Beers #89-109: The Sour & The Funky

I was able to get to one event in celebration of Pittsburgh Craft Beer Week 2013 - The Sour & The Funky tasting at House of 1000 Beers in New Kensington (Sat Apr 27).  In light of my poor performance in April, I was eager to enjoy as many sour and funky beers as possible.  I arrived shortly before 1pm to check in. The tasting was run festival-style, with participants given a wrist band and tasting glass for ~2-3 oz. pours from taps and bottles.  It was very laid back, and the majority of my conversations were with Dan, a fellow RateBeer member from Pittsburgh.

Here goes ...

89/365: Bullfrog Jong Bruin:
Nice Flemish sour brown and oaky aroma. No hops. Tart and funky. Dark brown clear with no head. Medium body with medium carbonation. Tart sour brown ale with oak and funky notes, not quite cheesy. Wonderfully acidic and fruity, with smooth tart aftertaste and a bit of lingering sweetness.  Sour Red/Brown  78/100

90/365: Draai Laag La Pienture:
Estery with alcohol and isopropanol notes. Fruity and vapory. Dark brown hazy with foamy-creamy off-white lacing head. Medium body with medium smooth carbonation. Starts a bit sweet with nice oaky notes. Cherries and alcohol, finishing with cherry and oak. Smooth after. Nice tart fruit beer.  Lambic-Fruit  80/100

91/365: Bullfrog Pomme Par Jour:
Mandarin oranges, pears, and a light funk note. Apple must, yeasty. Light golden clear with thin white head. Medium body with medium-high carbonation. Starts sweet with apple notes, light chalky notes, and hop bitterness. A hint of Calvados. Finishes musty and bitter.  Fruit Beer  64/100

92/365: Allagash Interlude:
Light Brett nose but not overpowering. Bit of oak and hint of tartness. Hazy amber golden with thin head. Medium body with medium carbonation. Starts medium sweet with underlying funky-Brett and tart side. Oaky notes with neutral fruit, with light bitter finish. Ends with some carbonic tang and underlying bitter funky quality.  Belgian Strong Ale  76/100

93/365: Bullfrog Aggro Wheat:
Fresh fantastic hop nose with hint of spice to it. Underlying sweetness, grassy. Pale straw with light hazy and very thin head. Medium body with heavy carbonation. Starts with mild wheat and a ton of hops, not funky. Light overall, with a medium bitter finish and chalky after. More of a hoppy ale than sour or wild.  Sour Ale/Wild Ale  80/100

94/365: Petrus Aged Red:
Smells like cherry Sucrets - dark cherry and woody notes. Dark blood-red clear with thin light-pink head. Medium-thick body with medium carbonation with some fizz. Starts sweet with cherries and brown sugar sweetness. Underlying bitterness and tannic quality at the finish. A little too sweet for my tastes.  Sour Red/Brown  68/100

95/365: Anchorage Whiteout Wit Bier:
Smooth yeasty Brett notes, sweet. Subtle nose by very nice. Cloudy straw-white with thin white head. Medium body with light carbonation. Starts yeasty and Bretty with sweetness and a hint of light funk or tartness. Tasty and smooth.  Belgian White (Witbier)  76/100

96/365: 1809 Berliner Style Weisse:
Watery funky nose with apricot and pear nectar notes, light Brett funk. pale straw clear with foamy white lacing head. Medium-light body with medium carbonation. Medium tart beer with light sour-funk. Notes of pear and apricots. Tart but not as sour as other Berliner Weisses I’ve tried. Light, refreshing, and overall, a little watery.  Berliner Weisse  60/100

97/365: Cisco Island Reserve Pedaler Blueblerry Bleer:
Mild funky notes with predominant notes of blueberries, fresh and musty aromas. Light tang and medicinal funk. Dark blue-reddish hazy with thin pink lacing head. Medium body with medium carbonation. Starts and stays tart with lots of berry flavor. Musty and bitter with blueberry sour finish, light chalky acidic after. A bit of BandAid in the after, but not bad.  Fruit Beer  68/100

