tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9878504434165283842024-03-21T15:25:57.276-04:00The Imbibe HourA collection of everyday postings about a man who enjoys the love of drink.Imbibe Hourhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05099763169853562511noreply@blogger.comBlogger133125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-987850443416528384.post-69613392633213590322015-10-11T15:41:00.000-04:002015-10-20T14:07:55.447-04:00Vermont is a scenic paradise! The beer is not bad either...<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Riding around Berlin Pond in Vermont</td></tr>
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<b><span style="font-size: x-large;">I</span></b>t was with some tongue and cheek qualities that I write that headline for this blog posting, if somewhat late after the fact. Anyone who put the words Vermont and beer in the same sentence should already know that it's one of the biggest beer destinations in the country if not the world.<br />
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I had in mind a plan for a vacation, or as I like to call them beercation, in early August. In my travels I always like to involve good food and drink and I made the effort to spend a bunch of time doing that. The other part was to do a bunch of cycling, hit the trails, work off the beer gut, and drink as much incredibly good beer as I could.<br />
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I would like to report that I succeed heavily... aside from maybe the gut thing...<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">East Montpelier up Snow Road</td></tr>
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First lets talk about the cycling and what Vermont offers for it. In three words scenic pure beauty. The second part is something I discovered and really respected. Big inclines... fast down-clines, and thin air because of high altitudes.<br />
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In short if you are a flatlander (one of the good ones) like me showing up it's quite a challenge, but the views are all worth it. I was staying in the Waitsfield VT area which is in the center of the state, and came across a website that offered many central trails and routes as ideas for rides. It's this one here: <a href="http://www.central-vt.com/visit/biketour/index.html" target="_blank">Central VT bike routes</a> . With that I set off excited, but realized I was in for a real challenge.<br />
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I did a simple Berlin pond loop earlier and noticed that my crossbike (I have named her Cynthia), could do well, but the gravel and bumpy roads and thin air was doing a number on my lungs.<br />
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By the time I headed to East Montpelier it was evident that taking breaks was gonna have to happen. The good thing is there are plenty of reasons to stop and just take in the vistas, if not to pick your spleen off the ground from the tough climbs.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Typical Vermont trail road</td></tr>
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Summer in Vermont is just unbelievably scenic. The hillsides exude green spaces like no other, cascading with backdrops of the mountains, Crystal deep blue skies accent it in the middle perfectly, rolling vistas and a blue green sandwich combine for incredible views. There are no distracting billboards, there's even very little litter as well. It is unspoiled and feels completely untouched.<br />
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By the time I made it to Barre for my highest ride though I thought I was going to die. Strangely on these bike tours I was doing, I saw NO other riders doing them. Two wheeled riders, cyclist and motorcyclists are everywhere in Vermont. For a motorcycle rider, you have numerous twisties and little cars. For the cyclists the same appeal. Many of the main highways are just easy enough to ride on with no fear of getting hit. It just seemed when I went off road.. I was alone, and I thought... am I crazy enough to do this shit?<br />
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Still there is something to be said to be stuck in the middle of nowhere overlooking the mountains, and nobody to be in your way. It does feel like you have it all for yourself. The rides in Barre, Montpelier, and Norwich were hard, but there is plenty of simple riding to do just on the main roads.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Lake Champlain trail outside Burlington VT</td></tr>
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One of the popular and most impressive is a trail that was part of an old discontinued railroad bridge that cuts right down the middle of Lake Champlain. The <a href="http://www.traillink.com/trail/island-line-rail-trail.aspx" target="_blank">Island Line Trail</a>, is a trail that actually goes right in the middle of Lake Champlain, it's all flat, and is like riding on the middle of a wide open lake surrounded by the Adirondacks on one side and the Green Mountain range on the other. This is also a real easy trail if somewhat long, you don't have to be a serious rider to do it, as I saw many families and their kids taking the scenic ride. Simply flat out stunning views and scenery.<br />
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Even with all this riding hey... I am not just here to sight see ya know! While every vacation is beercation like I say, nothing says beercation like being in Vermont.</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Lawson's Finest Liquids - Sip of Sunshine IPA</td></tr>
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One of the biggest draws in Vermont is that it contains some of the most highly rated and sought after IPAs in the country, mostly from brewers like <a href="http://alchemistbeer.com/" target="_blank">The Alchemist</a>, <a href="http://www.lawsonsfinest.com/" target="_blank">Lawson's Finest Liquids</a>, and <a href="http://hillfarmstead.com/" target="_blank">Hill Farmstead</a> just to name a few. Take one of the most popular beer styles and stick it all in one small place and you don't just have beercation... you have beer nirvana for some.<br />
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After much research I decided I was going to stay in the Waitsfield area to be near Warren which contains the Lawson's brewery. It is also not far from many trails, and gives easy access to the towns of Montpelier and Waterbury for more beer choices as well.</div>
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Beer hunting is fine, but there's ways to go about it than just spending a bunch of time waiting forever in line, or chasing hyped (depending on your opinion) beers.</div>
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It was evident that after a few days there was more than enough great beer to go around. I do like IPAs, but I am not crazy or obsessed with them as some people are. However, due the styles popularity and the demand for the ones that come from many Vermont brewers, IPAs dominate the landscape. Good news.. they are excellent.. bad news.. you want something else your choices are really limited.</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Lost Nation's - Rustic Ale</td></tr>
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Still there's plenty of ways around this. One place I have liked often and visited in the past was Hill Farmstead, mostly because of their saisons. I went and visited to pick up a few bottles, but also realized going to this packed brewery was not always the most convenient way to try some of their beers sometimes. Still you can't beat the views and quiteness somedays. Their beers are all over restaurants and bars in the area. If you really want to try their beers, don't go to the brewery, just go to the plenty of places in nearby towns and cities and check out their taplists. You'll save yourself some time. Another place I discovered that made great beer was <a href="http://lostnationbrewing.com/" target="_blank">Lost Nation</a>. They didn't just make solid beers, and some cans to take home, they made a variety of decent different styles. They were a big highlight for me and I strongly recommend you check them out.</div>
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Nevertheless, the Hill Farmstead brewery has expanded and is in a great scenic area of Greensboro. Sometimes the crowds can be a bit big, but one tip someone told me was to visit not too long before the close to avoid large crowds.</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Alchemist Focal Banger at Mad Taco</td></tr>
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The Waitsfield area turned out to be more convenient than I imagined. Stores and shops for delivery of Lawson's and Alchemist products were nearby, even after the early morning crowds left and took their cases home back across the border.</div>
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Same with restaurants as well. <a href="http://themadtaco.com/" target="_blank">The Mad Taco</a> offers a fantastic tap list, and simple basic and well made food. It's also dirt cheap as I feasted on Pork Belly tacos so much I practically overdosed on them. Dining options in the area are far and few between, but manageable, and I found myself at Mad Taco often so much that I pretty much had just about everything on the menu.</div>
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More importantly was the fantastic place I stayed at called the <a href="http://www.whitehorseinn-vermont.com/" target="_blank">White Horse Inn</a>.</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Get your fridge ready for beercation!</td></tr>
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An amazing breakfast was presented every morning from a seasoned pastry chef. Timely and clean rooms and excellent hospitality.</div>
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The chef bakes so much he leaves cookies and little nibbles all over the Inn for you to snack on.</div>
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Did I mention they also provided me a fridge for my beer cation needs? I needed this more for the purchases at the stores I visited in the state and travels along the way than for the beers bought in Vermont proper. Heck the <a href="http://www.whitehorseinn-vermont.com/" target="_blank">White Horse Inn</a> servers Lawson's and Alchemist beers to begin with!</div>
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More so Vermont offers everything you want in a beercation. Spectacular beer, and spectacular scenery.. it's even better when you can combine it both.</div>
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">Till next time .... cause you know I am coming back!</span></b></div>
Imbibe Hourhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05099763169853562511noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-987850443416528384.post-69000117079066782522015-06-27T11:15:00.000-04:002015-06-27T11:15:30.460-04:00Imbibing through Europe again. Traveling Denmark and Germany and the drinks in between Part 6 of ?<span style="font-size: x-large;"><b>F</b></span>or once the weather forecast in Denmark seemed to hit the mark. We awoke the next morning, getting our bags ready, one last foiled sandwich wrap from Katerine to go, and a train to catch to Germany awaited. The sun was out, hardly a cloud in the sky. "Well so it does show up here in this country once in awhile huh?!" I thought. The one good time the light will shine on this great country and we happen to be leaving it.<br />
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We were scheduled to head to Germany through an early morning departure Friday, change trains in Hamburg, and arrive in Berlin late afternoon. We said our goodbyes, reminisced, and I made sure to of course, pack the few beers for the trip and ride. One thing I always remembered when travelling in Europe, was that you could drink on the train ride, and it was a great way to enjoy a tasty beer.<br />
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If there is one thing I love and miss about Europe while living in the United States it is taking the train through the country. It's efficient (most of the time, Romania being a very clear exception in my experience), relatively affordable, and just a great way to get around. Looking at the map though I was a bit confused perhaps of our route. Our train was to go to Hamburg, and the only land direct way I could see with Denmark's connected islands and flat geography was to head West from Copenhagen towards Kolding, and then take a sharp turn South through a small border perhaps passing by nearby Flensburg in Germany.<br />
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This was not to be.<br />
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We settled into the train at our assigned seats, and took stock of our neighbors. Fairly quiet so far, but two gentlemen got on and stuck out like a sore thumb. Two big Danes got on with bags in tow, large patched heavy metal badged jean jackets, ripped disposition, and shimmering bald heads. My first reaction and concern was they might actually be skinheads... ugh.. this could get ugly. My analytical disposition is always going into overdrive in situations like this, but if anything I knew that this couldn't be the whole story. <br />
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Checking around the guys just seemed to be having a good time, they smiled to all the passengers who came and went of all races, and I noticed that instead of hatred they were filled with a love and talk of metal music. I was to be surrounded by some other metal head brethren. "Look honey! METALHEADS!!" I tried not to point to my wife and be like some jerk but I couldn't help wanting to somehow be part of their conversations. Perhaps we could swap stories on what we thought of the last Soilwork album or something, or if the Tool album will be released someday, but with a language barrier in the way and the possibility one of these guys might get pissed and take a swing at me being some arrogant Yank I may just want to just listen first.<br />
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It was mid to early afternoon as we hit through the sunny countryside. What a gorgeous day it was. As the green landscape passed by, the odd canoe in the water it seemed from a distance, it became quickly yet beautifully familiar. I was getting thirsty, but also a bit bored. My thoughts turned to a cold one, but I never want to be the first on a train to pop a brew cause I am never 100% sure it's allowed. Luckily my Danish metalhead clan quickly made me aware of this rule within 15 minutes of arriving.<br />
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Shortly after they arrived, one guy rammed his iron ringed skull fist into his duffelbag, and with a fury pulled out 2 plastic solo cups. Then he pulled out a big box of bitters, a container full of <a href="https://www.underberg.com/en/home.html">Underberg</a>, I am talking.. the equivalent of a case of these things, as they got their chasers going and then pulled out a 2 liter of Absolut vodka. And then they began drinking...<br />
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"Well ok, this seems legit!" I said to my wife but I could only partake in one brew on the train, I had a full day, but pacing was everything... unlike my horned brothers sitting across the isle.<br />
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I grabbed a Kriek I had found in Copenhagen from Girardin, a Belgian producer. I of course for this trip had planned my own solo cup, a curved plastic wine glass which works beautifully in instances just like this one.<br />
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I found a great stash of Belgian brews while in Copenhagen and was ready to partake in them. However, shortly after trying the first one we had come to what appeared to be the end of the road. Actually it wasn't so much the end of the road, but the end of the railway line as the train made it's last stop in Denmark at Rødby, with only the small body of water between us and Germany/Puttgarden on the other side.<br />
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"So are we going to be wearing life vests now?" I asked my wife. With a gleeful smile she knew what was coming as she had read about how the journey was supposed to continue.<br />
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The passenger train actually goes on a ferry. The train tracks went right to a harbor and onto a ship underbelly, with its line continuing right inside the boat. All passengers are then asked to disembark the train with any proper safe belongings, and then enjoy the 45 minute ferry ride to Germany on the other side.<br />
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I am always nervous about boats, because I get horribly sea sick. If it's really choppy weather and water, it's a disaster every time. I have had lots of practice at this because growing up my father had a sailboat, and still does. I spent many a youth on that boat, doing things as a "family together" should be (sic) which meant me being forced to get on that thing and barf a lot.<br />
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However, some things help. If the boat is big, or the weather is calm, and more importantly if it's motorized I am usually good to go, no problem. A large ferry such as this one fits the bill nicely, so I wasn't that concerned (but maybe just a little). Sometimes it has not helped. When my wife and I honeymooned in Croatia, we had to take ferries through the islands from the mainland to Hvar and later to Korčula. For the Hvar to Korčula trip, the ferry was a tiny motorized catamaran, and it was seriously windy and choppy seas. The ferry bounced like an out of control carnival ride. It was pure 45 minutes of torture for me and I nearly hurled into a plastic bag which was the only thing I had that would of "assisted" in such an accident. This was while the on-board movie being played on televisions around me was, no joke... "<a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0177971/?ref_=fn_al_tt_1">The Perfect Storm</a>". All of this was happening while groups of small kids kept jumping and climbing over my seat constantly. I am NOT making this up...<br />
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Somehow I lived, and somehow my wife is still married to me.<br />
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I easily lived through this ride as well, with the gorgeous clear skies continuing, sailboats in the water, calm sea breeze, and lots of people travelling and going who all looked in great spirits. I lost sight of my metalhead brothers, but I think I saw them at the bar. Which reminded me more importantly... It was truly time to savor another tasty beer.<br />
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We sat out on the open deck and I cracked open a bottle of <a href="http://www.decam.be/">De Cam</a>, a very tasty lambic/gueuze brewery out of Gooik Belgium whose beers are pretty much "nearly" impossible to find in the United States. This is how to live baby! I said to my wife. She was very excited of the journey so far, the big winds coming off, and the sights as she snapped more photos.<br />
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We had to return to the train as we were now approaching the German side. It finally dawned on me that I was at once going to be in Germany for the first time ever, we would be in the land of Euro for once and leaving the Krones behind. Still I would have to leave not without making a classic cultural faux pas, one of those awkward situations which gets lost in translation that still has me scratching my head when I think about it today.<br />
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I had finished my beer and of course wanted to recycle my bottles. Did I say bottles I meant cans too? Did I have more than one beer? I am not sure, but the point is my wife and I wanting to be proper and not slobby American tourists were trying to figure out where to put our recyclables. I looked all over the ship and couldn't find any blue bins, or places to put them. The only thing I did see was a bin on the ship deck that people were putting stuff in, but I never saw people place the recycling away. If anything people were leaving their cans and bottles just lying around and not picking up after themselves on their tables, ledges, chairs, everywhere. It looked like the aftermath of a frat party.<br />
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"What is it with these people?" I thought, "why can't they put this stuff away?" Everyone was leaving all their garbage behind. "What do I do?" I asked my wife. We couldn't figure it out and she said just put them in that bin over there. I think that's trash though? I said.<br />
