S A V O R .

Early morning drop off at Savor, the room looks awesome.

Golden Cap Saison and Dragon's Milk pouring on the main floor, Fred and Gail's Salon will feature some amazing pairings:

#1) Fig infused truffle & Sundog Amber Ale
#2) Shitake truffle & Dragon’s Milk – Barrel Aged Stout
#4) Lemongrass & ginger truffle & Black Tulip Trippel
#5) Seasalted Caramel and Pilgrim’s Dole Wheatwine
#5a)Raspberry truffle with cacao nibs
b)Cinnamon & cayenne truffle with Night Tripper Imperial Stout

SAVOR. Read more!

Well worth all those $ .50 tolls

NoVa, where it all goes down. I have been to Northern VA several times in the last year. There's a bunch of good beer going on and as i learn more and more each trip, there is some amazing food. Best part of it all of course is that in most cases the two can be found in the same place at the same time.

After reading and hearing about the triumvirat of Magnolia at the Mill, Tuscarora Mill, and Fire Works, i finally got a chance to hit all three in a couple of hours last week and holy smokes, talk about a best foot forward. Now, in eye catching 'list' format is a quick word on each for those in the area who may only have time for one.

Fire Works - Leesburg, VA

We popped our heads in just for a beer and a hello and the hunger that was majorly present prior ballooned when the smell of the wood grill hit me. The pizza special of the day featured shrimps, ramps, and fiddleheads. Oh how i love seasonality. Everything looked and smelled delicious and after a pint of Lagunitas Undercover Shutdown it was time to see about some lunch of our own.

Tuscarora Mill - Leesburg, VA

Tuskies had a strong lunch crowd. A good weekday lunch crowd tips the odds towards the probability of a nice plate of food. The taps are set low, just under the bar so you have to look down at the markers to see what's on (aside from the up to date beer list of course) and after turning down an Aventinus draft (i'll have to make a run to Quotations) we set about ordering and just grabbed a little bit of everything. My lunch mates and i settled on a small mid-day feast and darn near cleared every inch of every plate. We had house charcuterie with a really nice country pate, pork rillette, soppresatta, chorizo, and pepperoni before diving into a plate of sweet breads, a nice seared ahi with soba noodles, Cippino with lobster butter, little necks, mussels, corvina, and scallops, broiled trout with fresh asparagus (tis the season, ya know) and one of the day's specials: Tempura oysters on spinach salad with lava salt. Wow, that's lunch mind you. Stone Brewing just did a beer dinner at Tuskies and i would go to any of their events in a heartbeat. The staff knows their beer and their food and it's mighty good. Those in the area can rush in to see if our Golden Cap Saison is still on tap.

Magnolia's at the Mill - Purcellville, VA

Mile long tap towers in a beautiful old building greet you at Magnolia's and chef Mark Morrocco's food is just plain out of site. We were in for the New Holland beer dinner and i found myself keeping my beer intro's on the short side because i couldn't let myself stray from any of the courses for very long. A nice, fun crowd came out for the event and the pairings were spot on. A'la a little cut and paste i present you the menu:

Greeting Beer
Full Circle Kolsch-Style Ale

1st Course
Chilled Sweet Corn & Crab Soup
With Avocado & Chili Oil
Golden Cap Saison Ale

2nd Course
Hickory Grilled Lamb Slider
With Harissa & Mint Aioli
Served with Spring Herb Tabouli
Mad Hatter IPA

3rd Course
Soft Shell Crab
With Pickled Green Tomatoes
Black Tulip Trippel

4th Course
Hickory Grilled Veal Medallion
With Dijon Rosemary Potatoes Au Gratin
Dragons Milk Aged Oak Barrel Ale

5th Course
Espresso Panna Cotta
With Chocolate Covered Espresso Beans
Poet Stout

Finale
Existential Ale
Water-Barley-Hops-Yeast
That’s it

I loved the pairings here. Dragon's Milk and Black Tulip both, because of their strength and construction, often end up as dessert beers and i was very excited to see these earlier in the meal. Every single course was more amazing than the one prior. I still have the taste of the panna cotta on my tongue.

So there you have it. All three are sure fire can't misses if you are in the area. Also some great finds on this trip were products from the Haskins Family Farm, the wonderful selection & delectable BBQ @ Paeonian Grocery, as well as James his hard work at Red, White, & Bleu in Fall's Church.

The latterest of the above in addition to great beer, wine, cheese, and meats had some exciting news (and samples to share) this was my first time hearing and tasting anything (a smoked duck sausage that was just amazing) from Jamie Stachowski. Stories of an outlandish looking man who smells like a smokehouse had me, the list of different charcuterie he offers was the nail in the coffin. Other than restaurants, it seems Red, White, and Bleu is the only place you can buy Stachowski's offerings for home use.

In all, a great pre-Savor trip with fun food surprises. Read more!