98/365: BRUX Domesticated Wild Ale:
Pretty mild nose, light Brett and neutral fruity funk and some honey. Cloudy golden amber with white lacing head. Medium-heavy body with medium carbonation. Starts and stays sweet with mild Brett and light honey, caramel. Not much funk to this one. Perhaps needs to age a bit? Belgian Strong Ale  62/100b

99/365: Jolly Pumpkin Madrugada Obscura:
Sour Coco Wheat! Funky and chocolatey nose with hints of coffee and molasses. Muddy coffee-brown with thin cocoa-colored lacing head. Medium body with silky carbonation. Tart stout with tons of cocoa powder and wonderfully tart finish. Smooth.  Stout  74/100

100/365: Uinta Crooked Line Birthday Suit - 20th Anniversary:
Nose of sour milk and lavender. Tart and smooth. Dark brown clear (like root beer) with thin head. Medium body with medium-high carbonation. Like Hawaiian Punch and apricots, sour and tasty and easy drinking. Almost like a fruit juice with carbonic tang. Smooth tart after.  Sour Ale/Wild Ale  78/100

101/365: Oude Gueuze Tilquin a l'Ancienne:
Sour, Bretty, horse blanket and leather. Funky, sour, and sublime. Hazy golden amber with thin white head. Medium watery body with medium-high carbonation. Starts sour, sour, sour. Brett, acidity, and funky leather. Dry, tasty gueuze that I could drink all day. Funky, sour, tasty, and refreshing. Sublime.  Lambic-Gueuze  86/100

102/365: Green Flash Rayon Vert:
Nose of BandAid and Brett, carbonic tang. Hazy golden amber with foamy white lacing head. Medium body with heavy carbonation. Starts medium sweet and dry with tons of Brett and light BandAid. Pale malt and carbonic acidity. Really carbed up, surprised these aren’t bottle bombs. Smooth tangy finish with light Brett, dry after.  Belgian Ale  74/100

103/365: Russian River Sanctification:
Mild tart nose with good Brett notes, yeasty and aromatic. Pale golden hazy with thin white lacing head. Medium body with medium-high carbonation. Starts and stays sour with tons of Brett and sour-funky notes. Carbonic acidity, with sour and Bretty finish. Nice one.  Sour Ale/Wild Ale  80/100

104/365: Goose Island Madame Rose:
Tart fruit and cherry, vanilla and oak. Nice aroma. Dark brow-amber clear with thin lacing head. Medium body with medium-high carbonation. Nice cherry sour and Bretty funk. Smooth and tart. Oaky with vanilla and light chocolate. Delicious.  Sour Ale/Wild Ale  82/100

105/365: The Bruery Rueuze:
Funky and Bretty and sour. Nice wheaty funk. Very traditional profile. Cloudy golden pale with no head. Medium body with medium carbonation. Tons of Brett and funk, with acid reflux sourness. Delicious and reminiscent of traditional versions. Nice sour gueuze that I would drink a lot of.  Lambic-Gueuze  82/100

106/365: Rodenbach Vintage (2010):
The aroma of Grand Cru, oaky and sour with soy and vinegar. Dark reddish-brown hazy with thin off-white head. Medium body with medium carbonation. Sweet, oaky, tart, and sugary. A bit of cherry, light oxidation. Beany sweet finish with light soy tang.  Sour Red/Brown  72/100

107/365: Goose Island Matilda:
Nice funky nose, sweet with a bit of vapor and light woody notes. Mild Brett. Medium golden clear with light haze, topped with big fluffy head. Medium body with medium carbonation. Starts light sweet with caramel, honey, and a bit of funk. Yeasty with alcohol vapor and honey. Light sweet funky after.  Belgian Ale  72/100

108/365: Telegraph Reserve Wheat: 
Medium wheaty nose with a bit of sour character. Cloudy pale with thin head. Medium body with medium carbonation. Mild sour Brett notes but overall a bit watery. A decent level of sourness but not assertive. Wheat-lemon after.  Berliner Weisse  58/100

109/365: Voodoo (HTP) Hail to Pitt IPA:
Wonderful fresh hoppy nose, floral and bright. Mild sweetness. Pale dull golden clear with thin lacing head. Medium body with medium carbonation. Huge hoppy profile throughout and mild sweet character. Big hop flavors from start to finish. Big hoppy finish with bitter lasting after.  India Pale Ale  66/100

Whew!  All in all, a really nice tasting. Well run and laid back with a lot of great samples to try.  I'm still behind in my tastings, but a little closer now to being caught up.  I look forward to getting back on track, and in particular, I am excited to get back to this year's Pints For Pets Brewfest in Altoona on May 18.