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Why was this so hard I thought, how hard was it to put up signs telling us what to do, heck I was looking just for logos or something blue on the ship. I sheepishly took the bottles and cans and dumped them in that bin. As the passengers were leaving, others went up to that bin. One guy another passenger looked in and started shaking his head, and pulled out the 3 recyclable items I just put in there, all well conversing with his friends about what he just found, and no doubt probably saying something like, those stupid frikking Americans.<br />
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In the end I think what happened, was that you left the recyclables out, and ship cleaning staff picked them up. I guess?? I have no idea... like I say this whole incident completely baffles me. It's all one of those things where we as individuals through language and culture just want to do the right thing but somehow end up upsetting each other for no reason at all. But in the end... it's all just trash. No big deal.<br />
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We returned back to the train and headed to Hamburg. We had to disembark and transfer, it was to be my first time experiencing Germany, the land where my mother grew up, the place were most of my family had already been before. A land I was real excited about visiting. My wife had been before to Berlin back in 1994 of the Spring during college. She was happy for me but I also was very aware of her experiences there which she remarked saying she didn't always enjoy. There was excitement but also those thoughts kept coming back sticking in my craw.<br />
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The train pulled out, we got off, I stepped on the platform in Hamburg. We were back in a somewhat bustling city, in the main train station. There were lots of people running around, I noticed a sizeable Turkish population which gave me great memories of visiting Istanbul. It was crowded, there were cops all over the place, It was... loud as hell it seemed.<br />
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This was my first impression... I sat a little slack jawed, I knew about the country, I understood a little bit about it's history (yeah ok more on "that thing" later), and as always I brush up about foreign places as much as I can before arriving. You make yourself as prepared as much as you can, but now matter how much you study, now matter how much you try, that very first step and your first glance your eyes see, you are never fully prepared. <br />
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I stood around, listened... and looked and surveyed the scene briefly. I turned to my wife a bit stunned and unexpected. I said...<br />
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"This is not Denmark..."Imbibe Hourhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05099763169853562511noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-987850443416528384.post-50642224855192676122015-03-22T10:45:00.002-04:002015-04-05T11:00:34.737-04:00Imbibing through Europe again. Traveling Denmark and Germany and the drinks in between Part 5 of ?<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1s2QbgCIANlrNFnBX2ibCINjgPYF4owDF0Jv4pK8y3hLKm0Rt75tUlLm0kyT-FNhV8llATLW3H_QGF146GFqHvrTG7CgyRfiCXemKmtx3-S6klm_oc00BP3IcDJnX3kyg7J_0Q0ra9yg/s1600/2014-10-03+10.42.15.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1s2QbgCIANlrNFnBX2ibCINjgPYF4owDF0Jv4pK8y3hLKm0Rt75tUlLm0kyT-FNhV8llATLW3H_QGF146GFqHvrTG7CgyRfiCXemKmtx3-S6klm_oc00BP3IcDJnX3kyg7J_0Q0ra9yg/s1600/2014-10-03+10.42.15.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Train station in Helsingør</td></tr>
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<b><span style="font-size: x-large;">T</span></b>he breakfast went down quick. Everything though as expected went like clock work. We ran down the street, bolted to a bus stop. It was there on time. Then the bus raced out as Friday morning commuters bustled in. Speeding away, we were dropped at the Østerport station to figure out how to get tickets for the train to Helsingnør.<br />
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"Well that was easy", I remarked but my wife who was furiously looking at the time knew our train was coming shortly and we had to quickly get tickets. We had maybe 10 minutes.<br />
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"Well that shouldn't be a problem.. let's go to the ticket office."<br />
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As always when traveling, you often rely on the friendly desk counter, a human interaction, the ability to meet your fellow human being face to face to give you the answer that you need. A simple stroll to the front desk would do, and as we knew from experience being here for awhile everyone spoke English pretty well. We find the ticket office... it's about 9 in the morning... and..<br />
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it's closed...<br />
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..<br />
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on a Friday morning... in a train station... with hours on the door that say it should be open like... what 8:30.<br />
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"what the hell?!?"<br />
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Katerine had mentioned later when I told her this story that one thing that had been cut in public areas were services. I just figured that in a major train station on a Friday there might be just one... just ONE human being working there. Hours on the door said the times they were open, which meant... right now... but as always in Europe like I've always said... opening hours are only a suggestion.<br />
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"Well it's time to play spin the wheel then on the kiosks... lets go!" We hit the electronic machine and were trying to figure it out with maybe 5 minutes left before the train was to arrive. It was like being on a game show,,, spin that wheel! Ok English... YES that one.. ok first question easy! Push that button! 3 minutes before your window closes... tick tock tick tock...<br />
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With a few backwards and forwards screen selections, our lucky new credit card for Europe at the ready, we got it done... clock time...<br />
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1 minute...<br />
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RUN!!!! and of course don't drop anything, get your receipts, and then figure out how much you paid later with the conversion... heck this short ride could have cost us $400 bucks... who knew? (it of course didn't).. but you can not keep a good plan down from us!<br />
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The train would head North from Østerport station, and arrive in Helsingnør where the plan was to visit a famous castle named <a href="http://www.kronborg.dk/">Kronborg</a>, or as it also known as Hamlet's Castle. My wife had the idea for a small day trip, and then a museum later. I was perfectly fine for this as another day of beer drinking/visiting could come later. Some new scenery and some other interests was totally the right thing to partake in now.<br />
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We ran on to the platform... clocks everywhere I seemed to notice. Very quiet strangely, a few people. Everything in this country seemed to shuffle and work orderly, but sometimes it also appeared very empty. I thought back to the kiosk how we could at least find any combination of times and schedule for the train we wanted, but had to navigate a certain way.<br />
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It was eerily quiet. Where was the bustle? The hustle? the noise even? The excitement? Is this Friday?<br />
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It occurred to me while I stood for only about 30 seconds before the train came that this country had an almost Orwellian like feel to it. There were almost no surprises, or at least very few ones and they seemed like they could easily be explained.<br />
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The train pulled up, we got in, and headed to small town Denmark for some sight seeing.<br />
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The town of Helsingnør is tiny, but we wanted to explore the castle first. The train station is small, and as soon as you get out, the Kronborg castle appears just to the North which you can see easily. You certainly wont get lost, and you can't miss it. However, our first impression wasn't the castle from a distance, nor the water that separates Denmark from Sweden, but a piece of artwork that was hard to miss. <br />
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I quickly nicknamed it... the Frankenfish. <br />
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Sitting just outside was this statue of a fish made out of trash. The trash was surprisingly colorful, and made me wonder if it were items that were recovered from the actual nearby waters. It was really cool, I love public art things like this, I wish more cities had them. This one was particularly creative, large, visually appealing up close and even from a distance. Another passerby took a glance and seemed horrified, not sure what to think.<br />
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Kronborg castle known as Hamlet's castle is the main attraction and draw for the town. Shakespeare referred to this famous castle as the setting for his play Hamlet, and for centuries one of the most famous plays still gets performed here. The castle also has history going back to the 1400s, as a strategic location where for years the country collected taxes for any passing ships known as the Sound Dues, thus making the surrounding town a magnet for international shipping, and extremely wealthy. Also every year actors perform Hamlet here on location, festivals are held, and many famous actors have graced its presence.<br />
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We worked our way into quite a cavernous tour. They were broken into themes, One was about the early history of the castle, guided by a Swedish historian which we took. Another was about the history of the play of Hamlet, accompanied by of course a tour guide draped in poofy pants and garb of the era. Still on this somber rainy day, our enthusiasm remained, and there is lots to explore, including my favorite THE SLEEPING VIKING WARRIOR WHO WILL AWAKE SOME DAY AND KICK YOUR ASS!! Otherwise known as <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ogier_the_Dane">Ogier the Dane</a>. So fucking metal.... \m/...<br />
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We had a blast. It was also during times between tours in the courtyard I found a surprising rare animal. A free Wi-Fi connection. While we waited between tour times, my email and Untappd check-ins were coming in at a furious place about the Cantillon beer I had the previous day.<br />
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"I am so friggin jealous" one follower wrote, another wrote "HOW MUCH DOES IT COST!". Beer fans can't keep boundaries and enthusiasm down, and rightly so I might add!<br />
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The castle was poked and prodded from as many angles as we could, another rainy day, tankers coming through the old strait that separated us from the municipality of <a href="http://www.helsingborg-helsingor.com/english/">Helsingborg</a>, only by an icy breaths touch. Turns out there is a side that is appealing to Swedish citizens to Helsingnør that surprised me. Katerine told me that many Swedes come to Helsingnør because the tax rate on alcohol is cheaper and flood the town to buy lots of cheap booze.<br />
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Really?! As a good imbiber this had to be inspected and verified with a walk through the small town's shops.<br />
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We made a break from the castle to check out the small berg. It was obvious that stores were advertising prominently in places for their alcohol selection. However, compared to what I saw in Copenhagen the selection wasn't considerably different, or for that much fact, even cheaper from what I saw previously. What I will remember though is that for one fleeting glimpse the sun was breaking out.<br />
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Holy shit, it's the sun! What is this rare beast that I haven't seen in such long as it suddenly squeaked in between the small nooks and crannies of this small town? It did seem like it was toying with us, but it made an unbelievable scene between the alley ways, colored painted walls, and wood angular frames of the houses nearby. It made this place look beautiful. Then there was the hunt for lunch,<br />
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My god what was that glorious smell? We were still taken back by the costs of food, and coveted our packed sandwiches still through small little quiet streets, and few citizens present. There were though a few out, one who was also quite enthusiastic, but it was the memorable walk into what looked like a small market stall, filled with fresh baked bread and cheeses that took our breath away. Oh my god the aroma that came from this place was indescribable. Fresh baked bread and dough punctured the air, and the ripe smell of soft warm cheese and earth was smashing you straight in the face. We still didn't purchase anything, once again... sticking with our grocery manufactured aluminum foil wraps of goodness to get us by.<br />
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We made our stamp of approval, and took our next adventure to one of the most impressive places I've ever visited. I've been to many museums in my life but have never seen one as spectacular as <a href="http://en.louisiana.dk/">Louisiana</a> located in the area of Humlebæk. A quick distance between Copenhagen and Helsingnør stands this incredible museum. While I haven't been to many grand ones in my life, I have been to some spectacular ones, and this place by far, is just a mind blowing experience in it's design aspects, location, and presentation of art that I have ever seen.<br />
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A wonderful building nestled on the coast, it is full of sculptures, excellent paintings, hallways that cascade with light and wood beams that mimic the forest surroundings. The location and rooms are in themselves works of art them selves, and provides a sensory melancholy viewing experience that just can't be duplicated.<br />
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Walking around outside and finding the numerous amount of sculptures and even hidden artworks is like a fine treasure hunt of modern weirdness, quirky, and wicked finds that you wont find anywhere else in the same way as your ordinary museum. Exhibits of course come from time to time, and while we visited we got to see quite an interesting one.<br />
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We entered the exhibit, neutral white for the template of course then ready for the artists colors ready to put their stamp of approval on. Or in this case, a chance for the artist to unload the dump-truck.<br />
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Situated in the museum, and cascading room to room, where piles of rocks and gravel. It was an indoor expression I guess of "land art" perhaps, within the confined spaces of what should have been something very familiar.<br />
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Holy crap what is this? The rooms were filled to the brim with gray stones and gravel, an almost lunar landscape and a cutting stream that ran between the exhibit punctuated the rooms from end to end. It was very hard to figure how this was planned, but it obviously was in some fashion that seemed hard to fathom.<br />
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This was a piece called <i><a href="http://news.artnet.com/art-world/olafur-eliasson-floods-danish-museum-with-river-installation-81795">Riverbed</a></i>, that was made by Olafur Eliasson. A homemade inside outside version of a neighboring brook or perhaps desolate area, one that rips your eyes with it's whitewashed and bleached appearance, it breaks your ideas of normalcy, perception, and beauty.<br />
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It was also a complete blast to walk through. Normal doors were crunched with 3 feet of gravel, forcing you to actually duck between rooms to see the continuing piece at times. <br />
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"Wow" I said to my wife, I can honestly say I have never seen anything like this before, and as a younger brother of an artist, having watched my sister go through art school, gone to numerous openings, I have seen lots of obscurities. <br />
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The museum as far as I am concerned is an absolute MUST see, if you are visiting the country.<br />
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We made it back to Copenhagen to spend one last night with Katerine and Magnus. We had to take her out to dinner, there was no way we were not going to thank her for her hospitality and at least give her a break in the kitchen. <br />
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It was a little later that we set out, I forget why, perhaps because we were packing, but we ended up searching quite a bit for a restaurant, Magnus in his pram ride in tow. our stomachs ready.<br />
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We found a good busy place nearby (<a href="http://www.cafebopa.dk/">Cafe Bopa</a>), lots of outside tables, very busy, which were good for Katerine to sit aside with her pram, and an unforgettable experience involving Magnus that I must retell here in its full glory.<br />
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Magnus was a little restless, he was out running around a bit, and playing with two other slightly older kids with a soccer ball. This sort of had me nervous, since it was dark out, and I felt we were loosing sight of him at times. Still it was a good way for him to burn off energy, and give Katerine a break. This way at least he would get good and tired, after all we all love our kids but you just want them to sleep so we can have some quiet adult time.<br />
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My wife and I looked over the menu, noticed it was filled with a kind of French bistro like items, Cassoulet, Steak and fries and so forth. I nestled a Bohemian Pilsner, but she wanted wine and couldn't figure out which one to order per glass. The great waitress we had, actually came out with a few ounces of each three in tumblers for her to try on the house. Excellent above the call service, especially for Europe might I add...<br />
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While we had an appetizer of sorts, and waited for our mains, Magnus came running back to the table. Without missing a beat, he grabbed one of the white wine tumblers, probably thinking it was apple juice while Katerine was distracted, and took a big two handed gulp.<br />
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These are the moments that you know in life you will never experience again, so you dare not miss them.<br />
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It wasn't long until we realized what was happening, and that meant we were too slow and powerless to stop it before it started.<br />
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A clunk hit the table as Magnus clumsily put the glass back down. No! Katerine said, but it was too late.<br />
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The look on his FACE.. after that sip was unforgettable. His eyes literally BULGED out. He stood there completely motionless, in utter confusion, as if paralyzed by a combination of stupid and just out right fear. All that energy and fidgityness suddenly evaporated as he stood completely motionless like a frozen statue for once, in a state I have never seen before.<br />
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My wife and I just burst out laughing really hard. I can only imagine what must be going through that kids head right now.<br />
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"Well someone I think is going to sleep well tonight!"<br />
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"Yup sorry kid that is not apple juice!"<br />
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I am sure this is going to be a story Magnus is going to here later in life, over and over again from his elders. That story... remember way back when... sort of thing. I guess we got him started off young like a true Dane you could say.<br />
