products_lager

The march will end at the Rattlesnake Bar & Grill at 382 Boylston St. for an after party, and will feature ‘Gansett swag and a speech by Hellendrug.

Also, Narragansett is on the lookout for new ‘Gansett Girls. If interested in being a ‘Gansett Girls, there will be an open call for “beer beauties” at the rally.

I hope Narragansett is successful in building a brewery. Although not a craft beer, it’s much more flavorful than the average mass-produced American lager. It would also be good to have a real, regional brewery like in the old times.

By the way, if it’s raining, skip the march and head right to the Rattlesnake at 5 p.m. for the party.

Have fun if you go.

Preparing for beer festivals, and what to do once you’re there

Posted on June 18, 2009 by Norman Miller
Filed Under Beer, festival | 2 Comments

With Beer Advocate’s American Beer Fest happening this weekend in Boston (are you going? You really should, I think tickets are still available by clicking here), it got me thinking of how I prepare, and the things people do that irritate me once they are there.

Typically, I don’t drink any alcohol the night before the festival. It’s all about hydration from the time I leave work on Friday until the time the festival begins. glass_water

Dehydration will be your biggest enemy. Drink water before you get there, and make sure to drink water at the festival. Not only are you drinking liquor, which dehydrates you, but typically it gets hot and you’ll sweat some. Again, hydration is a key.

As far as food goes, I usually eat a decent-size, but not huge breakfast. I typically have lunch about an hour before the beer fest. If you decide you don’t want lunch at that time, there is always food at the festival, just make sure to eat.

Again, after the festival, myself and my friends usually walk to a local restaurant, and have a sit-down dinner. It’s a good way to wind down after three hours of drinking.

Also, during the festival, check out the bathroom situation. There’s nothing worse waiting in line for 15 minutes when you really, really need some relief. Plan accordingly.

Once at the festival, there are some things you should and shouldn’t do.

It’s a beer festival, so it is inevitable, some people may have too much to drink. If you do, stay in control. There is nothing worse than a sloppy drunk making a fool of themselves at a beer fest.

If you know that you may get a little tipsy, make sure to use public transportation, or to arrange for a ride ahead of a time.

Beer festivals are full of beer geeks, myself included, and a lot of them are excited about meeting their favorite brewers. It’s natural that you want to talk to them about their beers, but be aware of the line behind you.

There is nothing more irritating than being in a long-line and someone at the front decides to play 20 questions with a brewer. Wait for a time when there are smaller lines, or when the brewer is taking a break and getting things to drink himself. savewater

Other than that, just have fun. I typically hang out with some friends, often I meet new people and talk about and drink some great beer - what’s better than that?

Do you have any other advice, let me know? I’ll be at the festival on Saturday afternoon. If you see me, stop by and say hi. I’ll be the fat guy wearing the Hagar the Horrible T-shirt.

New Dogfish Head beer

Posted on June 17, 2009 by Norman Miller
Filed Under Beer | 6 Comments

Once I took the first smell of Dogfish Head’s newest imperial IPA, Squall, I knew I was in for a treat. squall

I could practically feel the hops in my nose, the aroma so strong coming out of my Dogfish Head snifter. It was fantastic, reminiscent to how a fresh 90 Minute IPA smells on draft.

The taste was phenomenal. The hops were dominant, particularly Cascade, but there was a mellow sweetness just under the bitterness, giving this nine percent ABV beer just enough of a malt backbone to provide a nice balance.

On a scale of one through 10, I’d give this a nine.

The Squall is 100 percent bottled conditioned, dry-hopped with Cascade, Amarillo, Simcoe and several other hops.

It is only available in 750 ml bottles.

If you like heavily aromatic IPAs, this is definitely the beer for you. Buy it while it’s still available.

Beer tasting at the museum

Posted on June 16, 2009 by Norman Miller
Filed Under Uncategorized | Leave a Comment

The Peabody Essex Museum in Salem will host the “Connoisseurship of Dutch Beer, Food and Culture,” at the museum on Aug. 20.

The evening will feature Peter G. Rose, an art and food historian.

He will present a talk about Dutch beers and the connection between Dutch culture from the 17th century until now.

During the talk, there will be a food and beer pairing presented.

After the talk, five more varieties of Dutch and Flemish beer paired with foods, including cheeses, Dutch-style fries, seafood and chocolate, will be available.

The event will be held on Aug. 20 from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m.

Reservations have to be made by Aug. 14. The cost is $50 for members, and $60 for nonmembers.

To make reservations, log onto pem.org.

Saranac Summer Brew

Posted on June 16, 2009 by Norman Miller
Filed Under Beer, seasonal | Leave a Comment

I usually try to use my blog to recommend beers for you to go out and try, but today, I’m writing about a beer that I think should be avoided.

The Saranac Summer Brew was just not a good beer. I generally enjoy most of Saranac’s beers, but the Summer Brew is a big swing and a miss.

Described as a “German Radler,” it’s a blend of the Adirondack Lager and lemonade. summer-brew-1

The problem is they seem to use the sweetest lemonade possible. It may have worked better if it was tart.

The beer is only 3.5 percent ABV, which is fantastic, but it was hard enough to choke one down.

I ordered it at a bar Saturday not knowing what it was. After the first sip, I almost sent it back because I thought the glass wasn’t washed, but then I read the bottle. The taste was just unpleasant.

If you try it, let me know what you think about it. Maybe I’m way off on this. I know someone used to post comments about radlers on this blog before, so if you’re still reading it, give it a try and tell me what you think.

German fun this weekend

Posted on June 12, 2009 by Norman Miller
Filed Under Uncategorized | 3 Comments

The Boylstone Schul-Verein (German-American Sociial Club) will hold its Sommerfest tomorrow and Sunday.

The event will be from noon to 11 p.m. on Saturday, and noon to 6 p.m. on Sunday.

The event is being held at 8 Country St., Walpole.

Highlights include German beer and wine, as well as German food, homemade cakes and pastries and a lot of other food.

There will be activities for children, target shooting and a raffle.

Tickets are $8 each, and children under 12 get in for free.

Pets, coolers and grills are not allowed.

German band The Mountain Tops will perform on Saturday and Sunday.

Spending more money for beer is never good

Posted on June 10, 2009 by Norman Miller
Filed Under Beer | Leave a Comment

The guys at Beer Advocate, as well as the Massachusetts Brewing Guild is asking beer drinkers to join them in trying to get the proposed sales tax increase on alcohol stopped.

Alcohol is already taxed federally, and the tax would basically be a tax on an already taxed item. I know I don’t want to spend more money on beer.

I can’t imagine it could be good for small craft brewers in Massachusetts, or liquor stores on the New Hampshire border. Plenty of people already go to the Granite State to buy their liquor, and I foresee more doing so if prices continue to increase.

For more information, click here. Maybe if enough people contact their local representative, something can be done about this.