Beers Offered at the 2013 "The Sour & The Funky"

On Saturday, April 27, House of 1000 Beers in New Kensington held "The Sour & The Funky" beer tasting event from 1-4 pm, in celebration of Pittsburgh Craft Beer Week.

Here was the line-up:
Bottles:

• Anchorage Whiteout
• Petrus Aged Pale
• Petrus Oud Bruin
• Bell's Oarsman
• Bockor's Cuvee des Jacobins Rouge
• The Bruery Saison Rue
• Cisco Pedaler Blueblerry Bleer (no, that's not misspelled)
• Goose Island Matilda
• Green Flash Rayon Vert
• Hanssens Oudbeitje
• Hanssens Oude Kriek
• Jolly Pumpkin Madrugada Obscura
• Jolly Pumpkin Maracaibo Especial
• Liefmans Cuvee Brut
• Lindemans Cassis
• Lindemans Cuvee Rene
• Lindemans Faro
• Oud Beersel Framboise
• Professor Fritz Briem 1809 Berliner Weisse
• Rodenbach Classic
• Sierra Nevada/Russian River Brux Domesticated Wild Ale
• Telegraph Reserve Wheat
• Tilquin Oude Gueuze
• Timmermans Framboise
• Timmermans Kriek
• Timmermans Strawberry
• Timmermans Bourgogne des Flandres
• Uinta Birthday Suit (20th Anniversary)
• St. Louis Gueuze Fond Tradition
• Monk's Cafe 

On Tap:

• Allagash Interlude
• Petrus Aged Red
• Bullfrog Aggro Wheat
• Bullfrog Jong Bruin
• Bullfrog Pomme Par Jour
• Draai Laag Goedenacht
• Draai Laag La Pienture
• St. Louis Framboise

Special bottles (after 3pm)

• The Bruery Rueuze
• The Bruery Sour in the Rye
• Goose Island Madame Rose
• Rodenbach Vintage 2010
• Russian River Consecration
• Russian River Sanctification

Beers #22-28: Pittsburgh Day Trip

Over the past few years, a few of my friends and I have tried to take a one-day, beer-related road trip.  Sometimes we've gotten in a couple, sometimes just one.  Sometimes, it's just two of us and other times, there have been three or four of us - we all have families, jobs, and other obligations so it's not like the days of college road trips.

In late January, Dave and I took a Pittsburgh road trip.  We got off to a bit of a late start because of a two-hour delay in the local schools, but we made the most of the short time we could get away.

The first stop was for lunch and beer at Fat Head's Saloon in the South Side section of Pittsburgh. Fat Head's beers are brewed in Ohio, but they keep a lot of them on tap (along with about 25 other brands) in Pittsburgh.  My first beer was not a new one, but delicious enough to have again - Fat Head's Head Hunter IPA - with my burger and fries.  For dessert, I tried ...

22/365: Lagunitas Sucks Holiday Ale:

Great fresh hop aromas, grassy, spicy, light rubber, and piney. Mild malt sweetness. Dull golden amber clear with creamy off-white lacing head. Medium-heavy body with medium carbonation. Starts medium sweet, pale malt, light caramel. Tons of fresh spicy hops. Big bitter finish that is not overwhelming or offensively bitter. Bitter finish with sweet bitter after.  Specialty Grain  82/100

From Fat Head's, we headed over to Smokin' Joe's in order to find a limited-release offering from Stone.

23/365: Stone Enjoy By IPA:

Enjoy by 2-15-13. Terrific fresh hop aromas. Grass, pine, bitter citrus peel, apricot … heavenly. Very funky with ozone and bong water. Deep amber clear with foamy white lacing head. Medium body with medium carbonation. Starts lightly sweet, funky with grass, resin, ozone, and rubber. Potent hop character throughout, with burnt brown sugar and creme brûlée sweet finish. Fairly smooth bitter after, very tasty. Imperial/Double IPA  88/100

Next, we walked across the street to Piper's Pub, where we enjoyed a couple of pints and BS'd with Hart, the bartender. 