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It was our last time in the country, and we were getting on a train to Germany tomorrow. The forecast actually called for once a clear sunny day, but we would not get to experience a full one in the country anymore. After tonight the journey and good drinks were going to be held elsewhere, but sorry Magnus..., you wont be coming.<br />
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<br />Imbibe Hourhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05099763169853562511noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-987850443416528384.post-36282337181090641792015-02-07T09:31:00.001-05:002015-02-07T09:31:56.364-05:00The Imbibe Hours FAVORITE beers in 20142014 was once again filled with lots of good and memorable new beers for me. It always surprises me the amount of incredibly good beer that is out there year after year. As for the beer slayer in me, I was also lucky to get in a lot of travel, which gives me the opportunity to be surrounded by many beers I never have access to.<br />
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There was also quite a bit of online West coast purchases last year as well, and interestingly enough I almost wanted to get a Bourbon barrel scotch ale in my favorites this year, as it seemed there were many that I had this year. Still as good as those beer were, there didn't quite always make the cut in greatness.<br />
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So here it is in the video below, my favorite beers of 2014. Cheers and Enjoy!<br />
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Imbibe Hourhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05099763169853562511noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-987850443416528384.post-42347760362190413942015-01-23T22:53:00.000-05:002015-01-25T11:19:34.062-05:00Imbibing through Europe again. Traveling Denmark and Germany and the drinks in between Part 4 of ?<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinn0hX0TCqoxi41JbQs-mlcLugjZ1g2sAP_4rHb8HYKMozMxbKrDFJBxP3JVj6Jpo2qSGuSbEEp7EupkTiwa8d9qVa5PeTnT4ZVg6h9ZdtTahFZD04mMCJtV-kw2qITYBKKhzYcvsVv_0/s1600/2014-10-02_16-02-56_843.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinn0hX0TCqoxi41JbQs-mlcLugjZ1g2sAP_4rHb8HYKMozMxbKrDFJBxP3JVj6Jpo2qSGuSbEEp7EupkTiwa8d9qVa5PeTnT4ZVg6h9ZdtTahFZD04mMCJtV-kw2qITYBKKhzYcvsVv_0/s1600/2014-10-02_16-02-56_843.jpg" height="320" width="239" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Cantillon <span style="text-align: start;">Blåbær </span>Lambic at Ølbutikken</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: x-large;"><b>I</b></span> awake once again, It's the morning and the jet lag is at this point gone with the trials and pains subsided of sleep deprivation, but I feel my place of time is lost. I look outside. The sky is gray... the pavement is ... gray... the rain comes down again.. it is... gray... the colors are.... gray... where in the HELL is the sun I ask myself in this country? I turn to my wife... "are we in Seattle or something?"<br />
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"What are you doing in bed?! Get UP! We have plans to take care of!" she said to me.<br />
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Ah yes I said to myself, for today was the day I almost forgot. Today was the day to go search for that elusive beer, the one that is seemingly on the mind of many beer fans. One that is quite obscure and one that deserves special attention, sold only once a year in Copenhagen, from Belgian brewery Cantillon. It is simply... Blåbær.<br />
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"Yes today we go get Blåbær!" I said with big satisfaction. "It was like I dreamt of it!" I remarked with a shit eating grin bigger than a Chesire cat.<br />
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"No actually you didn't dream of it" my wife said with an annoying look, hands on her hips and poised as to why I still hadn't gotten out of bed.<br />
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"What? What do you mean I didn't dream of it? I had dreamed I tasted it, then we went to some other places like <a href="http://mikkeller.dk/">Mikkeller</a> along the way too, and it was great!"<br />
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"Yeah you did that yesterday remember?!" at this point she was getting frustrated.<br />
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"I did?! you mean this was real?!" I sat up in bed stunned while Magnus flummoxed his lego pieces and tossed them around with reckless abandon. "Oh my god this really happened!".<br />
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It turns out, when I sat up I realized I had already slayed the dragon the previous night. In between times, we managed to make our way down to Ølbutikken and also the passing Mikkeller bar to partake in the glorious beer suds that this city and country offered.<br />
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"You were right! Absolutely right! Wow I remember the journey like it was yesterday."<br />
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Somewhere between our cavorting and travelling we made an effort to make our way down to Ølbutikken where Cantillon Blåbær was to be sold. There were a few things that were also on the radar though that got taken care of first.<br />
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"Where's the licorice!?" I said to myself. It was a food item I really wanted to explore here while we visited.<br />
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I remember reading about how there were really good licorice shops and that it was very popular in Denmark. A quick Google search popped up one maker who had a series of shops of what one might even call "artisan" crafted licorice. His name was Johan Bulow and he makes a product simply called <a href="http://liquorice.nu/">Lakrids</a>.<br />
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We set out to try and find his store, and discovered after getting easily lost that we had to actually go underground, into a basement department area to find it.<br />
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The result was incredibly satisfying, if not a big hit on the wallet. Licorice here is not what you think it is back in the United States. Forget about Twizzlers and ropes of over sweet plastic. The items here are of a completely different vein. Chocolate coated, numerous fruit flavors, dustings with other sweet confections, and of course an old classic that is quite jarring to many North Americans which he made that I fell in love with, simply black and salted.<br />
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Licorice seemed to be everywhere we looked as well and we picked up several different makers. So far after having tried many others in various price ranges, the Johan Bulow items were becoming favorites of ours but they were all really good. We did seem to prefer them over the other cheaper brands.<br />
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Licorice didn't just seem to be candy, it was also in other products and most surprisingly, it was in beer.<br />
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I found quite a few local breweries, and lots of beer that had licorice as an ingredient. Most of them were stouts, and to some extent darker beers such as brown ales.<br />
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You can actually see me review a licorice beer here along with some Blåbær and Copenhagen highlights below.<br />
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Getting back on course though was needed. The plan of attack was set in motion. We headed to the Vesterbro neighborhood which was also home to the <a href="http://mikkeller.dk/">Mikkeller</a> bar. The path to be traveled would take us past Mikkeller but we would definitely have to go to find Blåbær first. There was one address though on Vesterbrogade street which was along the way for Mikkeller that had me a little confused. They do have a bottle shop in Norrbero, but this address was not the bar on Viktoriagade. I wondered if this might be another bottle shop and it could be worth checking out some goodies.</div>
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I arrived in a staircase apartment like entrance completely confused after I got buzzed in. Still I figured I was here so I might as well check it out. I opened a door to what was obviously an office situated in a loft, beer posters on the wall, benched tables, and lots of neck bearded workers sitting behind laptops.</div>
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It was one of those situations of awkwardness, the one where you think you are making probably the wrong decision, but think that a slim chance is worth checking out. Then you open the door, and you have the error of your ways staring you back in your face, and then you have to explain yourself.</div>
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"Can I help you?" a nice gentlemen said in very good English.</div>
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"Uh... hey... I was looking for a possible Mikkeller bottle shop?" in which I knew I was already at the wrong place and interrupting a bunch of people who had work to do, than to deal with some beer guy who at times wasn't aware of how to get around Copenhagen sometimes. </div>
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I had actually stumbled upon what appeared to be one of the companies corporate offices. The staff was actually very nice, and they mentioned that there was no beer here to be sold, but that the bar was just around the corner. Uh I knew that.... just not and smile I said to myself,,,</div>
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"Oh thanks! I'll be on my way, I'll probably see you there too!", to which they replied with much thanks. Turns out I would run into these group of merry workers again, but more on that story later. The hunt for Cantillon Blåbær would now continue.</div>
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The store that sells it is not far from the Mikkeller bar, but the plan now was a full on hit for the bottle shop <a href="http://www.olbutikken.dk/page/welcome">Ølbutikken</a> where the item is sold. One thing I had to keep myself aware of was there was a "very" good chance though, that the beer may not even be there.</div>
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The beer is released once a year at the shop, and sold as a special release with lots of demand for beer fans. That release happened about 2-3 months before I had arrived. I had sent a couple of emails to the store owner before the trip, and was told that he did keep some bottles for future customers who could not attend the release in person and take a bottle home. There was though some very important stipulations about purchasing this beer from the store. First, only one bottle could be sold to a customer, and secondly, the bottle had to be consumed on the premises when you bought it. You were not allowed to leave the store with a full bottle.</div>
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I had no issue with this at all, in fact it's a great way to make sure that the beer is available to more people who want it.</div>
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Finally, the destination was staring me in the face. A giant black letter sign lead me to the basement of a store, with a nice thick wooden bench and rows of bottles on shelves and coolers sitting around. Inside I was already loving the variety and the availability of beers I normally can't get my hands on. Still I had to stay focused... FOCUS ... look for Cantillon!</div>
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A cooler off to the corner contained some decent Belgian beers, and there was a particular top shelf filled with various Cantillon bottles. Classic Gueuze, Kriek, Brucosella, Iris, and a few others.</div>
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But I didn't see any Blåbær.</div>
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So damn close I thought. But I wasn't going to give up so easily. It was time to introduce myself to the shop owner and inquire about this mysterious beast. I spoke with the proprietor of the store, a younger guy who seemed like a very enthusiastic beer fan. We had chatted a few times in email, but he said he actually had some problems setting up email and his Internet connection in the store. "You're actually lucky I just got this setup today! It's actually working!!" he said with a huge excitement under his breath.</div>
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"Well that's great, but do you have any Blåbær?" I nervously asked.</div>
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"Of course it's in the cooler over there!"</div>
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"Huh?!" I swear I looked it up and down, but then he pointed to the bottom far right corner of the rectangular door, the spot where discerning beer hunting eyes often fail to look over and over again, the place that disappears often in the recesses of the mind of a beer shopper like me, barely lurching over the tips of your feet where your eyes don't reach.</div>
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There it was. In the corner were about a dozen maybe 16-18 bottles. Their dark blue and almost gray like appearance almost made them invisible, and they were not close to the glass. It was almost as if they were hiding from me. The beer came in two sizes, a large 750ml and a smaller 375ml. This was a great option, I would have killed a larger bottle but I knew it would cost more and I had more beer to drink at the Mikkeller bar I wanted to check out as well.</div>
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When beer hunting and slaying, know your plans, and stick to your guns.</div>
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My wife is also a big Belgian lambic fan. She is often not a fan of beer in general but really likes these styles of beers having spent a semester in Brussels during college. To her the beer doesn't taste like regular "beer-beer" as she likes to refer to it. I would buy a small bottle and we would share it. It would allow me enough to judge it, and leave room for more beer to consume down the street at Mikkeller, and save a little bit more money as the bigger bottle was more expensive.</div>
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Speaking of price, this was not cheap either. Once again things in Copenhagen were not just an easy pinching, and this 375ml beer cost me with conversion rate close to $28 US dollars.</div>
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The sale was rung and it was going to happen. Two glasses were given, the proprietor popped the cork, a perfect sound not excessive, and no gushing, a great start. I slowly carried everything, sat myself at the table and readied myself to document the experience. Before I even tasted this beer, first giving it a look and examining it's bouquet, I realized I probably made my first mistake.</div>
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I should have bought the bigger bottle....</div>
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One sip confirmed it...</div>
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I REALLLLLY... should have bought the bigger bottle...</div>
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People like to hype up rare beers, and to some extent it is justified and other times it isn't. This of course also had me concerned about whether this beer would live up to expectations. Still I've had several of Cantillon's products luckily and they are wonderful brews, so I was looking for some of that magic, but had also read that other people didn't care for this beer either. </div>
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Even with all these thoughts in my mind, I always go into a new beer with no expectations. It could be amazing, or it could be ordinary, or it could be downright terrible. Luckily for me, the experience was the former.</div>
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The first thing that struck me about the beer was it's appearance. A slow decant and simple pour showed off one of the most impressive colors on any lambic I've seen. It was a perfect ruby gem red. Shiny. Virtually no hues and just a little bit of pink fizzy head that dissolved to of course nothing, to let the beauty of this color shine. It literally looks like you are cradling a ruby gem in your hands.</div>
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The aroma and bouquet provides a plethora of fruit experiences. Classic earth funky tones come with blueberry, cherries, raspberries, even a peach like fuzz note on the nose. </div>
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Then there is the taste. Drizzled lightly sweet balsamic vinegar over fresh fruit in a glass, poured over peaches and blueberries, with big earthy notes of fresh tiled soil and almost fungus mushroom quality. Great sweet acidic like tones, complex flavors but wonderfully balanced. Light mouthfeel with some playful carbonation.</div>
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It's easily the best blueberry beer I've ever had to date. </div>
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My wife who grew up in Maine around wild blueberries was enjoying herself as well. She really enjoyed it too, as she got caught up on the free WiFi in the store over her email.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvtjpc3Z2-MXfda3F7mM92qT5gZK7nC5aDVctR4rC-ROdBAnQh_KsFsyo8MoKDRJQYLJfexvyZF_jpjA038teSyA7X7qFLLhSLqairGI66ldeQNWfyItVaw2soHbpeOycuP-SiDJxYbHo/s1600/2014-10-02_16-48-06_898.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvtjpc3Z2-MXfda3F7mM92qT5gZK7nC5aDVctR4rC-ROdBAnQh_KsFsyo8MoKDRJQYLJfexvyZF_jpjA038teSyA7X7qFLLhSLqairGI66ldeQNWfyItVaw2soHbpeOycuP-SiDJxYbHo/s1600/2014-10-02_16-48-06_898.jpg" height="320" width="239" /></a></div>
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It was at this point I wish I could drink more of this, but the die was cast. The hardest part about drinking a brew that is amazing is the experience comes to an end. There is a pathos knowing that this experience will never again happen, amongst the joy of having an amazing drink.</div>
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<span style="text-align: left;">We then made our way to the Mikkeller bar down the street. A fantastic spot, with a downstairs like entrance, subway tiles that cling to the wall, and a giant chalk board with the latest menu beer items ready to be slayed.</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHf61Mk-ysyQQAPFE_5UpDNqH9Be2NmXMzPErWE7dsyzXbDrMTMC5KqTUOOGCAeCDsrq5EncUsr794qK9XZ5Gprh_nLnvq9ZEYh9qbvB7CFBUSWQKTh78TL7u6pxqS9ms-m-nfDbbvkLk/s1600/2014-10-02_17-00-54_874.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHf61Mk-ysyQQAPFE_5UpDNqH9Be2NmXMzPErWE7dsyzXbDrMTMC5KqTUOOGCAeCDsrq5EncUsr794qK9XZ5Gprh_nLnvq9ZEYh9qbvB7CFBUSWQKTh78TL7u6pxqS9ms-m-nfDbbvkLk/s1600/2014-10-02_17-00-54_874.jpg" height="320" width="239" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mikkeller - AK Alive</td></tr>
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<span style="text-align: left;">Oh yes this is going to be good. Interesting saisons and wilds given were ripe for the taking, and then they even serve beers from <a href="http://www.3floyds.com/over-21/?redirect_to=http://www.3floyds.com/">3 Floyds</a> here. Dear lord this is like nirvana. There was even more than just that, as I glanced over a bunch of silver dollar sized rye bread pieces for sale, their green watercress tops licking at my face and attention. "Hello there!" said a young familiar Dane, a guy who I had already met earlier who finally got away from his desk, and was now off his shift. "Yeah this guy came in earlier! Hope he likes the beers!" Guess I was making a name for myself already, as a big tattooed bloke poured me a saison. I didn't take long while glancing around that the ambience here was different from many of the other spots we had visited in Copenhagen,</span></div>
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<span style="text-align: left;">This place is filled with Americans. It was hard not to notice. So this is where they all end up huh? Why can't I escape these people when I travel? But then it again it was a fun familiarity as well all recounted our trial and tribulations adjusting to a new place. "I can't figure out how much money I took out of the ATM!" bellowed this hilarious guy from Kentucky, wads of Krone bursting from his hands eager to be spent. Another bearded young bloke, who wouldn't be out of place at any craft beer bar, neck beard included then asked me, "HEY have you ever had any <a href="http://www.bellsbeer.com/brands/info/2">Two Hearted</a>!?"</span></div>
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<span style="text-align: left;">why yes young man... yes I have.... oh boy have I ever had lots of that excellent brew.</span></div>