The Guys in Robes, My Favorite Beer Style, Promises of a Spring Mix Grain Bill Post Explosion!!

5/17/08 - The KBS Brunch, Round Two. More dudes, more robes.

As always, Sunday's themed Beer Brunch at Teresa's Next Door brought a hearty crowd. Great food, good beer, and a bunch of familiar faces is always a great start to a Sunday. To go all statistical on you: the number of attendees in robes doubled from last year. Those are staggering numbers right there.

If you click around this site enough you'll notice a certain badge of bravery awarded to a certain Big someone after a certain bar opened to the public in the final moments of 2008. Well the beer involved in that whole ordeal has lead to another fine beer drinking spring for this quill tipped keyboard tappist. I've had quite a few Keller Bier(s)come my way recently and am loving every last one of them. Off the top of my head...Sly Fox Keller Pils (of course), Liberty Steakhouse Keller Bier, Monschoff Keller, Voodoo Pilzilla.

Local dudes and their mentions of the style:

Joe Sixpack

Lew Bryson I swear he mentions it in there if you keep reading. Fun one from the archives.

Also, another dude named Keller.

Fianlly, last and foremost: I am hashing out a Spring Mix slowly but surely. I hope to have it done by summer, as is usually the pace. The name i love, the cover (if i can pull it off) will be my finest photoshop work to date...so now all i need are the songs. Anyhow, it'll have a farmer theme and will be a great addition to any drive or bike ride to bars with great outdoor seating like Union Jacks, Bocktown in Pittsburgh, Pazzo's in Lexington, Iron Hills and Sly Foxes, The Tiki Bar, The Sidecar, The Northside, The P.O.P.E., and on and on and on.

Now, if anyone can hook me up with an mp3 of the song below it'd be most appreciated. A studio version would be proper, but i will be a begger not a choser here so if anyone can make that happen it'd help tremendously.

Hoots & Hellmouth: What Good Are Plowshares...
by eikonproductions

*Top photo courtesy of The Holland Mobile Imaging Service LLC Read more!

If you haven't seen it yet...

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Call it a party...

This Sunday...7pm. Meet me at The P.O.P.E.

4 New Holland Beers on tap, plus Dr. Joel on the wheels of steel! It's going to be a fun night of good beers and good tunes and if that's not enough of an excuse to come out and hang in South Philly than i don't know what to tell you champ.

funk soul rock latin breaks raer willy wonka?

Sorry for the late notice on this one, i am still getting my sea legs beneath me after the long journey.

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This Beer Wagon Kills Flies

*Boredom alert: there are pictures of food below*

My windshield is covered in the gritty dreams of flies and bugs from hives and hideouts all over the East Coast. I haven't been in my apartment since 4/2. I'm not going to be there until 4/19. What's the occassion? Golden Cap Saison, our new spring and summer seasonal. A delicious farmhouse ale made with spelt from our farmer friends in Washington State.

The swing into Virginia was unfortunately delayed by a bit of sickness, most of you reading this probably got it. I think everybody got it. I may have caught it just by reading about it on the internets. Anyhow, i missed what looked like an amazing New Holland Beer Dinner at Can Can in Richmond, VA. Mr. George held things down at the dinner while i wondered how cold you can feel and how much of a fever you can have at the same time.

So on then to NoVa. Northern Virginia is full of great beer spots, from bars with mile long walls of taps to classy brewpubs to a flagship Whole Foods in Fairfax where you can sit down mid-shopping and have some crab cakes or ribs and have a craft beer on tap. The day we stopped by New Holland, Stone, and Weyerbacher had three of the four taps. That's umm...well guys, that's next level. Whether this type of thing makes it to PA i'll have to ask Mr. Bryson about (i am way behind on my PA grocery, six pack, etc sales reading), but i can tell you for sure that my trips to both Whole Foods and Wegman's on this trip found stores very focused on serving up craft beer.

Another hotspot for me was Carpool's Reston location, a fun bar with many great craft beers on tap. Let my extensive quality control efforts assure you all: The Poet is pouring just fine in there. Whatever you do, don't challenge Rama to a game of shuffleboard, the man is a hustler.

On to The Triangle. The Raleigh/Durham area is packed with great places to grab a bite to eat and a good beer. They've got big places like Tyler's who are known for their many great beers and savy staff. Flying Saucer has their anchor dropped in town as well. Then there's a slew of up and coming bars doing great things for the area. Places like Sitti, Busy Bee, and The Borough, and The Raleigh Times Bar are all pulling the weight of resurgence and doing a mighty fine job of it. The Raleigh Times is serious. They have a beer list that could stop a truck full of BA's dead in their tracks. Marraige Parfait, JW Lee's, the list goes on. I spent the night (all but the sleeping part) at Raleigh Times for a Dragon's Milk and Poet promo and had a blast. They have some amazing ideas and an amazing attitude towards their business and the potential of craft beer throughout the entire Raleigh area. A bunch of thumbs up from this guy. Oh, the food...it looks delicious.