24/365: All Saints St. Mosey's Black Pils:

Dry tangy nose with lots of roasted character. A mix between a stout and a schwarzbier. Mild sweetness. Dark black opaque with thin cocoa tan lacing head. Medium body with medium carbonation. Roasty and chocolatey with sugar tang. Medium bitter finish with nutty light sweet after. More like a schwarzbier than a Bohemian pils.  Bohemian Pilsener  88/100

25/365: Victory Midlands Stout:

Nice roast to the nose, roasted barley with lots of hop character. Mild coffee and chocolate, dusty grain. Dark black opaque with thin lacing head. Medium body with medium-light carbonation. Starts roast with light tang, carbonic acidity and light caramel. Dry finish with light bitter after.  Stout  72/100

From the South Side, we drove up to the new location of East End Brewing, which now shares a great space with Commonplace Coffee.  Nothing new on tap for me to try, but I picked up a growler of Monkey Boy (German Hefeweizen) that Dana and I enjoy.

Our last stop before heading home was at House of 1000 Beers, in New Kensington.  The House always has something new on tap, and their bottle selection is incredible (and prices are a bit cheaper than bottle shops in Allegheny Co.).  We sat at the bar (next to the owner) and enjoyed a couple of offerings.

26/365: Firestone Walker 16 (XVI Sixteenth Anniversary Ale):

Toffee, caramel, vanilla, oak, bread pudding with caramel sauce. Sublime nose and only improves and expands as it warms. Dark black opaque with thin off-white to light tan lacing head. Medium-heavy body with medium carbonation, smooth. Alcoholic warming, slightly boozy. Sweet start with bread pudding, caramel, oak, vanilla, and licorice. Warm finish, heavy with oak and vanilla. Delicious sweet after but not cloying. Nice example of what you can do with brewing.  American Strong Ale  94/100

27/365: Urban Chestnut Zwickel: 

Wheaty grainy nose with noble hop notes. Medium amber clear with thin off-white lacing head. Medium body with medium-high carbonation. Starts medium dry with wheat and pale malt sweetness. Noble hop bite, carbonic acidity, and light hop finish. Zwickel/Keller/Landbier  70/100

28/365: Clown Shoes Muffin Top:

Hoppy nose, fresh and fruity with orange blossom, sugary sweet and almost cloying. Medium golden amber hazy with thin head. Medium body with medium-light carbonation. Sweet start with sweet malty caramel and biscuit. Big hop flavors with almost cloyingly sweet after. Bitter sweet and tasty.  Belgian Strong Ale  80/100

 We each picked up a few bottles (Dave grabbed a Pliny The Elder!) before heading back home.

Up next ... a couple of tastings with friends

In Pittsburgh Steht Ein Hofbräuhaus

Ich kann nicht glauben. Vor drei Jahren, ich hab' gehört "es kommt bald", "nächste Monat", usw. Aber jetzt das ist endlich hier! Gestern meine Frau und ich haben besucht das Hofbräuhaus Pittsburgh für Mittagsessen. Es erinnert mich auf dem Münchner Hofbräuhaus, aber ein bischen kleiner. Die Brezen sind OK gewesen, aber die Bierkäse hat toll geschmeckt! Die Speisekarte hat eine gute Sammlung - Burgers, Salaten, und viele Wurst zum Beispiel.

Das Bier ist genau so wie man erwartet gewesen. Alles ist dort gebraut - ausser jetzt der Hefeweizen ist in München gebraut. Andere Biere sind Dunkel, Lager, und Light.

Wenn Sie in Pittsburgh sein, Sie müssen der Hofbräuhaus besuchen. Klassiker Essen und Trinken, und traditioneller Tischplan (und Musik!).

Monkey Boy, Smokin' Joe's, and Another Batch Bottled

Yesterday, Dana and I went to Pittsburgh for the day. After having breakfast at Cafe 701 (isn't there a Cafe ### in just about every town?) with our friend Erick (also now a homebrewer), we got ready and hit the road. Well, I should say, first we did some stuff around the house and left around 11:30.