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This was all taken in as the staff free of charge poured us a bottle of AK Alive, suds and brett funk enveloping the room in a hazy cloud, passed hand in hand, glasses clink at the ready, merriment unleashed.</div>
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Another great treat about this bar is the giant chemistry flask the size of a watermelon, filled with a cherry like wine, that was cheap, simple, and easily devour-able.. one that my wife enjoyed and partook in while the conversation ebbed and flowed all late afternoon, Danes still stuck at work... us tourists drinking and plundering their wares...</div>
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This ... is ... so awesome...</div>
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"Yeah that was really cool! wasn't it!?" I remarked to my wife who was probably wondering about my sanity at this point.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjg3-31Y6icgI_zBMHZdOUEuzGp7U67C_Wi5doyS27AZmwYyoygGAsB6H3AupQvHa0FHTf3tIQhYHxw8LPn8gww7HO6DyZ8PgTxFXi6uMG-LcIIfvQL2mV2YrQclyL9kUoXhlP9JUB_Alg/s1600/2013-07-27_16-15-02_179.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjg3-31Y6icgI_zBMHZdOUEuzGp7U67C_Wi5doyS27AZmwYyoygGAsB6H3AupQvHa0FHTf3tIQhYHxw8LPn8gww7HO6DyZ8PgTxFXi6uMG-LcIIfvQL2mV2YrQclyL9kUoXhlP9JUB_Alg/s1600/2013-07-27_16-15-02_179.jpg" height="239" width="320" /></a></div>
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"And oh yeah we also went to that really cool bar, ya know! The oldest one in the country!" Katrine had taken us their as I recalled with much vigor. Founded in 1723, it's interior is warm, inviting, filled with love and stories that I wish the walls could tell us. The beer selection though was rather pedestrian, but was served with care, and what did look like locals who were very old who had been coming here for ages. Simple Tuborg Classic was offered, it might have been even from a beer engine (cask), and simply hit the spot. Even Katrine's pram fit in the place, with Magnus fitting in well. </div>
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"That was so AWESOME!! when we did that too!!"</div>
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By this point my wife had that look on her face, the one that was hovering over me as I was still nestled between the sheets in rapture of beer and drink bliss.</div>
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"Can I ask you a question?" she said matter of factly...</div>
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"Why yes darling... say... anything..."</div>
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"ARE YOU STILL FUCKING DRUNK?! Cause we went to that bar on the FIRST day we arrived DON'T YOU REMEMBER ANYTHING THAT HAPPENS?!?"</div>
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Oh.... .. I guess when you put it that way... I uh... kinda remember it a little differently.</div>
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It's one thing when memory is so detailed... but the days go by and times seem to be a blur...</div>
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She was right though. Cantillon and Mikkeller was the previous night. Our first evening we arrived, Katerine took us to a real cool bar spot, and there I was awake, luckily with no hangover, but with a sense of completeness, and heavenly in rapture of the memories while still nestled and nuzzling the bed sheets.</div>
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"Yup that was great".</div>
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"Good I am glad you enjoyed it." At this point my wife seemed at least content with my memories. But before I could hit the pillow and take in another great morning of coffee and tasty wares, she had one more thing to belt out.</div>
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"Now get your ass out of bed we got 15 minutes to catch the train to go to Helsingnør!"</div>
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fuck...</div>
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* - * - *</div>
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POST NOTE: The above events did occur, but not in the exact times as the blog chronicled (which is mentioned). Also my wife didn't really yell at me... but believe me she can... also we really were late for that dam train... more on that later...</div>
Imbibe Hourhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05099763169853562511noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-987850443416528384.post-12340794099962581902014-12-09T22:37:00.001-05:002014-12-09T22:38:18.824-05:00Imbibing through Europe again. Traveling Denmark and Germany and the drinks in between Part 3 of ?<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<b><span style="font-size: x-large;">I</span></b> feel like a million bucks! I said to myself as I awoke from a blank induced long sleep. I was just about ready as I heard the thump thump of the morning call. Ah Magnus the alarm clock has gone off and the beginning of the day is to be taken advantage of. I awoke to the morning rush of a toddler ready to eat, a couple of wooden block play-toys being rumbled across the hard floor, and some whining Danish words. Perfect timing, as my wife and I had not much time here and lots to explore and we definitely wanted to get out and going.<br />
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I pulled the blankets off like an orange peel, slowly sauntered to the bathroom once my wife finished and made her way to see Katerine. One pant leg nestled tightly, a quick glance out the window to check the weather report... yup cloudy and slight drizzel, I then made my way to the breakfast table and awaited the morning news.<br />
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"I have got our day all figured out" my wife said enthusiastically. "Oh ok sounds good" I replied, as my eyes gravitated toward a bread basket, cheese, and a French press container of coffee.<br />
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"We'll make our way to this park!"<br />
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Uh huh... (beer).<br />
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"Then we'll see if this museum is open." <br />
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Yeah... (beer).<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">View of Copenhagen from the Rundetårn</td></tr>
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"Then there's the tower, and that gives us time to check out this area which I wanted to see"<br />
<br />
K.... (beer, food,)<br />
<br />
"then we go here... that should give us time for lunch and some shopping, which you can figure out"<br />
<br />
I just nod uh huh yup sounds great we're rolling... where is the sugar anyway?<br />
<br />
It's often like this when I travel with my wife. Everything is planned before I even get out of bed. I roll with the punches, and make a note of anything before hand if it's something I really want to see and do, but for the most part when travelling together it works out perfectly. My mind drifts towards drink and food, aside from the fact my wife digs the eating spots I pick, dragging her to the beer spots and shops is not something I wish to put anyone through if they are not really into beer. She doesn't mind some of it, and does like some beer, but she is not into drink like I am. No I am not a beer geek. And yes I have been called one, but my life and tastes dictate more than just that. But if Blabaer and a plethora of new beers are around the corner, it's going to be hard for me to stop thinking about it.<br />
<br />
I sometimes think about what she must go through with me and my beer journeys. However, someone <a href="http://firstwefeast.com/drink/dating-a-beer-nerd/">perfectly summed it up here</a>, so I'll leave it at that. I am probably not as crazy as that guy for the record... but I did drive my wife crazy dragging her around Montreal so I could get some <a href="http://www.fairmountbagel.com/">decent bagels</a>. "If you don't stop talking about these dam bagels, and just get them, I will murder you right here.. " she said to me once.<br />
<br />
We were sitting down while Katerine was working to get us breakfast. It was quite obvious that the morning meal in Denmark is different than it is back home. First off I could barely figure out where the fridge was since it was so small. It was ground level, which was perfect for Magnus so he could walk in at eye level, and grab his own glass of milk. Pretty cool.<br />
<br />
The table was simply filled with bread, cheese, and sandwiches to make at your own pleasure. I loved the simplicity of this, the fry pan never went on, and there was no bowl of cereal to spill (although it could be done). <br />
<br />
I was pouring myself coffee, while Magnus occasionally sat with his toys and nibbled here and there. He was a typical two year old, but was very well behaved. We also noticed that he was easily entertained at times with his toys, which compared to most toys parents buy their kids back home didn't require batteries for starters.<br />
<br />
While taking some coffee, I was hoping that Katerine would at least get a break from us on top of the usual dealings of a busy two year old. I always get nervous in situations where hosts are handling a lot even though Katerine was extremely grateful to have us visiting. We would be heading out on our own as I mentioned to Katerine and I asked what she was up to.<br />
<br />
“Oh well Magnus has to go to daycare shortly. So I just take him every morning and drop him off.”<br />
<br />
Really?<br />
<br />
Yes.<br />
<br />
You’re unemployed and the state gives you free daycare?<br />
<br />
Yes?<br />
<br />
Well I also have 2 years of unemployment, but the state handles it.<br />
<br />
(me with my jaw dropping) Really?<br />
<br />
Yes<br />
<br />
And you have a 2 year old?<br />
<br />
Yes<br />
<br />
I turned to my wife, “So can we move here?”<br />
<br />
It turns out that there is an interesting flipside to Denmark’s high taxes, which includes a bonanza of social services that are available to its citizenry. Health care, day care, unemployment insurance, maternity leave, free tuition at universities, it is quite fascinating. Katerine like some Danes is looking for a job while occasionally doing some temp work. There was no sense here at all, or with any other Danes that they are just “trying to game the system” or milking it, but are in a cycle that happens to many in the country. But man if you are unemployed with a kid, Denmark is the place to be I say…<br />
<br />
If I am reading this right and from what I saw, Denmark has an economic model in which a good portion of the population go through a period of job unemployment and transition. The model is called “<a href="http://denmark.dk/en/society/welfare/flexicurity/">flexicurity</a>”, where if I understand this correctly, a portion of the working populaces jobs are overturned so that others can move up the ladder or into the workforce. The flipside is there is a longer social safety net for those who are removed from the labor pool, giving them enough time when the cycle goes around and they can get rehired. About 25% of Danish private sector workers change jobs each year.<br />
<br />
I think that’s the theory and how it is supposed to work… “In theory” of course.<br />
<br />
I find this absolutely fascinating, and more so having a harder time believing that this actually works. Unemployment is higher in Denmark than it is in the United States, but what would you care if the government then seems to provide you everything? I grew up in Canada, and it has social services which are far better than the United States, but it has nothing on a Scandinavian country like Denmark in comparison. Heck in the United States we’re still struggling over health care even now.<br />
<br />
But somehow this is how their society functions. Where does the money come from? They got lots of oil right? Right? I dunno.. But when you take one look around and see how people are living it’s no wonder Danes like to remark <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/10/22/denmark-happiest-country_n_4070761.html">they are the happiest in the world</a>.<br />
<br />
Before we headed out Katerine had already put out more lunch meat, spreads, and bread on the table. “You must pack a lunch!” she blurted quickly while trying to get Magnus’s shoes on.<br />
<br />
My wife and I hadn't thought about this, and I know often in Europe lunch can be the biggest meal of the day, but we were just normally going to grab a bite during our lunch period while out on the town. That’s pretty much what we do anytime we travel. So taking Katerine’s word, we grabbed the aluminum foil, made a few metal tin softballs and headed out.<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
*-*-*</div>
<br />
Copenhagen’s pulse is astounding. It’s a city that breathes and moves in a fashion unlike any other I have witnessed. It’s incredibly clean, the buses, trams, subway, rail cars all seem to arrive on time, the wet populace gets around on bike paths with the sounds of a slithering wet snake moving at high speeds. The city has a quiet hum, there aren't a lot of car horns, just a lot of soft wet footsteps splashing against the cobblestone gray pavements. Even walking around many of the areas, there didn't seem to be anyone loitering around. There were no panhandlers, street kids, homeless people? I couldn't even find any.<br />
<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-_6GbehNt4_iy-mbjKtxxM0aGNvm8z4EXA7rGnRx7QEarVzAVgxAlS69rBnK8x3ncfiU3hfK-8mrwjK1Vqrgov-wLpZOxmjOvOPwdgVBad3t2awcNTdZ48kZHMA0vgyqRi_K2LBwdnuQ/s1600/2014-10-02+14.32.21.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-_6GbehNt4_iy-mbjKtxxM0aGNvm8z4EXA7rGnRx7QEarVzAVgxAlS69rBnK8x3ncfiU3hfK-8mrwjK1Vqrgov-wLpZOxmjOvOPwdgVBad3t2awcNTdZ48kZHMA0vgyqRi_K2LBwdnuQ/s1600/2014-10-02+14.32.21.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
It’s a pretty ridiculous assumption that Copenhagen doesn't have homeless people, or things that happen in any city, drug problems, crime and the like. But speaking of crime, I never even saw any cops or police cars once we left the customs desk at the airport. What the heck did they even look like? I probably couldn't tell the difference between them and a bus driver at this point. Sure there’s some graffiti not unlike most cities, but if anything people stealing bikes appeared to be the biggest problems. I would look at all these granny bikes, rides that half of America wouldn't be caught dead riding or let alone owning one, with the most sophisticated locking systems for frames, wheels, and so on all over. Your bike truly is worth its weight in gold in this city apparently, and they make this city run like a well oiled machine.<br />
<br />
We worked up an appetite checking out much of the area and the surrounding boroughs. Flat, easy to get to, well connected, walking a lot really stoked up our hunger. I had already done a minor beer run in the few grocery stores I passed. Even here it was the most reasonable, but large prices still stood out. Shops and windows my wife and I walked by sort of had us in disbelief, but none so much as the furniture store we just had to take a look at.<br />
<br />
Once again my wife saw a couch and mid century like modern furniture in a nice corner window store of a building. So of course… we had to go in… right… who am I kidding?<br />
<br />
“Like we look like the kind of people who are going to actually buy this stuff right?” I joked with my wife<br />
<br />
“I just want to take a look” she said. "Besides we have bought this stuff once before hmmm??"<br />
<br />
“Yeah that’s what you always say”.<br />
<br />
A well dressed Danish blonde woman came out and said in perfect English if we needed any help, her designer shoes cascading and with a slow click on the perfect hard wood practically pointing right at us.<br />
<br />
“No we’re just looking” my wife said.<br />
<br />
It was one of those classic downtown to joint edge stores, the ones that exist in trendy neighborhoods filled with young singles who have more money than they know what to do with or something. The ones where the price of an item is on some tiny folded card, or little cute wood block, apparently made as small as possible so that it won’t detract from the furniture’s appearance or something.<br />
<br />
“I’ll be waiting outside,” I said to my wife after I looked over everything in the store in about 5 minutes with a circular walking motion. Which really translated into “The hell I am buying anything in this place so I aint wasting my time looking around at it” kind of response.<br />
<br />
My wife came out shortly afterwards and remarked with a sly smirk on her face, “That tiny end table was $2200 dollars”.<br />
<br />
“Yeah… no kidding…” (groan) “I am sure it would probably cost another $1000 to ship it to our house… makes sense to me…” I sighed.<br />
<br />
Who in this country is buying this stuff, or can afford it? I kept asking myself.<br />
<br />
The feeling of cost never seemed to escape us shortly after we arrived. All the food places I had marked out on Google maps in my preparation, many we passed along the way seemed like nobody was eating in them. Off season? Lunch plate items seemed to translate into 20, 30 dollars per person for just simple items. We found a great market, with awesome shops, and a smørrebrød place I was keen on. But one look at the costs and we just sort of wondered how the heck do people survive here? Gone were my smørrebrød places, walking to cafes with killer Danish pastries in the morning with coffee, no seafood dinners in the Southern end of the city I was so highly excited about. It all went up in a puff of smoke before my eyes.<br />
<br />
“Let's eat our sandwiches,” I quickly remarked as I pointed to a park bench that looked comfy to my wife. “That's a great idea” she said.<br />
<br />
We sat in a park bench, and admired that we didn't seem to be alone in our solitary lunch of wrapped ham and cheese. As I looked around, I saw many a tinfoil carrying people eating sandwiches. Families on park benches, women pulling them out of their purses, kids and parents bunkered down around wrappings. It seemed like this was par for the course for Danes when it came to eating out. We were fitting in nicely. Sitting with the Danes in a sandwich break seemed like a communal bonding experience, making for one tasty ham and cheese sandwich.<br />
<br />
After more cavorting and sightseeing, we made our way back to Katerine's place.<br />
<br />
"It's so good to see you again! Would you like a beer, I have some?!"<br />
<br />
"Oh hell yes" I said, even though my bag was filled with a few interesting beers I was keen on digging into, the old adage never escaped my brain,,,<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b>NEVER TURN DOWN A DRINK FROM YOUR HOST..... EVER!!!!</b></div>
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<b><br /></b></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJX6APrLo3PeHZdPgQLjsJ4QHonBzzrdieHCLc3sLIq4Tct5svaCfymugIUz5dvZuh-fgIcl3kWOYUj3AFYg-WadEn8tQ2k_-3bNcyBeUAAxKkqU5aGawH-_dzfrMzsgtMXR4xO8jQ5d0/s1600/TuborgClassic.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJX6APrLo3PeHZdPgQLjsJ4QHonBzzrdieHCLc3sLIq4Tct5svaCfymugIUz5dvZuh-fgIcl3kWOYUj3AFYg-WadEn8tQ2k_-3bNcyBeUAAxKkqU5aGawH-_dzfrMzsgtMXR4xO8jQ5d0/s1600/TuborgClassic.jpg" height="320" width="212" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
Katerine provided me with a well known brew from Carlsberg that I was not so aware of that they make called <a href="http://www.carlsberggroup.com/brands/Pages/TuborgClassic.aspx">Tuborg Classic</a>. It's a pretty easy drinking brew, commonly available, but I have never seen it locally where I live from them unlike <a href="http://www.carlsberggroup.com//brands/Pages/Carlsberg.aspx#.VH_GejHF_CA">their regular brew</a>. It's surprisingly reminds me very much like <a href="http://www.yuengling.com/our_beer/">Yuengling</a> stateside but better. Inoffensive, nothing crazy impressive, but a solid drinker. Sort of the Danish go to of <a href="https://www.samueladams.com/craft-beers/boston-lager">Sam Adams Boston Lager</a>, in my opinion that's what I think.</div>
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<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
Katerine had much of this and I started pounding these with reckless abandon, since after all... there was a job do to here for me and I was not going to do it half ass.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6dKLRyA1CDd0Zxtm9QC82B-llUgGnBvRora0L0T6wFndKpqWq_H04slnLUuL1N8YqsCTjhUWDSADZ1jhaYN6ga28uTBfyLTda1VrJtoxxtK7-Lvq0bHLPVwSPuHfv3g8KQjW6IY_eeQU/s1600/2014-10-02_19-57-41_667.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6dKLRyA1CDd0Zxtm9QC82B-llUgGnBvRora0L0T6wFndKpqWq_H04slnLUuL1N8YqsCTjhUWDSADZ1jhaYN6ga28uTBfyLTda1VrJtoxxtK7-Lvq0bHLPVwSPuHfv3g8KQjW6IY_eeQU/s1600/2014-10-02_19-57-41_667.jpg" height="320" width="239" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