Still going (I'm on the road here, remember?) on down to Charleston, SC. Have you been here? Holy smokes, this place is amazing. I hit town with just a hot second to get settled in before a Growl and Greet at the new beer outpost, Charleston Beer Exchange. Should you find yourself in Charleston, stop in and say hi to Rich and Scott, these are great guys who are very serious about beer. They've already gathered a loyal following and its due largely in part to their great service, great selection, and exciting specialty beers. So this is where i get jealous about the retail beer situation in other states. This is one little shop and it works simply like this: Walk in, buy single bottles, buy six packs, get a growler filled and be on your way. I mean what these guys are able to serve with their limited space is pretty incredible. Think Capone's with no bar, but growlers still available. It is le' bomba.

A new beer friend recently told me about a Philly tansport down to this area. Stefan Visilis stepped out of the Triumph Old City brewpub and came down the coast to open Farringdon Bistropub with his wife and their friends Dan & Amy. The whole mess of them are Charleston restaurant vets and are bringing craft beer and well thought out food to Summerville, SC. They're already a hit among the beer contingent. I had some fine beers and a great chicken salad sandwich (with apples, raisins, and yellow curry) over lunch and a great beer chat with owner Dan and bartender Michelle. They are committed to supporting local products both on their taps and in their kitchen. Look up Low Country Local First and the Sustainable Food Initiative for more info.

And that brings me to the finest meal of my trip so far....take thee to Chai's on King Street. Chai's is a great combination of comfortable surroundings, classy decor, and a great list of tapas that's pulled off just incredibly. The beer list is well put together and there were some goodies left over from a recent Allagash dinner that made our stop even more exciting. I am going to borrow Gina's hat here for a hot second and take you through.

We started with a pint of Hop Art from Coast, we'd been on the hunt for this beer since Friday evening. The Coast guys do a great job with their beers. A quick relay of the night's specials revealed our first course...



Bread Salad with Heirloom Tomato, Arugula, Feta, Balsamic, and a fried Pancetta wheel

We got a taste of some special things that were hanging in the kitchen as well. Deep fried ginger? Tasty, interesting. Then a great ice cream made with Allagash black. Wow, amazing flavors, amazing idea.

A little Micros slip led to our next plate...



Yellowfin Tuna Sashimi on an oil dipped ciabatta crostini with daikon sprouts and a sriracha aoili.

More raw stuff coming at you...



Tartare Trio - Tuna, Salmon, and Beef with Wonton Chips.

The return of the belly:



Pork belly over spaghetti squash with a reduction of its own braising liquid. My butter knife practically fell through the belly.

The meat wagon did not stop its wheels yet either, next up:



Lefthand Juju Ginger braised short ribs and rice. The meat and the bone hardly even knew each other anymore. Amazing flavors, nice soft texture, really really delicious.

Finishing up now...Duck confit lettuce wraps. As with everything before...delicious.

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Gossip in the Grain

Whoa whoa whoa. Guess who's still alive? This guy. A formal apology? I dunno. Sorry y'all i got all caught up in a lot of stuff. But i've been thinking about the Grain Bill for a while, realizing that i'm neglecting whatever's been going on here, whatever direction it's been taking.

Two blog posts for you here...one chronicling all that i should have already posted about and one bringing you rapidly up to speed with where i've been, where i am right now and where i'm about to be.

So then. Philly Beer Week. Remember that? Remember when this blog was leading right up to it? Well things got super busy before, during, and after. New Holland had a nice showing during the week. All of our events were well attended and there were lots of familiar faces. Burlesque was a highlight of course, the joint was packed. Our food based efforts were all great too...smackdown @ the Side Car, Library Beer with Teresa's Next Door, and a great night of pairings and fun at Jose Pistola's. I have a special ripple on my belly that says, "Smoke Em If You Got Em Was Here".

Right after Philly it was a slow moving few days and then a jaunt out to Pittsburgh. On the way I had a terrific and relaxing lunch with my pals at Selin's Grove before letting my GPS take me to the wrong Cranberry, PA. Philly folks please take this advice: Take an afternoon and check out the Selin's Grove Brewery. They're open Sundays. The drive is great, the food is great, the beer is great. Mostly session beers, delicious session beers. I took a great scotch ale on to Pittsburgh, which i slowly worked through at my hotel over my three day stay.

Piitsburgh's burbs showed me the greatness that is Bocktown Beer & Grille. Amazing beer coolers, great food menu, fun attitude that's all about the beer. This place is awesome. I'll let some cool event news fly in due time, just need to tidy up some details. For now i'll just say that June 23rd and 24th would be great days to hang out there with yours truly.

Ok ok ok. On to current times. See you in the next post.

Also....a Grain Bill IOU:

I have great pictures taken at the New Holland Library Dinner during Philly Beer Week. I will post them soon. Read more!