We decided the main visit of the day would be Phipps Conservatory. Dana wanted to see the spring flowers and also the newly opened butterfly forest exhibit. But first, I had an errand to run since we'd be on the right side of town - that is, get a growler of East End Monkey Boy, a really nice German Hefeweizen that Scott debuted last month. I was hoping to get some before it was gone (like the fate of the Cherry Grisette!), since I don't make it down as often as I would like. We strolled in at 12:45 or so .. absolutely empty, unlike every other Saturday visit I've had.

By this time, we were hungry, so we drove over to Shadyside for lunch at Girasole, a nice little Italian bistro on Copeland Street. Luckily, we got a table inside and not the patio, because half way through our meal the skies opened up for a nice shower.

After lunch, we hit Phipps and walked around for over an hour and a half. Nice place. While inside, a big booming thunderstorm passed - amazing how much water really comes down when the whole ceiling is made of glass! Dana picked up a neat little garden decoration - a tiny solar-powered 'lamp' with a hand-blown glass flower top. We put it out today, and as I write this I see it glowing in the dark out in the back yard. Kinda cool.

From Phipps, we took a slightly scenic drive through Schenley Park and over to Homestead, where we drove around the Waterworks 'mall' area. There's a Rock Bottom there, but we skipped that this time. I visited one in Seattle last summer, but wasn't hugely impressed - especially compared to our local scene. We killed some time, instead, in Barnes & Noble, where I read through a few beer magazines.

Next, it was on to the South Side. We tried to get a table at Fat Heads, but the wait was an hour! So we ambled down a block or so to Smokin' Joe's. We found no wait, and a nice tap selection. Between us, we had a Stoudt's Abbey Tripel, a Magic Hat Odd Notion Irish Red Ale, a Boulder Beer Obovoid Empirical Stout, and a Dogfish Head Burton Baton.

Slightly happy now, we decided not to eat there, but rather head across the street to Primanti Bros. Again, if you've not been to Pittsburgh or have been but not eaten here - do yourself a favor! The best place to have one is the original 18th Street location in the Strip District, but you can find them several places now, including PNC Park for a Pirates game.

After dinner, we were tuckered out form the day and drove back home.

Today, I bottled the Coffee Porter I made back in January. I'm a little slow this year! Anyway, it finished at 1.011 and tasted pretty fine. I hope it will be ready for the grand tasting during our Homebrew Club meeting on May 13!

Super Tuesday (for beer, not voting)

Yesterday was my Spring Break beer-related day, starting with a road trip and finishing with a homebrew club meeting. It wasn't quite the journey from last year, but it was a great day.

I picked up Justin (aka Naka) at 10am, and after grabbing some caffeinated sustenance at The Commonplace Coffeehouse, we headed west on Rt 422 towards Kittanning ,Butler, and New Castle. At New Castle, we hung a left toward Boardman, Ohio, our first destination.

Why Boardman? Well, because of an absolutely wonderful beer & wine store named Vintage Estate Wine & Beer. First, we had lunch up the road at a place called Rocknes Pub & Restaurant ... a run-of-the-mill pub like TGI's or Chili's or "Chotchkies". The food was fine but uninspiring. In fact, the whole strip of businesses and restaurants all along Rt 224 in Boardman was the most bland yet eclectic collection of businesses I'd seen in a long time: Home Depot next to a mall next to Olive Garden next to a mattress store next to an adult store called "Ambiance". The whole area kinda sucked the spirit out of you. But I digress....

Vintage Estate!! Man, worth the two-hour drive from Indiana. The beer selection was phenomenal and the prices, compared to Pittsburgh beer stores and the asinine Allegheny Co. Onorato tax, were very, very reasonable. I had a wish list and some cash from Eli, whose order I filled first. Justin was busy gathering his stuff.