Still there was still many goodies of my own design I was destined to jump into. One that I grabbed was a <a href="http://www.bunitedint.com/information/brands/description/51/">Limfjords Porter</a>. This porter has one of the ingredients that I was quite surprised to find in many beers. That ingredient simply was black licorice, a treat that seems to be pretty common in Denmark, and that perhaps they take pride in. (Although when I landed in Germany and told people about Danes and licorice they had different ideas about where the best was made... Germany... Holland... pick your battles...).<br />
<br />
The heck you say there isn't enough great tasting beer to go around. Limfjords manages to maintain a mild porter quality with just a hint of black licorice. Tongue stained? Not so much.<br />
<br />
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgw4mMvlOx6lPOorSvQW59iNIF3Su5q6At4JRtYCJK-Iq8zk8Hoitx9wHhJAZVz85V6eXl3Ly0gjprnRRZyHMBwBFiwj1zhj5mtv7My3c0cpAzfo7gxTHkAYw94JxAeA8xJG1Trbhh7HYA/s1600/2014-10-02_03-45-21_537.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgw4mMvlOx6lPOorSvQW59iNIF3Su5q6At4JRtYCJK-Iq8zk8Hoitx9wHhJAZVz85V6eXl3Ly0gjprnRRZyHMBwBFiwj1zhj5mtv7My3c0cpAzfo7gxTHkAYw94JxAeA8xJG1Trbhh7HYA/s1600/2014-10-02_03-45-21_537.jpg" height="239" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A simple haul at a grocery and a specialty store.<br />
Good Belgians too!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Denmark's other non mass produced beers seemed quite abundant. There were beers from <a href="http://www.noerrebrobryghus.dk/">Nørrebro Bryghus</a>, <a href="http://www.svanekebryghus.dk/">Svaneke</a> rounded out some other interests as well. We settled down with a simple meal, and Magnus' fascination with some Lego and a carving knife.<br />
<br />
"Can I have the knife?" my wife asked Magnus with the touch of delicateness that only a fine woman can wield.<br />
<br />
Magnus almost stopped in a trance and handed her the blade, transfixed by her gaze and delicate words. The acknowledgement of the English language was not lost on this young warrior. English is much used in Denmark and taught in schools, even Katerine spoke English around Magnus the entire time we were around. It was obvious many times that he sort of knew what we were saying at times, but never once in English did he respond to us. However, his touch and gaze gave us a wink and comfort that somehow we were both on the same wavelength. We understood each other, in this crazy beautiful world.<br />
<br />
"It's like he knows what we are saying!" my wife mentioned to Katerine in astonishment. <br />
<br />
"I am going to put together some of these Lego sets!" I said to Katerine, delicately proportioning the oversized younger blocks into an aeroport that could mimic a tarmac longer than the biggest bike path in Denmark.<br />
<br />
However, as much as we enjoyed ourselves, my wife could see I was getting anxious, and we didn't have much time left in town either. I told her we absolutely had to go to <a href="http://www.olbutikken.dk/page/welcome">Ølbutikken </a>tomorrow, to see if I could find a bottle of Cantillon Blabaer. She agreed, and she knew this meant a lot to me, but for now we nestled into bottles of wine, and fists of Tuborg Classic as the rain never seemed to end.<br />
<br />
I had other stops along the way too... but the hunt would have to continue in earnest tomorrow.</div>
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<br /></div>
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Imbibe Hourhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05099763169853562511noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-987850443416528384.post-77182577623306755552014-11-23T11:53:00.002-05:002014-11-23T14:47:06.710-05:00Imbibing through Europe again. Traveling Denmark and Germany and the drinks in between Part 2 of ?<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEic1ebgTqtKPSlw0y2JjMr6AWaPKwjuQyKxX1hWPb3Q6zYGp8Ze_FwmkvdI78bS0vY6Ql-Ubd3doLR_YUmbuSNoUqqC0jtvEDP5ydtvpXZWkDRYbK0FueP8OcKB9f5LJL8Tg2p-cw9yL6k/s1600/Copenhagen_airport.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEic1ebgTqtKPSlw0y2JjMr6AWaPKwjuQyKxX1hWPb3Q6zYGp8Ze_FwmkvdI78bS0vY6Ql-Ubd3doLR_YUmbuSNoUqqC0jtvEDP5ydtvpXZWkDRYbK0FueP8OcKB9f5LJL8Tg2p-cw9yL6k/s1600/Copenhagen_airport.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Copenhagen Airport - Googled Image taken from Internet<br />
I did not take this photo.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<b><span style="font-size: x-large;">B</span></b>efore I headed off on this trip I met up with a good friend of mine who had some rather big news. He not unlike myself was heading to Europe as well, although while I was off for a vacation he was making a big change.<br />
<br />
"Me and Valerie made up our minds, we're moving to Barcelona."<br />
<br />
"The hell!!??" <br />
<br />
I was sitting down with my good friend at the <a href="http://quarryhousetavern.com/">Quarry House Tavern</a>, a good simple watering hole that I pick as a meeting place for us both on occasion. A solitary place of middle ground, it's sort of between our houses in the area. I grab something Belgian, or perhaps a local on tap brew, he nestling his Guinness in his hands is satisfied.<br />
<br />
This came out of nowhere, but I could sense his unbridled enthusiasm and his eagerness to move on, son in tow, quit his job, it was what they wanted. He even decided to write about the transition which you can read on his blog here at this link: <a href="http://www.6degreesofanticipation.com/">6 Degrees of Anticipation</a>.<br />
<br />
"Wow" I said, crinkling my hands around a tulip of <a href="http://www.st-feuillien.com/STF-triple-ENG.php">St. Feuillien</a>, glancing around at the younger singles who have time to pass and less heavier stuff to deal with than us it seemed.<br />
<br />
"Funny you say that, I am heading off to Copenhagen and Berlin soon"! I mentioned.<br />
<br />
"Copenhagen huh"! he said. "Yeah I been there...." his thoughts trailed off slightly with me wanting yet another glimpse into anything that he could tell me more about this place. Perhaps a cool spot, a neat piece of scenery, a real great tip.. he beckoned with one simple note that he didn't hesitate, as if it was the most important thing I should know. Without missing a beat, the first thing that formed out of his lips to say to me was:<br />
<br />
"That place is expensive as hell."<br />
<br />
So there it was, stuck in my head all that time. The commute to Dulles airport, making sure I didn't forget to pack anything, keeping the ideas of the trip in mind, but with that all, the time had past. It was October 1st, and there we were, in a daze, jet lagged, in the wrong time zone, was it October? what day of the week really was it? All I knew was that it was about 8 AM and we were to wait here for Katrine to come pick us up, with maybe her son, and somehow our trip would begin. But I should hang on to my wallet.<br />
<br />
The first footstep even seemed memorable once we entered the airport. Copenhagen's airport is spacious. Wooden. Architecturally impressive. Filled with glass and open skies to see. Half the time walking through it seemed like we were in a museum. Chestnut colored planks of wood everywhere, I wanted it in my house. Interesting inviting chairs and places to sit down in. This place looks better than my living room I thought. It's also no surprise that <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/best-airports-in-the-world-2011-3">Copenhagen's airport ranks as one of the top airports for travelers in the world</a>, for numerous reasons that become obvious once you step foot in it for the first time.<br />
<br />
It is truly beautiful.<br />
<br />
We entered customs, my head still glancing down to wood planks, that I wish I could pilfer for my living room floor. A simple customs officer sat behind a glass cabinet, perfectly angled. A few simple questions for us both, and then one more. His demeanor while extremely professional, without a touch of malice, faint uniform pressed intricately through a collar, was my first experience dealing with someone from Denmark. One last question, almost said with a smile,<br />
<br />
"Have you ever been to Denmark before?"<br />
<br />
In all my life, this has NEVER been a question asked by ANY customs official in any foreign country I have ever stepped into. It was almost as if they were asking me to enter the kingdom of make believe.<br />
<br />
"No" I said, beaming with huge enthusiasm, as if I somehow just won some great prize, trying hard not to make the smile on my face seem too large.<br />
<br />
"Enjoy your stay", and with that his hand reached out, handed us back our passports, and we walked past, to a perfect set of plexiglass doors, that pulled sideways in a silent but glorious ballet like movement, to welcome us to the land, and which we saw, the beginning of this country and its citizens. In all my life I have never had made an entrance to a country quite like that.<br />
<br />
Still, we had to wait for our friend.<br />
<br />
It was at this time I noticed, I should probably take care of one of my standard desires, and that is to have a cup of coffee.<br />
<br />
I don't drink regular coffee, per se... I actually drink espresso. This isn't some chi chi foo foo habit, in fact I never drank coffee at all growing up, but that all changed when I spent a month in Portugal with a good friend and his family. I picked up a cup of espresso with sugar in my late 20s and that habit has never stopped. When this habit is not taken care of, BAD things can happen (Physically and mentally).<br />
<br />
"I see there's a Starbucks over there, so I am going to go take a look and maybe grab a shot," I mentioned to my wife. We were going to be sitting I was sure for awhile, after all Katerine had to deal I am sure with traffic or whatever, and we still had lots of time before she was to arrive.<br />
<br />
I walked over to the Starbucks menu, to look for the cost of a double espresso. Something I order every day, often twice (one in the morning one in the afternoon) to keep my mind at ease while I work. Where I live the cost of a Starbucks double espresso with tax is $2.48 US dollars.<br />
<br />
I took a glance at the menu, and stayed out of the line, not a large one mind you, but it was good to get away from consumers who haven't had their morning cup of joe yet. I had to make sure I was reading the menu correctly, it was however nicely presented. One side had the items, and the prices were in 2 columns. One contained <a href="http://www.xe.com/currency/dkk-danish-krone">Danish Krone</a>, the currency of Denmark. The other contained the price in Euros. Denmark is an <a href="http://europa.eu/index_en.htm">EU</a> member, but it does not use the Euro in the country, it uses it's own currency called the Krone (which translates as crown).<br />
<br />
My eyes had to double check to make sure I was understanding what I was reading. Denmark's language barrier really isn't that bad for native English speakers. English is often spoken, and its often presented throughout the country. Krones are not similar in terms of value to say US dollars, the denominations are higher, so I wasn't used to seeing items to gauge their value at first by looking at things that might be 100, 500, 1000 krone. I looked again at the Euro column, something that I could quickly calculate a US dollar value. The price for a double espresso in Euros ... was ... roughly.... six Euros.<br />
<br />
6 Euros?!?!? That's nearly 8 friggin BUCKS FOR AN ESPRESSO WHAT THE HELL MAN?!?!<br />
<br />
I could suddenly feel my wallet burning...<br />
<br />
I came back to the bench where my wife was keeping an eye out for our luggage and waiting. "Where's your coffee?" she asked. "Forget it I don't need it." I fumed. "Does this mean I am going to hear all day how bad a headache you have on this trip?" she said. "Don't worry we'll figure something out." I retorted.<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
* - * - *</div>
<br />
We waited a little bit for Katerine. Come to think of it I didn't think of backup plans so much if she didn't show up, but that's what an adventure is for. Eventually we knew to probably look for someone with a child, and suddenly a woman appeared pushing the biggest stroller (pram) I have ever seen in my life. Strollers I discovered in Europe are larger, with these giant Humvee style wheels. You can keep and store everything in them. Katerine had everything she could need in there, blankets, bottles, groceries, napkins, probably even a giant battle axe for Magnus too.<br />
<br />
"Katerine!" my wife said. I recognized her as well after a quick look I remembered her features from the time we once met in the DC area. She was with her son Magnus, a true viking blonde young looking warrior, a little cranky, but also full of spunk. He was fairly quiet at first, but that was all to change.<br />
<br />
It made sense that we should head to her apartment and get centered, so a quick trip on the subway line and some transfers and we should be on our way. I had concerns about having Katerine taking care of us along with a two year old. I assumed this was going to be too much for her to handle but one thing I quickly discovered is that if you are an unemployed single parent Denmark is where you want to be. More on that later...<br />
<br />
While standing on the subway/train platform I noticed it was overcast and raining pretty good. It was gray, and a little cold, and more so quite wet. This however couldn't dampen my enthusiasm on first arrival, but it also reminded me of the second thing that spilled out of my friends mouth when I asked him about Copenhagen. <br />
<br />
"The weather sucks! It's always cold gray and raining." he said.<br />
<br />
My eyes peered into the observance of the population as well while sitting on the train. Danes looked different than Americans. They were dressed in dark woolen like jackets all the time, scarves as well, and the populace seemed to be bathed in colored darkness. They unlike us Americans though, didn't look huge. However, their somber appearance seemed to blend into the gray skies and puddles like a greased oil painting as if it was a perfect match for the scenery that we traveled through as the raindrops hit the side car windows.<br />
<br />
Speaking of huge my mind boggled at how the hell was that stroller going to get on the subway? Katerine did obviously get here with it, a feat I thought that would be impossible using public transportation back home in DC. That's when I learned the other great thing about Copenhagen.<br />
<br />
It has an <a href="http://intl.m.dk/">amazing transportation system</a> that is one of the best, if not THE BEST I have ever experienced anywhere.<br />
<br />
The train pulls up, youth and adults pile in and out seamlessly. The doors are large, and there is a section that opens what seems like the parting of the red sea, to let anyone with a stroller or bicycle walk on to the train. There is even room for bike and strollers on the buses!<br />
<br />
Boy they know how to do things right here I thought. Suddenly the large stroller didn't seem out of place. The streets and sidewalks are often large cobblestones, which makes sense for large wheels to go over them. Ah... Danish design... but it was more of a reality to see how Europe does things differently.<br />
<br />
We ended up in the Østerbro neighborhood where Katerine lives. A side street, bicycles parked EVERYWHERE, led us to the entrance to her front door. It was small. It was cozy. It was a place she purchased years ago, and it was an old building. The 220 volt outlet was barely hanging on the wall. sporadic lighting was dotted around the rooms, the tiniest kitchen I had ever seen, the wood floors... god I would never stop thinking of wood on my visit to Denmark, the wood was worn and filled with decades of past tenants scuffs and wears, uneven planks of cut timber, and history of the feet that crossed its path. It was small, full of history. It was old. The walls painted simple cream white, to make the wood more obvious it seemed.<br />
<br />
It was perfect.<br />
<br />
We dropped our bags off, and we were fighting to stay awake. Jet lag is just a fact of long distance travel. It's the first 24-48 hours that are the worst. You put up the good fight, and in the end are rewarded with a long sleep, but you have to be pummeled and hit what feels like a marathon of punishment as the sun and day still exists before you.<br />
<br />
My wife already had ideas once we dropped our bags. There were museums and sights to see, which would fill up our time. Fine with me, but first we needed lunch.<br />
<br />
We were simply taken care of by the goodness that Europe brings to the table. Bread. Does any other place in the world make bread better than Europe? No... and no nobody in the US comes anywhere close. We sat down at a tiny table, Magnus on hand, as a giant piece of duck pate was spread across the rye loaf like an ocean wave. I took some myself, while watching him gobble his down ferociously in amazement. I tried the same, took one bite... and its richness went straight to my arteries and deprived sleep brain. I am going to have a heart attack right here I thought.<br />
<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Danish Museum of Art and Design</td></tr>
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For the remainder of the evening and afternoon we would head out to a museum my wife wanted to see and some other sights. She wanted to see the <a href="http://designmuseum.dk/en">Danish museum of Art and Design</a>, which contains a lot of classic furniture. We've actually taken some real nice fondness for this type of furniture since we bought a mid century modern house a few years a go. We bought a few pieces of Danish styled furniture through the years that really fit well with the aesthetics of our home, and of course my wife was looking for ideas. Plus it seemed interesting.<br />
<br />
I was barely staying awake.<br />
<br />
How long have we been up now straight? 30 hours? When was the last time I had a drink? I lost track. I stopped caring what day of the week it was.<br />
<br />
The museum was true to name. There was lots of furniture. Some of it honestly really dam nice. There was lots of chairs. Funky chairs, Swiveling chairs, Weird ass shaped chairs. Womb chairs. Chairs that were wood. Chairs with string and rope.<br />
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This is some... well... uh... ok it's a lot of chairs. Then as these thoughts crossed my mind, the walking through the neighborhoods and seeing Nyhavn (the quintessential Denmark tourist stop, only a trap if you eat at the overpriced cafes and restaurants there), still filled with scaffolding since it was now past tourist season, my mind was saying....<br />
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You have been up for 40+ hours and you need to sit down.<br />
<br />
What time is it? Oh it's only 5:30 PM.<br />
<br />
Boy I have a lot of time to kill, never mind my stomach doesn't understand what time it is supposed to be eating. After all, dinner hopefully is coming soon.<br />
<br />
After witnessing chair after chair, <a href="http://www.modernmag.com/?p=4465">the perfect chair</a>, a thought crossed my mind, the one that happens just before your sleep deprived brain tells you, you are going to pass out... A thought that was horrifically a constant torture reminder while visiting this museum.<br />
<br />
I ... really... need... to sit... the fuck.... down...<br />
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Here are all these historical chairs.. and my sleep deprived brain... and I can't sit on them... <br />
<br />
If that's not torture I don't know what is.<br />
<br />
I was desperate to catch my breath. While walking through this treasure of angles and linear degrees of comfort, I finally found an employee as I noticed only a few of the chairs had signs that said or translated into any persons language, do NOT sit here.<br />
<br />
"Can I sit on these chairs?" to which the employee said... OH YES YES absolutely, just not the ones that are on tall stages or have signs. he said back. We strongly encourage you to experience them, in their design and aesthetic and feel, he said.<br />
<br />
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Oh Valhalla thank god! My aching tired, sleep deprived muscle of a brain was BEGGING me to take lounge upon these incredible creations. It was like Goldilocks in the bears house. This one's too hard, this ones too soft, this one baby... is just right. And when you have been up for more than 40 hours with no sleep... these chairs will make you catatonic. <br />
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The museum has also historical period pieces of wood carved items that are extremely ornate. It's a museum worth checking out if you are into design, furniture and the like.<br />
