Start 09 off on the right foot.

News from the Monk's website...

20 Stouts on tap on New Years Day including a special dark strong friend of yours and mine: Dragon's Milk

Doors'll open once you can officially say, "Good afternoon" and they're filling all of their taps with stout. The list on their site is looking pretty darn good and i know i will be there to celebrate. Will probably toss in a trip to Local 44 in for good measure on the way home too.

Anyone looking to join in the fun can contact me in all of the usual ways. Read more!

Three Cheers for Keller Pils

At one point when this blog was born i was thinking about a year end wrap up or award ceremony or something. Not gonna happen this year. BUT, i do have one sole award to hand out:

Big Dan for your selflessness in the line of duty, for seeing a keg of beer that could have been on tap at your house rather than a place looking to make a good showing on their opening days (which they did), and for leaving something behind for the rest of us after your famed Quality Control sessions:

The Grain Bill hereby awards you the Red Badge of Courage for decisions that ultimately led to me having a delicious glass of Sly Fox Keller Pils.

Read more!

Craft Ale House - today is the day

Some have been in for a sneak preview. Big Dan has been doing some professional combination of labor and love. The buzz has been buzzing and now there's beer in the tap lines. I am heading to the Craft Ale House in Limerick for lunch today to see the finished product. Gary, Melissa, and crew have been working hard and its time to celebrate them.

As excited as i am for the beer, i am pretty pumped to see what's coming out of the kitchen. The words 'from scratch' have been thrown around a lot and i've got sentimental ties from stepping into what used to be the Limerick Deli for lunch with my mom so my belly has been dialed into that kitchen for most of my life. Kind of cool how it works though, i used to go for hoagies and iced tea (the former deli's takeout beer selections weren't my speed even as a freshly crowned 21 year old Dr in training) and now i get to go for food and great beer. Evolution is my thing.

Hope to see folks out on this trip or the next.

UPDATE:

Without further ado, the opening tap list:

LANCASTER MILK STOUT ON NITRO
PHILADELPHIA BREWING COMPANY KENSINGER PILSNER
FANTOME NOEL
OMMEGANG ABBEY ALE
STOUDTS DOUBLE IPA
ROYERSFORD BREWING SERIOUS ALE ESB
YARDS BRAWLER
SOUTHAMPTON CHRISTMAS ALE
STONE ARROGANT BASTARD
DOGFISH HEAD 90 MINUTE
ST NICK BOCK
VICTORY OLD HORIZONTAL
LANCASTER BELGIAN TRIPLE
SLY FOX KELLER PILS
ALLAGASH WHITE
RIVER HORSE LAGER Read more!

Cocktails to wet your whistle and thist your thistle

New Holland Brewing Co founder Brett VanderKamp with our Artisan Spirits line pouring a few drinks for the holidays.

Go Vander!

Merry Christmas all. Read more!

Picture Page Picture Page

A few weeks back Mr. Kolesar told me about the Yuletide photo contest over at A Good Beer Blog that Mr. Alan Mcleod and Mr. Stonch put on during the holidays. I had some snappy pics that i liked so i entered and good readers and friends darn if i didn't take second place in the USA category. This is pretty exciting for me as i don't do either of the following very often: enter contests, win prizes. The picture that won grand prize from Matt in Portland is really cool and will be published in an upcoming issue of All About Beer Magazine.

So here's the link, it has the two pics of mine that tied each other for second place. When you click on the barrel picture click the little enlarger button that will appear in the bottom right corner, it'll make the pic bigger and less pixelized. Both pics are from a work trip back to the brewery at New Holland, i have a bunch from the brewery if people want to see more.

Also while you're there check out all of the entries if you have the time, some cool pics to be seen. Also, i left a comment at Brew Lounge, but Bryan also won a prize for a great hops picture so let's give him three cheers. Other friends from the beer world that won prizes: Stan Heironymus and Thomas Cizauskus. Read more!

What're You Doing With Yourself After Christmas?

I am considering a caravan trip deep into the suburbs for fine beers and a bite to eat. There is an account in good ole Boyertown, PA that is about to tap Dragon's Milk, so i say a bunch of folks hop in a bunch of cars and cruise down through the wooded hills of such famous roads as:

422 West
Rt 562
Rt 29
Gamefarm Road

Feel the glamour crunching under your winterized tires.

I've got Union Jacks Manatawny, aforementioned account (waiting for the beer to officially tap to give out the name), UJs Congo, Ortino's Northside, and possibly Craft Ale House all in my sights.

So who's interested? I'd set a date, but i am kind of flexible. Let's rap about this you people of the internet...drop a comment or shoot me an email. Read more!

Dec 20 2008

Ok, posting via phone again. Hopefully I come back to this. I had a beer this week that put my palate on aim and set me up for an amazing side by side this afternoon.

Gouden Carolous' Grand Cru (cuvee van de kaiser, I believe...coming back for fact checking) set me up on a quest for malt forward beers with deep fruit notes that could warm me as I warm them in my glass.

Long story short, I ended up with an 04 Flying Dog wild Dog (10th anniversary double pale) that is the last of a case split that happened shortly after the beer's release. It aged beautifully, great body with a sherry almost wine like sturdy sweet depth that got better sip by sip. If I'm not mistaken this beer eventually became Double Dog, my favorite in the Flying Dog lineup.

An 08 bottle of Double Dog next to its predecessor to help celebrate the Yeoman's new home. The main thought here, which I seem to have completely danced past, is that one beer set my pallet up to find something great 5 days later.

Ok gotta go. Read more!