After getting Eli's stuff, I picked up the following:

• Ølfabrikken Porter


• Haandbryggeriet Norwegian Wood


• Nils Oscar Imperial Stout


• Nøgne Ø Imperial Stout


• Mikkeller Big Worse Barley Wine


• Chouffe Houblon Dobbelen IPA Tripel


• Mad River Steelhead Scotch Porter


• Tripel Karmeliet


• Allagash Curieux


• Bottleworks Van den Vern Grand Cru


• De Dolle Arabier


• De Dolle Dulle Teve


• Left Hand Milk Stout


• 't Smisje Grande Reserva


• Weihenstephaner Korbinian


• Weihenstephaner Vitus

After making the purchases and loading the car, Naka and I headed to the back of the store for a sampling of some of the beers that Ron Bush (the proprietor) had on tap. He rotates six different ones and yesterday there was:

1. Weyerbacher Blithering Idiot


2. Flying Dog Double Dog Double Pale Ale


3. Founders Pale Ale


4. New Holland Night Tripper


5. Bell's Consecrator Doppelbock


6. Lagunitas The Hairy Eyeball

I'd had the Lagunitas and Weyerbacher before, so I tried the other four.

After a great time at Vintage Estates, we hit the road and drove straight to East End Brewing in Pittsburgh - making it just in time for growler hours at 5pm. There weren't many people to show up between 5-6, so we hung out and chatted with Scott and Richard, tried a few samples (including the soon-to-be-released Monkey Boy, a German Hefeweizen). I left with a growler each of the Best Bitter and the Dubbel Trubbel.

We left Pittsburgh and headed home. After dropping Justin off and stopping home for a bit, it was time to head uptown to The Coney for the March meeting of the Indiana Homebrewers Club. The article about our club, published in the local paper last month, helped get us six new members last night! We talked about the hop shortage, tried some great homebrews and the two East End beers, and I ended up staying until midnight.

In all, a great beer day!

A Big Ol' Pittsburgh Beer Tasting

This past Sunday, I drove down to the Sharp Edge Creekhouse for a beer tasting, dubbed the RateBeer Pittsburgh Gathering. Participation was certainly not limited to site members, and luckily so: more people to meet, more people to bring good beer, and more people to help drink all of that beer!

We were fortunate to have some "insiders" at the Sharp Edge who could set up a private area, ice for keeping bottles/growlers cool, snifters, and rinse water .. along with some pitas and other munchies. My thanks to Hart and all the Sharp Edge staff who put up with us on that afternoon.

So, there were approximately 15-20 of us throughout the afternoon, with some late arrivals and some early departures. I, unfortunately, had to head back to Indiana before all the beer was sampled, but between the road conditions, the 90 minute drive, and my tolerance - it was good that I left when I did.

Here's what we had:
1. East End Smokestack Heritage Porter, on tap (courtesy of the brewer himself, Scott Smith)
2. Rivertowne Honey of a Nut Brown, growler (courtesy of Bob)
3. Castelain Blonde Bière, bottle (courtesy of Mark)
4. Heavyweight Lunacy, bottle (courtesy of Hart)
5. La Moneuse, bottle (courtesy of Mark)
6. Bière Darbyste, bottle (courtesy of Mark)
7. Church Brew 120 Shilling Smoked Wee Heavy Scotch Ale, growler (courtesy of Joyce)
8. Rivertowne Bringing It Bock, growler (courtesy of Paul)
9. Uitzet Tripel, bottle (courtesy of Mark)
10. East End Three, bottle (courtesy of Dennis)
11. Piraat (10.5%), magnum (courtesy of Nick, Emily)
12. Cantillon Bruocsella 1900 Grand Cru, bottle (courtesy of Hart)
13. North Country Psychedelic Nightmare, growler (courtesy of Dennis)
14. Aecht Schlenkerla Helles Lagerbier, bottle (courtesy of Mark)
15. Gouyasse Tripel (aka Goliath), bottle (courtesy of Ryan)
16. Captain Lawrence Xtra Gold, bottle (courtesy of John)
17. New Belgium La Folie, bottle (courtesy of John)
18. 3 Fonteinen Schaerbeekse Kriek, bottle (courtesy of Alan)
19. Alaskan Smoked Porter, bottle (courtesy of Alan)
20. Church Brew Mexican Mole Stout, bottle (courtesy of Joyce)
21. Southampton 10th Anniversary Ale, bottle (courtesy of Jason)
22. North Country Liquid Love Stout, growler (courtesy of Dennis)
23. General Lafayette 275th Anniversary Ale, bottle (courtesy of Jason)
24. Nøgne Ø Dark Horizon First Edition, bottle (courtesy of Hart)
25. Church Brew Cherry Quadzilla, bottle (courtesy of Dennis)
26. Trader Joe's Vintage Ale 200?, bottle (courtesy of Nick)
27. Southampton Abbot 12, bottle (courtesy of Nate)
28. Otto's Jolly Roger Imperial Stout, bottle (courtesy of Nate)
29. Thirsty Dog Siberian Night Imperial Stout, bottle (courtesy of Mark)
30. Hurlimann Samichlaus (1995), bottle (courtesy of Mark)