<br />
We sauntered out finally after my wife had finished reading every placard on the wall, and seen everything there was inside. We caught the local bus right outside, and headed home.<br />
<br />
When was the last time I had a beer? I thought to myself... Why can't we have bike lanes everywhere back in DC I thought? I could get to work so much more easily on my bike than I did if I lived in Copenhagen. Here the bikes have their own traffic lanes, and even stop signals, and the paths go everywhere. There are more bikes than cars, and everyone seems to be on one. This was just a sight to behold. I ride 7.5 miles to work back and forth on my bicycle to D.C. and back to Maryland where I live. I do have some bike paths, but there are areas where there aren't any, and sharing the road is often dangerous. If that's not bad enough, sometimes it seems like we are at war with automobiles and the <a href="http://www.washingtonpost.com/local/bicyclist-bullies-try-to-rule-the-road-in-dc/2014/07/08/f7843560-06e3-11e4-bbf1-cc51275e7f8f_story.html">attitudes of some others</a>. In Copenhagen you don't even have to worry about any of that stuff it seems.<br />
<br />
"I thought I should tell you something, that I think would be a good treat for dinner tonight." said Katerine, while she kept an eye on Magnus, who was actually very well behaved in a large museum. Often I felt I was going to have tackle him before he knocked over a priceless antique or something, but he did fine... mostly.<br />
<br />
"I was going to make for you what we Danes call Christmas lunch, it's not really the time of year for it, but I think you'd like it. It's sort of a combination of breads and courses over the evening."<br />
<br />
We absolutely said yes, and awaited the thoughts of what might come. We were served a healthy dose of <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sm%C3%B8rrebr%C3%B8d">smørrebrød</a>, which is something I had read about and was very keen on taking in for my visit. It really is something that at first glance looks real easy to prepare. All you need is some good amounts of quality breads, and great items to put on them I figured.<br />
<br />
I really love the simplicity of this. As a food nut I get into preparations, and spices, and textures and all the like. It's often work, and fretting over how much or how little of something I added, or if something was overcooked. Not here with this dinner, the ingredients just do the talking. Pickled herring, a simple cut hard boiled egg a spread called <a href="http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Remoulade-Sauce-106731">remoulade</a>? (other times just great flavorful butter), incredibly chewy and flavorful baked pieces of rye bread. The <a href="http://www.garden.org/plantguide/?q=show&id=2082">dill</a>... oh god the dill, my wife and I LOVE dill, so much so that we practically cry every year trying to grow it in my herb garden and it NEVER takes (our climate seems too hot for it we think).<br />
<br />
This is great example of simple form and function in the kitchen, so much so I am going to make it for Christmas Eve myself for family. I was looking at pictures of this before I left fascinated by the look of smørrebrød. Bright green leaves, cured type fish of herring and/or salmon, it's veins and curves glistening, topped with the brightness of egg white, splashes sometimes of dill, watercress, and those incredibly flavorful breads. I had picked out a couple well reviewed restaurants and lunch places that served this, then also looked at what an open face piece of bread costs at these places.<br />
<br />
Once again my wallet caught fire.<br />
<br />
But here we were, sitting around a crowded table, bottles of wine at the ready, a somewhat fidgety two year old, plates awaiting, eagerly wishing more. We were told there were traditionally several courses. Ravenously hungry and totally out of it, I thought it would be just what I needed. I find myself at times when I am jet lagged often having one last meal before I go to bed so I can get my body on a regular pattern. What I always remember, is that I can't hold on to my food because my body physically starts shaking.<br />
<br />
We were served a second course of smørrebrød, and before I could grab a piece of herring, I nearly dumped my wine glass on the table reaching for it in a quiver. Luckily I just caught it before hand while my wife nervously looked on.<br />
<br />
After the second course, and was it 3rd? 4th? glass of wine I had, I suddenly realized something. I was feeling full. Wait a second, how is this possible? I had what 2 pieces of bread and I am getting full? How is this happening?<br />
<br />
It was true though, I remarked "Boy this is tasty, how many courses are there usually?" Katerine replied back, "Sometimes about 5-8". "Gee I am actually... kind of getting stuffed strangely." To which my wife also said, "Yeah me too!", as we said with some nervous laughter.<br />
<br />
How the hell can you eat 2 pieces of bread and be this full?! but that was what was happening. How in the heck are we going to finish this meal I thought looking at my wife who had the same sleep deprived look on her face, and same whimpering drawl that felt too ashamed to not say, please no more...<br />
<br />
Plates kept coming, and as good as it was, we couldn't take it in the state we were in. I closed my eyes while Katerine assembled in a clatter in the kitchen for maybe 10 seconds. I think 5 minutes passed after I opened my eyes, and I am not sure what happened.<br />
<br />
We were not going to survive this I thought...<br />
<br />
Finally Katerine announced with much bridled enthusiasm, NEXT COURSE!! Boy we were being treated well, so much so we were going to die.<br />
<br />
SCHNAPPS!!<br />
<br />
Oh dear god no... Finally I am not sure if it was me or my wife who said it first, but someone, or maybe it was both of us at the same time who just said, "I CAN'T DO THIS ANYMORE!! NO MORE DRINK AND FOOD!"<br />
<br />
Katerine burst out laughing. At first I was really concerned if we were on the same friendly ground, after all I never turn down good food or drink, and we were invited guests. We were extremely thankful to have room and board, and not sleeping on a wet sidewalk somewhere instead. But the hours, the convulsing, the wine, the belly stuffed inexplicably with a bunch of herring, we needed to go to bed. We also had lots to do tomorrow to get on schedule, as did Katerine.<br />
<br />
"It's so funny" she laughed, to which my wife and I weren't sure if she was serious or not. Without missing a beat she simply said, "See now you actually sound like Danes!".<br />
<br />
We were fitting in perfectly.<br />
<br />
I think we got in 4 plates, and just polished off the last bottle of wine. I realized I never had a beer yet, but I was to go hunt for some tomorrow. "Oh I have some in the fridge" Katerine said, to which I replied great I'll have one tomorrow. Probably two. Right after I nestle a jet lag induced hangover, I'll be right there.<br />
<br />
But for now, our first day was concluded. Somehow I got myself into a shower, it's a very blurry memory, and passed out into a restful quiet slumber. The rain drops nestled the windows, as the circles and wheels of leaned up bikes pressed themselves against the side concrete grey walls of the buildings outside, as if they were to hug beside me and nestle me into sleep. It was an unbelievable first experience, and it would continue tomorrow. <br />
<br />
It was like sitting in the perfect chair.<br />
<br />
And tomorrow.... there would be beer! <br />
<br />
Night night all!Imbibe Hourhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05099763169853562511noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-987850443416528384.post-15032408357093722222014-11-16T12:43:00.001-05:002014-11-23T11:55:23.164-05:00Imbibing through Europe again. Traveling Denmark and Germany and the drinks in between Part 1 of ?<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiahwIG_Rb86stmOrxvFjvq0botiEgBgANO2-y9D0VmjjDRzx12a2C4cpotMNdYTEcBscTSbwoVYd5bJ5qu-kQs5kppGuqCViYgx4ILHORc53ykfCIp_rhTS3BFQhWilH9dXyS4g5uhFkQ/s1600/20141116_123253.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Beer Hunting in Denmark and Germany" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiahwIG_Rb86stmOrxvFjvq0botiEgBgANO2-y9D0VmjjDRzx12a2C4cpotMNdYTEcBscTSbwoVYd5bJ5qu-kQs5kppGuqCViYgx4ILHORc53ykfCIp_rhTS3BFQhWilH9dXyS4g5uhFkQ/s1600/20141116_123253.jpg" height="320" title="Beer Hunting in Denmark and Germany" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">On the hunt</td></tr>
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<b><span style="font-size: x-large;">O</span></b>ne thing I've always loved about finding good drink and mostly beer of late, is how the ability to travel can put you into some great opportunities. I have always wanted to go to Germany, but aside from planning my own excursions and an excuse to go I needed a reason other than to just maybe slam beers in <a href="http://en.bamberg.info/">Bamberg</a>, or the Franconia/Bavaria regions. And oh yeah... someday.. I am going to do that...<br />
<br />
Enter family. A member of my family who is an artist, was offered a space at the well known <a href="http://www.bauhaus.de/">Bauhaus Archive</a> to show her work. My entire family was going to be there for the show, so what a perfect excuse to show up. I always wanted to go to Germany since I was the only member my my family who before this trip, had never been there. My mother was born there, then later moved to live in the United States shortly after World War II. My sister, had been several times, my Dad tagged along with my Mom in retirement to other areas to see some obscure family members.<br />
<br />
But not me. <br />
<br />
Thoughts of grabbing and experiencing some of the culture of my family's heritage got me excited. There was going to be much language practice, I was going to finally have real German food in it's right place (which I found eating here growing up in North America ok, but not really exciting and sometimes downright awful), and more importantly... boy was I going to drink a lot of beer. The time I was to be there ironically, was the period of Oktoberfest.<br />
<br />
THIS VACATION IS GOING TO KICK ASS!!! I screamed from the heavens!<br />
<br />
However, with all things that involve travel you have to make plans. Time was booked off for both me and my wife, cat sitters were found (luckily), and then the reality sets in. This costs money.<br />
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Enter opportunity once again.<br />
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While figuring out when and where and how long to stay, my wife noticed that flying into Copenhagen was cheaper than Berlin. What a minute I said.. Isn't that Denmark? We found out we could take the train from there to Berlin as well, something my wife and I have done in Europe often and love. There is no better way and enjoyable experience, than riding trains through Europe as we have in the past. But where would we stay?<br />
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My wife remarked, that she had an old college friend, a Dane who always wanted to see us if we came to visit. I thought FREE ROOM in Copenhagen!! THIS WE MUST DO!! <br />
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In my excitement of visiting someplace I never had before, once again the beer hunting and fooding took over. Denmark... my fingers tapped furiously into the Google search engine, beer, then to dining... We honestly and seriously thought about making a reservation at <a href="http://noma.dk/">NOMA</a>, then it occurred to me that we probably need a time machine to make a reservation, and also thought spending another entire plane ticket flight just to eat there couldn't be justified.<br />
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Wait a minute... Denmark has beer! Denmark has beer that I have never drank before! It has great bars and beers shops!<br />
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I hit up a common grocery store chain in Denmark and looked up many delights and made notes, then it hit me, once I was done planning my thorough attack at killing Copenhagen's beer scene down to a "T", I was going to hit... the motherload of all beers. There was the Mikkeller bars, the foreign shops.. then it dawned on me, while my wife came up to me explaining what we were possibly in for.<br />
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<i>"I just wanted to let you know, that Katrine said we can stay with her",</i> said my wife.<br />
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<i>"Did you know the Mikkeller bars server Three Floyd's beers over there!"</i> I said.<br />
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<i>"Her place is really small.." </i>as my wife said realizing my mind was elsewhere.<br />
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<i>"Holy crap look at this taplist they have here!"</i><br />
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<i>"It might a bit cramped".</i><br />
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<i>"That's ok, we can handle it, hey man look at these licorice stores they got here."</i><br />
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<i>"She has a 2 and a half year old son...."</i><br />
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<i>"BUT I CAN GET A BOTTLE OF <a href="http://www.cantillon.be/">CANTILLON</a> BLÅBÆR FOR SALE THERE!!!"</i><br />
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<i>"Are you even LISTENING TO ME...?!?!"</i><br />
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This is what I got really excited about. <a href="http://www.cantillon.be/">Cantillon</a> releases a blueberry lambic known as blåbær, once a year. There is only one place in the world you can get this incredibly rare, and highly sought after beer.<br />
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It's in Copenhagen at a store called <a href="http://www.olbutikken.dk/page/welcome">Ølbutikken</a>. The beer was going to be shortly released there just before I was to arrive. Coincidence.. no this was DESTINY.<br />
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I was going to slay this dragon come hell or high water.<br />
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I returned back to my wife's semi furious gaze and let the reality set in. One thing I have learned is that often your life partner doesn't share the same passions you have, but that's ok. More importantly they understand things that make others happy. We do have great enjoyment in same things, but when we travel it's for me food and drink, for her its sights, museums, and the like.<br />
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A small apartment, a 2 year old, and the sounds of Copenhagen rustling, the bike paths, the canal, it all seemed to wash away into a fog.<br />
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Yup this was going to be an adventure. We booked it, and we got excited.<br />
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I thought I'd write about this travel experience for it was the most interesting and fascinating and some degree most frustrating trips I had ever been on. There was alot I learned about my family, and also about myself in doing so, and of course, there was an incredible amount of good drink.<br />
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I'll be updating this blog with the day to day excursions of how the trip panned out. It was without question an experience I'll never forget. And of course I made sure to tell me wife...<br />
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and no I am not going to go see that <a href="http://www.mermaidsculpture.dk/">dumb fucking statue</a>.<br />
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<a href="http://imbibehour.blogspot.com/2014/11/imbibing-through-europe-again-traveling_23.html"><span style="font-size: large;">The Journey Continues... Click here for Part 2.</span></a></div>
Imbibe Hourhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05099763169853562511noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-987850443416528384.post-71887689455126554052014-11-16T10:29:00.000-05:002014-11-16T10:30:50.292-05:00YOU'RE LATE!! Favorite Beers from the Imbibe Hour in 2013<span style="font-size: x-large;"><b>W</b></span>hat the heck day is it? Time goes by so fast you forget what you're up to. Drink chasing, loose ends to tie down, you lose track of everything. Finally got back to the idea of writing and had quite a few ideas around the old woodshed, even thought yeah I'll have to get my fav beers idea going for 2014 soon.. Then I realized... I never even posted my favorite new beers in 2013!!<br />
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How could I have forgotten to put this up here? In the end though when I think back to those old winter days, which are coming here shortly, I was horrifically sick with the flu. So perhaps I didn't want to relieve that memory of 3 weeks of being bed ridden, and not shaving for a month. I had a good excuse for growing a beard cause I had no strength and couldn't be bothered while hacking up 600 pounds of phlegm every morning. It of course is long gone, mostly because I hated looking like a homeless person and certainly don't want to look like a walking stereotype of some beer geek.<br />
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So here it is! My favorite new beers of 2013, so enjoy! And yes there will be one for 2014... and I expected to be sick as a dog in January too.<br />
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">Cheers and see you in 2014!</span></b></div>
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/qwAXfXlyXjU" width="560"></iframe>Imbibe Hourhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05099763169853562511noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-987850443416528384.post-47648784117238284502013-12-22T16:36:00.001-05:002014-02-15T14:55:54.216-05:00Drinking in Paradise, island of Kauai offers more than just scenic beauty.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<b><span style="font-size: x-large;">I</span></b>t's not every day in my life that I get to see or do something special. Familiar terrain, the common pace of life, the work routine while sustainable becomes all too ordinary and often boring. In order to break out of this mold I tend to do things that give me experiences that have to be different to all my senses. Food and drink has provided a good outlet for that, and I discovered early on that it is more enjoyable when traveling.<br />
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So what better way to experience such a change to my senses than going to what people described to me as paradise. Where was paradise? I asked a few good friends I knew. Many had said it's in Hawaii, but more specifically on the "Garden Island" as it is known called Kauai.<br />
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Kauai is one of the smaller islands of Hawaii, with a population of about 70,000 people. It is filled with gorgeous scenery from an intense wet climate, birds and flowers full of color that you wont see anywhere else, and then surrounded by a gorgeous ocean and numerous beaches that feel like walking on the softest corn meal you have ever set foot on.<br />
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Repeated words and phrases kept coming up when I spoke with people about the place. "Best Island". "Paradise on Earth". "Utopia". "Intensely Green". "Perfect". Sounded like a perfect place for a vacation I thought, but what about the drink? I of course also thought about the food (which by the way I strongly suggest you stick to lunch and street side trucks and shacks where it excels far beyond waitered table service but that's another story...), but was there good drinking also in paradise? I am happy to report that there is.</div>
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The irony though when you first visit Kauai, is that the last thing you want to think about is food and drink. Your senses are immediately drawn to what you see first as smells and taste take a backseat. I also noticed that island culture here is really drawn to outdoor activity. People are up early and in the water doing everything imaginable, surfing, snorkeling, fishing, kite boarding.. you name it. It seemed like the last thing people wanted to do was care about food and drink. But not our hero. Why can't you have the best of both worlds? And in many ways you can.</div>
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Shortly after I landed I found myself shopping for beer. What irony and priorities huh? </div>