I also took a few bottles of homebrewed coffee porter to pass around. I didn't get a chance to try the last 5 on the list, but was only really bummed about the Hurlimann Samichlaus!

Anyway, it was a great afternoon of socializing, trying outstanding beers, and appreciating good beer in the company of others who do the same. Hopefully, we'll get a chance to do it again soon.

Onorato Tax

I was watching the Pittsburgh news last night and of course one of the big stories was the start of the new 10% alcohol tax imposed on 'poured drinks' in Allegheny County. They had the manager of the Big Burrito Group on the report, showing that at all of their establishments, the tax on the bill was listed as the "Onorato Tax". Many bars in the area had signs outside telling customers to "Thank Dan for your higher drink prices".

The restaurant and bar association members tried to have a judge put a hold on the action last week, claiming it unfair because there are certain exemptions (like casinos for example) to those who can be taxed. The biggest exemption, of course, is the state run monopoly that is our liquor store system. Of course, for consumers, it's nice not to have to pay more when buying spirits, but the local pub or restaurant is getting hosed.

I think the whole mess sucks. Pennsylvania has probably the highest, if not THE highest, taxes on alcohol (including the 18% Johnstown Flood tax). Now, for those rare times when I actually get to enjoy a fine pint of Belgian or micro beer in Allegheny Co., I'm going to have to pay $0.40-$0.80 more. All to fund a mismanaged and corrupt Port Authority transit system, which I never use.

Here are some links for more information:
OnoratoTax.com
outside.in

A Step in the Wrong Direction

Pennsylvanians already pay 81% tax on their alcohol .. Allegheny County wants to tack on another 10%.

For more information, see Stop Drink Tax.

Why, you ask, does Dan Onorato want this approved by the State? Because of the Pittsburgh Port Authority and it's clusterf**k situation, which you can read about here.

Heading Off to Boise

Today I started my vacation. I'd been looking forward to this for a while (months) particularly since I'd be seeing my younger brother for the first time since January. He moved from Pittsburgh to Boise and will be there for a couple of years, unless he decides to stay.

Anyway, despite this excitement about traveling, I was also a bit bummed because my wife could not accompany me due to her work schedule. We'll make up for that next summer!

I left Indiana around noon and headed to Pittsburgh. I was thinking about having lunch at the Rivertowne Pour House, but decided against it because of time/traffic. I stopped at D's 6 Pack to pick up a couple of bottles to take to Idaho for a fellow RateBeerian (BückDich). I couldn't find a couple that I was hoping for, so I grabbed him two Penn offerings (St. Nikolaus and Penndemonium). I also got two bottles of Southampton (Grand Cru and Abbot 12) to have later (and I should have grabbed that 07.07.07 while it was still available!!!).

From D's, I drove to Robinson and had lunch at Bocktown. While there, I sampled the Sprague Farms Lightning Ale and the Great Lakes Prohibition Pils. Awesome fries at Bocktown.

Finally, time to head to the airport. Parked off-site and caught a shuttle over, checked in and hung out at the gate. My flight from Pittsburgh to Salt Lake City left on time, arrived early, and was without incident.

Too good to be true, of course. How foolish of me to expect with my Irish luck that the whole trip would go smoothly. Upon arrival at SLC, I found that my 45 minute layover was going to be at least a couple of hours. I was supposed to leave at 7:35, but actually left at 10:00. So, while waiting there, I sampled some Utah brews at both the Wasatch Pub and Squatter's Pub and Brewery. If you're going to be stuck at SLC for an hour or so, I recommend Squatter's.