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After a few short local trips it didn't take me long to find out that there was not much selection, but was happy to find that Deschutes is distributed here and was quite common. Deschutes is one of my personal favorite breweries. They are from Oregon and their beers are not available where I live. How nice it is to have with ample chances to get Inversion IPA and Mirror Pond while palm trees, lush beaches and perfect weather days surround you everywhere? Pretty darn good I say, in fact I even found their winter seasonal here, but drinking a winter seasonal in this warm place during December probably would have ravaged the tiki gods and punished me in ways that I couldn't imagine. It just seemed very wrong so I stuck with the IPA.<br />
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Besides some occasional beer found in markets, the island believe it or not actually has two breweries. One of them is <a href="http://www.kauaiislandbrewing.com/">Kauai Island Brewing Company</a> who is just outside the town of Hanapepe.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Pakala Porter</td></tr>
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I tried several of their beers, and they pretty much pass the test for enjoyment. One of the things the brewery offers here is a pretty good selection of styles ranging from Ambers, Browns, Fruit Ales (using local Lilikoi fruit), Porter and IPAs. Captain Cook's IPA was easily my favorite of the bunch, and while not a beer geeks wet dream, the beer has a very distinct and wonderful bursting tropical nose. The tropical smell from this brew seemed so perfect for the islands setting. Pakala Porter is also quite decent as well, with lots of coffee roasting rich qualities.<br />
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Not to be outdone also, is <a href="http://kauaibeercompany.com/">Kauai Beer Company</a>, which is located on the Eastern area of the island in Lihue. <br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Kauai Beer Company's lineup</td></tr>
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It's actually very close to the airport, so if you get a hankering for some beer right when you land, this is short drive up Rice St not far away. The place has a classic brewery tasting room welcoming vibe, with lots of open seating, large flags hanging from the ceiling, a window that shows the breweries workings from behind the bar, and a gorgeous large piece of Norfolk pine that accents the bar.<br />
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Unlike Kauai Island Brewing, Kauai Beer Co. focuses on German styles of beer and specifically lagers. <br />
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There are only about 5 beers in their lineup, with 2 guest taps, but it is the Munich Helles styles that the brewer here has done their best work in. While the brewery does make a Marzen and Schwarzbier that go for malt caramel and roasty qualities, their simple take on Munich Helles with beers like Helles Swelles and Lihue Lager are just done so well. A decent dense malt bill, with light toasty white bread finish and bakery aromas and aftertaste showcase on the palate. They make for easy drinking and could even convert regular macro drinkers over in my opinion.<br />
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Still drinking in Kauai does not exclusively mean beer. On a trip to a local market, an interesting product was on the shelves, a dark glowing blue labelled bottle that appeared to look like Blue Nun wine. Going out of your way for Blue Nun in Hawaii? Hell no! Kauai has a local meadery called <a href="http://www.nanimoonmead.com/">Nani Moon Mead</a> that makes tropical honey wines. <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6hXktduTUHUlqMbceUTOqf7agLbFzmm8LRLgVKxEo2cg3s9Fu3N7VC1DsNmYsnjZQ8IMqa-z-h9CcVLB-huu6MQk3wCmd0sgiw5FoBSjKthVeT9Oq9GOEMOPHhcJiJdrsxoxSmxti9DI/s1600/2013-12-10_21-10-10_913.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6hXktduTUHUlqMbceUTOqf7agLbFzmm8LRLgVKxEo2cg3s9Fu3N7VC1DsNmYsnjZQ8IMqa-z-h9CcVLB-huu6MQk3wCmd0sgiw5FoBSjKthVeT9Oq9GOEMOPHhcJiJdrsxoxSmxti9DI/s320/2013-12-10_21-10-10_913.jpg" height="320" width="239" /></a></div>
Mead is essentially a wine like beverage derived primarily from honey. The honey used at Nani Moon is local to the island, with many of the other ingredients being local tropical fruit, cacao, and other spices. I tried two products one called Cacao Moon, a mead made with local cacao, vanilla beans and macadamia nut blossom honey. <br />
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Excellent vanilla notes, with some chocolate character however, it's honey character and mix of flavors seem to clash a bit for my personal tastes. A better option I enjoyed was the Winter Sun which is made with local wildflower honey, starfruit, and lilikoi. <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiWPzXt_usmKcaX74K8ZHeqOxrHBwsJrIu5BfBpG8XKaVosO-uP6B-pae6m0bgLCqo3aHQtFiD8wpDx0lUNK020b4A8pBBqvsYP6ARtgkZMfMCZGTzmyd6gHnjfhh8k-P2fsJoFNzBN74/s1600/2013-12-13_17-43-06_866.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiWPzXt_usmKcaX74K8ZHeqOxrHBwsJrIu5BfBpG8XKaVosO-uP6B-pae6m0bgLCqo3aHQtFiD8wpDx0lUNK020b4A8pBBqvsYP6ARtgkZMfMCZGTzmyd6gHnjfhh8k-P2fsJoFNzBN74/s320/2013-12-13_17-43-06_866.jpg" height="239" width="320" /></a></div>
It pairs really nicely with food as I grabbed some local shrimp, shoyu poke, and super fresh ripe avocado. A bit of marinating on the grill, and then just simple avocados which were in season (they were incredibly fresh and perfect), it worked as a nice fruity wine for dinner.<br />
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But life would not be complete for an island drink adventure if there was no rum. Luckily Kauai provides this as well. <a href="http://www.koloarum.com/">The Koala Rum</a> company uses tall cane sugar from the islands and currently has 5 rum products. <br />
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Their coconut rum is quite appealing, not overly sweet or saccharine tasting, but comes with a great toasty and creamy flavor. The real treat however is Koala's dark rum, which has incredible tasting flavors of coffee and bitter dark chocolate. <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMjEqRgSebu4QHmiFKou2JC5EkV4X3d0jOFTjBC6iQyOW6cuGZQ69razQTXZDwc94164mCMIsoU510cancKeIXbZO1Q8OQ-OzzOwBnBmdblAFVSC9SEgLKxUCmTgNLFPgyWATDeAQLCLw/s1600/2013-12-12_17-05-50_571.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMjEqRgSebu4QHmiFKou2JC5EkV4X3d0jOFTjBC6iQyOW6cuGZQ69razQTXZDwc94164mCMIsoU510cancKeIXbZO1Q8OQ-OzzOwBnBmdblAFVSC9SEgLKxUCmTgNLFPgyWATDeAQLCLw/s320/2013-12-12_17-05-50_571.jpg" height="320" width="239" /></a></div>
It was one of the more unique rums I have had, and was quite impressed how flavorful it was to just drink it neat. Tourists and locals joined us in the tasting room with a good feel and sense of camaraderie. "I work about 10 minutes away, and been living here for 6 years, I've never heard of this place." said one woman at the counter. "Well come in anytime you like and have a shot with us!" said the young man behind the counter.<br />
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Now that's one great work schedule if you ask me.<br />
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So if you can pull yourself away from majestic sea turtles, helicopter tours, and suntanning on the beach, you can find inside some real treats on this Garden Island. After all, as we shared stories of island beauty with sips of rum, beer, and mead with others in between, what better way to experience paradise? Truly the best of both worlds.<br />
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Imbibe Hourhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05099763169853562511noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-987850443416528384.post-9615924566955770722013-09-14T10:08:00.001-04:002013-09-25T18:50:41.203-04:00Goose Island Migration Event comes full circle for me, or how I finally slayed the green dragon and the journey to get there.<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyQwtXUl4BcM8ByF3QgLQ1BeSSo2uWCMwBH9n4oHKHBDMORTQIUAK4v8UltZEqihKlfFejIOxNB4sHGLrvvOLVyw22Gj_VpktNY4g3wJr5CeanMVNmvqqhZRGevcRfpY4Cb4nSWoGw_Qo/s1600/9728296362_7e6a3d54d9_o.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyQwtXUl4BcM8ByF3QgLQ1BeSSo2uWCMwBH9n4oHKHBDMORTQIUAK4v8UltZEqihKlfFejIOxNB4sHGLrvvOLVyw22Gj_VpktNY4g3wJr5CeanMVNmvqqhZRGevcRfpY4Cb4nSWoGw_Qo/s320/9728296362_7e6a3d54d9_o.jpg" width="239" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Rare Bourbon County Brand Stout being served</td></tr>
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<b style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 20px;"><span style="font-size: x-large;">I</span></b><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;"> haven't written anything in some time and I was wondering if there would be a good opportunity to talk about drink having been busy writing and doing more reviews of beer and other drinks online than actually just blogging. However, an </span></span><span style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;">unforeseen</span><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;"> event event came to town recently that provided me a real good opportunity. Sure there have been a myriad of beer events that I have been to in the past several years, but this event </span></span><span style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;">hearkened</span><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;"> back to reminders and desires of when I first really started taking beer more seriously and started noticing that there was truly something special going on.</span></span><br />
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I received an email mentioning an event called <a href="http://www.gooseisland.com/">Goose Island</a> Migration week that was to take place in Washington D.C. from the well known <a href="http://www.gooseisland.com/">Goose Island</a> brewery. Long story short, a few local places and favorite beer stomping grounds of mine such as <a href="http://www.churchkeydc.com/">Churchkey</a> and <a href="http://www.meridianpint.com/">Meridian Pint</a> were going to have some nice Goose Island beers to be purchased, including many that are highly rated, coveted, and no longer being made. <br />
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I have been lucky to have had many of these beers from Goose Island, a combination of diligent hunting, willful spending, and to some degree just plain dumb luck. Many of them have also been featured on my <a href="http://www.youtube.com/user/imbibehour">YouTube ImbibeHour Channel</a>.<br />
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I always loved beer but 3 years ago, a discovery of Bourbon County Brand Stout changed my life. There was this brewery taking one of my favorite spirits (bourbon) and making beer from it's barrels, and the results shocked me. More so, they made a beer that would become an iconic piece of history, a barrel aged bourbon barrel beer from 23yr old bourbon barrels that used to hold Pappy Van Winkle bourbon whiskey. It was simply called <b><i>Rare</i></b> Bourbon County Stout.<br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="360" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/sZ86Jkz5Shw" width="480"></iframe><br />
Here is where the story flashes back. Before the advent of so called "craft" beer, and the explosion it has taken since then, Rare was a beer that was only on a few enthusiasts minds. Since that time, craft beer and beers like Rare have exploded in popularity. In short Rare Bourbon County Brand Stout has become an iconic legend. I remember that while I didn't seek it out at its release, I thought $40 dollars for a bottle of it seemed ridiculous at the time, around the time I made the video above. Forty dollars? Heck I could buy actual real good bourbon for that much, maybe even a couple of Weller's.<br />
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Fast forward to now nearly 2000 reviewed beers since, I still thought of this beer. Even with all the great ones that came before it to this day, I kicked myself in the head thinking I really missed out on a great opportunity. Could a, should a, would a, done it.. grabbed that iconic green bottle when I had a chance. I even realized that 40 or so dollars for that beer, was in my opinion, an insane bargain.<br />
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I felt this was one of those multitude of beers I would never get a chance to have then out of nowhere Goose Island came to town..<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjesGQouh2LhstGega0U2XSZgL5rEXBqKVOCAA5uIKvRIkBP9Ll3c-qORuvG5EvQwX71B_sVnCVXb3_pj2h7eOXr9EHBSA_7nMOSt2KXYrGzAcnLQbUhrk95ecE0crHXxN146CthmP4lsQ/s1600/9725075635_df411481ed_o.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjesGQouh2LhstGega0U2XSZgL5rEXBqKVOCAA5uIKvRIkBP9Ll3c-qORuvG5EvQwX71B_sVnCVXb3_pj2h7eOXr9EHBSA_7nMOSt2KXYrGzAcnLQbUhrk95ecE0crHXxN146CthmP4lsQ/s320/9725075635_df411481ed_o.jpg" width="239" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Bourbon Count Brand Vanilla Stout 2010.</td></tr>
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Nestled in the back of my head was a trip down memory lane. The Goose Island brewery came to town bring gifts of lore, King Henry, non existent versions of regular Vanilla Bourbon County Stout. Other beers showed up, along with Cherry Rye, and other classics including Matilda, even a brett version of Matilda. <br />
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The other popular mainstays were also here, and you could easily try them.<br />
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2010 Vanilla had to be first for myself, having missed it in the past along with Rare. The classic bourbon county brand stout flavors still remained, thick and lush, with a nice creamy texutre. Molasses, chocolate, coffee, oak, and warmth, all the classic notes of a well aged barrel aged beer were here. However, it did seem like the vanilla was muted on the nose, and missing quite a bit in the taste.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Rare Bourbon County Brand Stout</td></tr>
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At this point I was already pretty darn happy about what I was experiencing. Other beer fans I knew were at the event and we basically were all enjoying ourselves quite a bit, but there was the buzz that we all knew that Rare had to be around the corner. Indeed it was, more of an afterthought than a surprise as most of us saw the staff while waiting out in line with a box of Rare being carried into the bar.<br />
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There was no way I was going to be able to have an entire bottle for myself, although if I could, believe me.. I would. Small pours were handed out by the staff so that at least everyone who came, could get a taste. So what's the verdict?<br />
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A mixed bag. The nose is exquisite unlike any other whiskey barrel aged brew I've had. The nose screams of toasty oak and large tobacco notes, with the woody angles going from cedar, to barrel char, and with the woody sensations giving a cigar box quality. It's one of the most perfect examples of a whiskey barrel aged beer I've had. Then the taste follows nicely on all the right places, but then on first quaff, my mind raced with the library of hundreds of other beers I had before this one for comparison and one thing became obvious. Even while getting to enjoy the delicacy of this beer, I felt I was still too late to the party. In short, Rare felt past its prime, and I had missed it's pinnacle, but at least I got to slay the green dragon as I liked to call it.<br />
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I thought I would take some time out and talk about what it takes to get to this point, and more importantly the advice on going after best desirable beers, since this event really reminded me how much I've changed over the years, and the beers that have followed since then. Taking these points into consideration will make your experience truly more enjoyable.<br />
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<strong><em><span style="font-size: large;">Seek and enjoy the chase</span></em></strong>.</div>
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The experience of tasting beer over a long time is a fascinating journey, and it is full of many highs and lows, but the vast majority of the results are very positive. Everything comes around full circle, and there was no perfect example of this than my 3-4 years of wanting to try and eventually taste Rare Bourbon County. The desire for the ultimate beer, or the perfect tasting beer, is never ending. Often it's the anticipation of what will might happen that is even more exciting than the actual taste. Some feel that this beer or that beer is the perfect beer, end of story. But it should never be that simple. If it was why would you want to bother with any other beer? You could just drink that one all the time? Perhaps that's how you do feel and that's fine, but there's a very big world out there worth exploring. I've also met others on this journey who have had way more beers than I have, such as upwards of 10,000. They're still out there looking, and believe me they aren't stopping anytime soon. They, like me, are having too much fun.<br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b><i>Everybody is</i></b></span><strong><em><span style="font-size: large;"> Different</span></em></strong></div>
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I know that not everyone likes the same things as I do. Some people at the event I know said they were floored, others agreed with me and felt the beer was past prime. Others commented they felt the texture was sublime, where I felt that was one of the beers weakest qualities. That's the thing about opinions, nobody is right and nobody is wrong. We all like and get different things. Take this into consideration and find out what you like, which leads me to the next point.<br />
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<strong><em><span style="font-size: large;">Listen to Yourself</span></em></strong><br />
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There I said it. I know.. contradictory right? You're reading this article, and I was tempted to say dont listen to anybody, when I .. am TELLING you what to do. What I am getting at is you have to be your own judge and be honest with yourself and your palate. Really just pay attention and not be influenced by others, or ratings. Places like <a href="http://beeradvocate.com/">BeerAdvocate</a> and the like are great, I use them all the time and as I mentioned I am a supporter, but they are not the be all end all to what are the best beers. You should look at my channel and places like <a href="http://beeradvocate.com/">BeerAdvocate</a> as <strong><em><u>guides</u></em></strong>. Some you will find more useful than others. They point you along the way and give you directions, but it's up to you to decide which way to go.<br />
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<strong><span style="font-size: large;"><em>Do your homework</em></span></strong></div>
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There is a wealth of information about beer and what it is on the Internet, but you need to cycle out the noise from what are legitimate reputable and reliable sources. Understand beer more than just hops, malt, water, yeast. Look at true beer organizations, and what criteria they have. Taste a variety of different beers. On average I personaly review 2-3 new beers every day that I have never had before. It keeps me on my toes and I look forward to it. It's fun. In fact I don't even consider that work, it's pure playtime. Don't just randomly go on to some website and say what are the best IPAs I should have? It's never that easy. So do your homework, beacuse homework is rarely this fun!<br />
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<strong><em><span style="font-size: large;">Baby steps</span></em></strong></div>
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This sort of follows the previous point. You are going to enjoy beers like Rare, and other big important beers more, if you go out and try easier to access beers of the same type, or preferably simpler but just good beers like it and many of them. The simple reason why is you will have a bigger background to draw your experiences from, and the experience will become richer. Seek a great opportunity sure if you have the chance, but build yourself up for the big dance. Start off slowly and work your way up.<br />
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<strong><em><span style="font-size: large;">Live in a good beer region/town/city</span></em></strong></div>