At Wasatch, I tried the Polygamy Porter and the Hefeweizen. Now I was hungry, so I decided to have a small pizza at Squatters Pub and try their beer sampler, which included Provo Girl Pils, Full Suspension Pale Ale, Chasing Tail Ale, and Captain Bastard's Oatmeal Stout. Passable offerings, but nothing spectacular ... hardly surprising for Utah beers considering the overall religious tendencies of the state.

The flight to Boise got in by 11:00pm, and I took a cab to my brother's house out in Meridian. He had already been at the airport to pick up my parents, whose plane arrived on time two hours earlier.

By the time I arrived, everyone was pretty tired from traveling. I had a few snacks and tried a New Belgium Skinny Dip before heading off to bed.

Rivertowne Pour House

I stopped by to visit the Rivertowne Pour House in Monroeville yesterday. It's just less than an hour drive from Indiana, and well worth the travel. They just opened last week, so I'm sure that they're running through the normal business opening pangs, but I have to say that the service on a Saturday afternoon during the US Open was tops! Great attention from the staff and they all seemed to know a lot about the beers (or weren't afraid to say they didn't know rather than trying to BS their way through).

Menu looked good, and I tried the Bacon and Cheese Fries. Tasty.

The beers? Well, they have 15 on tap plus one on beer engine. The full list is found on the web and there are samplers available. I tried several (10 to be exact) and was very impressed by the quality and range. Two fruit beers, two Impy stouts (one barrel aged), a pale ale, an IPA, a golden ale, a scottish ale, irish red, amber, ESB ... Wow!

All the ones I had were tasty, but the two imperial stouts (Buffalo Trace Bourbon Barrel Stout and Clavrock Imperial Stout) and the Wylie's IPA were top notch.

Check it out if you're in the area! Two great brewers working together can only be a good thing :)

Penn Microbrewers Fest

On Saturday, June 2, I drove down to the Penn Brewery in Pittsburgh with three friends and attended the Pennsylvania Microbrewers Fest from noon to 3pm. We were very fortunate to have been given some complimentary tickets from one of our local publicans, Tim McQuaide, who owns and runs The Coney. He couldn't make the event, and since he knows what a beer geek I am, he passed them on to me.

We arrived just at noon, so I dropped the guys off and parked down the street. By the time I got up to the gate, the line was finished so no waiting. I'd been to this event in 2002, and this was done a bit better. First, there seemed to be fewer admitted guests, so that cut down a bit on the lines and the heat. Second, they finally had rinse stations set up and since the event was in the parking garage, waste beer/water could be thrown right in the drains. Nice.

It was a pretty darned good showing of Pennsylvania's finest, along with some regional brewers from New York, West Virginia, Ohio, and even a few from Vermont and Colorado. (see the link above for full listing).

Unlike some other festivals I've been to in the past, I didn't try to get a bunch of ratings this time. Since I didn't pay for a ticket, I felt more like wandering around and chatting with brewers and seeing what was going on.

I did try Penn Brewery's Penndemonium, a doppelbock by label but really more of a heller Bock. Two others that I particularly enjoyed were Weyerbacher Muse and Southern Tier's Un*Earthly Double IPA.

I also tried two beers from Union Barrel Works, the Kölsch and the Doppelbock. Pretty good stuff. And finally a West Virginia Brewing Baltic Porter and Yards Saison. I didn't think much of this saison, really.

The neatest beer I tasted was a very raw and young beer from the Bullfrog that will be called "Black and Blue". It's a fruit beer made with blueberries and black raspberries. Just the small taste I had was extraordinary and I hope I can get the finished product when it comes out! Thanks Terry, for a taste (and thanks to Bill and Mark for cluing me in about it!). Everyone keep up the great work.

East End Brewing on TV!

This Tuesday, January 30 on WQED at 7:30pm, the boys from Dave & Dave's Excellent Adventure will be visiting Scott at East End Brewing to see what good beer is all about. I can't wait to see that one! Congrats to Scott for great P.R. :)