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Yeah I know, it sort of smacks of a bit of bias and uprooting but there are some huge advantages if you live in a region that has a lot of good beer because of either great shops and/or breweries. Variety is the spice of life, and living somewhere where there is a lot of choice in great beer is going to make you appreciate it, and diversify your palate. Also you will run into other people like you at breweries and bars that share your same passion and make connections. If you don't feel you live in a good region, plan a weekend trip to one, or take a vacation. Do whatever it takes. Homebrewing is also a good alternative. Can't find beer you like often? Make your own.<br />
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<strong><em><span style="font-size: large;">Get to know people in the industry</span></em></strong></div>
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For this one, it will really help in your journey to appreciating good beer. Visit breweries that you like and strike up conversations with the staff, and the brewer. If you have a favorite place to shop in, get to know the staff even outside of beers you want to taste. Find a decent bar and frequent it often and know the people who work there (and tip well!). All these industry types will lead you to better beer and give you tips on where to find or access it.<br />
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<strong><em><span style="font-size: large;">Embrace luck</span></em></strong></div>
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I don't know how else to say this but the enjoyment of rare beers is just sometimes dumb luck. I don't know why or how but it just happens. You will find yourself in search of beers you think you'll never find, and then somehow it just shows up in your lap. A perfect example was that at the Goose Island event, some guy sitting next to me didn't even know it was going on. He just walked in and showed up to go to a bar for a drink. I've just randomly been in some of my favorite bars, and then suddenly on the menu was a gem. It just happens.<br />
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<strong><em><span style="font-size: large;">Don't beat yourself up</span></em></strong></div>
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The one thing I've discovered so far on this journey into great beer is that there is a lot of good beer to go around. In fact the reality is there is TOO MUCH good beer around. I hear lots of complaints online from people who said they can't get the latest hyped up beer release, or couldn't get to a bar event when the keg kicked. Understand that there is always a next time, and there's always another beer out there. Don't get angry, and be patient. It took me 3 to 4 years to just even try Rare, and anybody who knows me knows.. patience is not my strong suit. For others that night at Churchkey it might have been even their first big beer, and that's nothing to get angry about. Plenty of people I know have had beers that I have desired for a long time. You don't deserve it more than the next guy. There is always another beer out there . You'll be ready. So order/grab something else and move on. <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXRUO_Aa8gyacel1r-p1cF_xDai7ibbr17tRNdJ-yXCo4qJjQW-z1El3Dshp5Zh94PFneF6oUBI4MzkXka-dnwHii-xhUfwaX5FU5rCx_sthGwSn-O1VsUqJ3f-g25UwUo5ZmSOceg8Lk/s1600/9725520319_82a1422afe_o.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXRUO_Aa8gyacel1r-p1cF_xDai7ibbr17tRNdJ-yXCo4qJjQW-z1El3Dshp5Zh94PFneF6oUBI4MzkXka-dnwHii-xhUfwaX5FU5rCx_sthGwSn-O1VsUqJ3f-g25UwUo5ZmSOceg8Lk/s320/9725520319_82a1422afe_o.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sharing a beer with Goose Island Brewer Dave Tohtz</td></tr>
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Being back to seeing Rare again brought back a lot of memories. The experience was truly unforgettable, more so because it just completed a long cycle. It was also really amazing to know that for some people, this might have been the very first important beer they ever tried at this event, and they just might be starting on a new journey I know far to well. I hope they'll have just as much fun as I am having, and enjoy the ride.<br />
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<b>The Goose Island Migration Event is touring other cities, look out for it and make sure you go.</b><br />
<ul>
<li><b>Philadelphia | Sept 24-27</b></li>
<li><b>San Francisco | Oct 1-4</b></li>
<li><b>St. Louis | Oct. 15-18</b></li>
<li><b>Austin | Oct. 29-Nov 1</b></li>
</ul>
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<br />Imbibe Hourhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05099763169853562511noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-987850443416528384.post-32793005551068261212013-06-26T18:33:00.001-04:002013-06-26T18:37:25.570-04:00With Summer comes the good fruit. With the good fruit comes a whiskey cobbler<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcAbBWX2DALQZWrozT4p_Sho4Qwf9jZ_SHpkQ72SsptOIvjnuAl6Qvmmtxgag7ovfBO5FavM1zrOL0UlCIxxVbbkG-CcW8g5AybY4GKkPzZLu3_4Nv6x2AxQakKG8eL0uvJN3rD0mM7io/s1600/WhiskeyCobbler.bmp" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcAbBWX2DALQZWrozT4p_Sho4Qwf9jZ_SHpkQ72SsptOIvjnuAl6Qvmmtxgag7ovfBO5FavM1zrOL0UlCIxxVbbkG-CcW8g5AybY4GKkPzZLu3_4Nv6x2AxQakKG8eL0uvJN3rD0mM7io/s400/WhiskeyCobbler.bmp" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My own personal take on a whiskey cobbler</td></tr>
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<b><span style="font-size: x-large;">I</span></b>t seems it has been awhile since I did a posting, but I really felt the time was right for one. The time had to be right for the right time of the year, the right drink, and the right conditions. With Summer all of that came into focus as the farmers market filled with seasonal berried fruit. As others thought of pie and desserts, I could think of only one thing. Taking those fruits to make a classic whiskey cobbler.<br />
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Cobblers are actually a real old cocktail, and there are numerous variations on them. There are gin cobblers, sherry, and of course whiskey cobblers, that are all a mix of a few basic ingredients. A base spirit, some type of sweetener, water or club soda to top off, and most importantly fresh fruit.<br />
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I got inspired to make this drink after a trip to my local farmer's market, and also reading up on some ideas from my cocktail library. I had a stash of real fresh blueberries, cherries and raspberries, and even still some strawberries which were still hanging on for the season.<br />
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I came up with a recipe as follows in the video below, watch it to learn how I made my own variation on this drink. It's fruity bouquet and refreshing taste is perfect for summer, and it works well with my favorite style of whiskey that being bourbon. The orange curacao adds a nice mellow sweetness with the citrus angle as well, and the key to making a good cobbler is using FRESH FRUIT. The sweetness will be just perfect.<br />
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Here is my recipe:<br />
<ul>
<li>3 Cherries (pitted)</li>
<li>4 Raspberries</li>
<li>4 Blueberries</li>
<li>muddled into a cocktail shaker</li>
<li>2 oz. of whiskey (a 90 to 100 proof Bourbon)</li>
<li>3/4 oz. of Orange curacao</li>
<li>1 oz. of water</li>
<li>Shake vigorously and pour into a rocks glass filled with ice. Garnish with fruit and a cocktail pick and serve</li>
</ul>
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<b><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-large;">CHEERS!</span></b></div>
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Imbibe Hourhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05099763169853562511noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-987850443416528384.post-1488525724091317932013-03-14T22:41:00.001-04:002013-03-24T23:29:34.096-04:00The hunt for one of the most desired beers on the planet, The chase for Pliny the Younger<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikerH5DJpelAP7VKqlPa5Wy-Zjxz1bSZA3rOHSflSLSz1ch1Fdw-TRtE-Qkd4LJFNJluG0G4ogFDnD4KguXLaBeLyb4gGlNTDkKsK_nlOrQr6xhj2ysoUpyVZN1cIkyQyARyZeg8etR5g/s1600/ChasingPlinyYounger.bmp" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikerH5DJpelAP7VKqlPa5Wy-Zjxz1bSZA3rOHSflSLSz1ch1Fdw-TRtE-Qkd4LJFNJluG0G4ogFDnD4KguXLaBeLyb4gGlNTDkKsK_nlOrQr6xhj2ysoUpyVZN1cIkyQyARyZeg8etR5g/s400/ChasingPlinyYounger.bmp" width="400" /></a><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><b>I</b></span>n the realms of great beer, there is one brew made out in Santa Rosa California that is highly coveted and released only once a year in beer pubs. That beer is a very large hopped IPA called Pliny the Younger from <a href="http://russianriverbrewing.com/">Russian River</a>.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The problem is in order to get a glass, you have to travel to only a few select places to get it. California which is the home of <a href="http://russianriverbrewing.com/">Russian River</a> brewing company, offers a few places to get it. I've also seen Pliny Younger in Denver. For our hero who was always curious about this beer, there was one option that was a little bit more economical sense wise if I was to get my hands on this so called coveted "nectar of the gods".</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Philadelphia PA often has kegs of it, and one of my favorite beer bars was holding a much publicized event to taste the beer. I took a day trip (and early day trip) to Monk's Cafe, to wait in line with many beer fans and also to get a sampling of many other Russian River brews.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Taking an adventure to try one of the most coveted beers in the world I found out takes a lot of planning. When I thought about everything I was doing, I couldn't believe I had to go to this much effort just to try one beer. However, I was very glad I did, since when I arrived 2 1/2 hours early before the bar opened, there were already 20-30 people ahead of me in line. 20 minutes later, the line snaked around the block with hundreds of people, many who I am not so sure were even able to get a glass once the bar opened 2 hours later.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I had to document this event for my channel being a big beer drinker and fan, and it turned out that the journey was probably the most memorable thing about it. There's always one thing about good drink, it's sometimes the chase which is more exciting than the actual reward.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Watch the video below to see how I made this day trip, which started promptly at 6:30 AM in the morning for a long drive to Philadelphia. Cheers!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/faVswzBBQuA" width="560"></iframe></span>Imbibe Hourhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05099763169853562511noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-987850443416528384.post-73248064008127447782013-02-01T10:12:00.001-05:002013-02-01T10:13:43.988-05:00Interview with Jeff Hancock brewmaster of DC BrauI had the fortunate chance to connect with Jeff Hancock of DC Brau. I've enjoyed quite a bit of their beer, and it's been interesting to watch his business thrive in the DC area at a time when the growth of craft beer is exploding in popularity. I wanted to interview Jeff for my channel on YouTube, and we luckily got our schedules in order and recently did it.<br />
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You can listen to the interview below, it's all just audio. It's much like a podcast, you can just hit play and listen to it in the background while surfing somewhere else or doing something else also. I did provide brief breakdown of the sections if you want to go to certain subjects. Feel free to check it out!<br />
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<b><span style="font-size: x-large;">CHEERS!</span></b></div>
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<br />Imbibe Hourhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05099763169853562511noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-987850443416528384.post-64894638108818960552012-12-30T10:33:00.001-05:002012-12-30T10:34:05.242-05:00Favorite beers from the Imbibe Hour in 2012<b><span style="font-size: x-large;">I</span></b>t was another year again in beer. 2012 brought many highlights, much of it coming from a trip to Vermont visiting Hill Farmstead. Not sure what is in that water that is producing the beer up at Hill Farmstead (fairy dust? unicorn tears?), but it is making some of the best beer I ever had.<br />
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Another surprise how a particular style that can normally polarize me a bit, became the source of some my ultimate favorite beers. That style was the saison - farmhouse ale. I had so many enjoyable ones that I officially am crowing 2012 the year of the saison for myself.<br />
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I made a video of the highlights in beer for 2012. Feel free to check it out on my channel as well. There were also many other brews I wish I could mention but it was hard to pair down a list of 600 (which was far shorter than last years) beers as highlights.<br />
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<b><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Cheers! and see you in 2013!</span></b></div>
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<br />Imbibe Hourhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05099763169853562511noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-987850443416528384.post-79369178920985819852012-10-25T22:28:00.001-04:002012-10-25T23:03:14.606-04:00Korean memories bring back new twists for imbibing<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0ZA73jeIxfs-84b2XU-ubVVLvnQ9sfRWsgrlcTdu0hauIKANCg7EaURWqqEwPI6VBQh_ZCzDkbr7QOvylKO2DSby0C_qRBM5objcHKyl_EyLqfLJjs27mihHBELhabmFJBL0-2gF-W7A/s1600/Korean_soju_TB_cropped.bmp" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; display: inline !important; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="315" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0ZA73jeIxfs-84b2XU-ubVVLvnQ9sfRWsgrlcTdu0hauIKANCg7EaURWqqEwPI6VBQh_ZCzDkbr7QOvylKO2DSby0C_qRBM5objcHKyl_EyLqfLJjs27mihHBELhabmFJBL0-2gF-W7A/s400/Korean_soju_TB_cropped.bmp" width="400" /></a><br />
<b><span style="font-size: x-large;">I</span></b>n the grand scheme of things, my life with drink and food is a journey into fabulous memory, and exceptional revelry. I had a "brief" life changing experience in Korea teaching English in 1995, which provided me a great backbone in an ethnic cuisine that I have adopted since as my "favorite". The flip-side I discovered was a culture that liked to imbibe to great joy (if not to extreme excess) with their own unique concoctions. That concoction I learned was a drink that should be adopted as the national drink of Korea which is called soju.<br />
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Soju in all it's glory is really nothing more than vodka, traditionally made with rice, but commonly now often filled with grains, and starches (particularly potatoes). I was told back in my day the good stuff was made with rice, and the cheap "shit" from potatoes. Regardless what I always remembered was a drink that was cheap as borscht (A bottle cost the equivalent of 80 cents US), and would be commonly poured into slurpee cups in Itaewon for a bit of cavorting and insanity by American stationed soldiers. The stories we all have of soju are all fond and large, even if perhaps the after stories are less than glorious, but those late night orange soju tents that dotted the Seoul and numerous Korean city landscapes will forever be in my heart with my drinking compatriots.<br />
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Returning to the land of North America, I soon discovered this drink was not available. In fact I even heard that from the land of the U-S-A, the product did not pass inspection. We joked back in the times in Korea that we were positive the brew did not contain shall we say, ingredients of distinction. Scanning the shelves of the corner cheapo stores, we would even see bottles not filled to appropriate levels. Those bottles we joked were not the ones we were told to buy, cause they were (assumed) to be filled with antifreeze (or god knows what), perhaps re-capped from a lazy employee who had to take a nip before returning home.<br />
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Fast forward over a decade later (probably more so but then I'd be dating myself), I go down to my neighborhood Maryland county store and I am seeing soju on the shelves. Not only was it on the shelves, but as much as the green bottles provided a distinct recognition, there was finally English on the labels that described what was on the label.<br />
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It was time to make a revisit for this classic drink. Living in the Washington DC area (encompassing the suburbs of nearby Maryland and Virginia (or as they say Northern Virginia [NOVA]) ) I became very familiar with a neighborhood of Northern Virginia called Annandale which has a great Korean community. Aside from the choice and places to buy Korean food and goods, I even ran into a drink called seju (not to be confused with soju). Closer still much Korean and Asian markets dot the Washington DC landscape to keep me more than satiated.<br />
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In my interest of all things delicious to imbibe, my first delve into "seju" was distinctly memorable. I thought it was to be the equivalent of it's "soju" brother, but the distinct hangul writing made a mental note that this was a drink that makes soju for all intense purposes, a lightweight.<br />
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Seju is what soju can be when it wants to be sophisticated, as opposed to the numerous late night "soju-drunks" I ran into in many late nights, through dark alleys, and passed out citizens on street corners. Seju is what soju should be, when it grows up. This seju here though, consists of rice wine fermented with corn starch, herbs, and wheat flour.<br />
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One last thing. Soju and Korean drink needs to be consumed with two things. Food, and secondly the obvious, friends and compatriots. I decided that it was high time to revisit and imbibe this drink. Check out the video below, and a great food romp into some deliciousness.<br />
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">as they say in Korea ... KONBAY!!! (Cheers) enjoy the video below! (click the YouTube icon to open in another window)</span></b></div>
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<br />Imbibe Hourhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05099763169853562511noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-987850443416528384.post-75475085514791218442012-10-06T00:37:00.001-04:002012-10-07T10:27:41.711-04:00Return visit to hometown in Canada brings beer surprises<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmTivPsVlpnvbB0BB2emQHLvFurES_YGX8OSmL5CMeUaFvdEVyBhdkpxkAwxpFsx4CB9WvJvHM01M46fNl3n3ljoPbCmFX9fA3qovEfAROA0y6wHWu2qNQ7VeaCs7yUKvbEz2PznUhkNI/s1600/IMG_0106.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmTivPsVlpnvbB0BB2emQHLvFurES_YGX8OSmL5CMeUaFvdEVyBhdkpxkAwxpFsx4CB9WvJvHM01M46fNl3n3ljoPbCmFX9fA3qovEfAROA0y6wHWu2qNQ7VeaCs7yUKvbEz2PznUhkNI/s400/IMG_0106.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Half Pints Brewing - Seasonal Oktoberfest</td></tr>
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<b><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace; font-size: x-large;">G</span></b>rowing up in Canada where I was born and raised, I can reflect back and realize that there were very few beer choices when I was younger. In my old hometown of Winnipeg Manitoba, you had about 3 macro producers, and a handful of typical green bottled mass imports, with the only opportunities to buy them at government run stores, or cheap vendor outlets. That was really all it boiled down to when I think back then. Sure there were some exceptions but often that was the rule. We drank, we were fine, we bragged about our beers being better than American swill, but in the end, we were all without much variety or understanding of styles, or what else could be achieved and acquired when it came to beer.<br />
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Fast forward years later, I moved to the US and discovered a large abundance of beer from smaller producers. Belgian beers were more common, then suddenly the craft beer movement exploded. Beer was a bigger world then I ever imagined. I hadn't been home in some time with my appreciation for great beer, and always wondered if Canada had treasures that were suddenly available. Sites like <a href="http://beeradvocate.com/">beeradvocate</a> had a section for Canadian craft breweries, and there were many, plus the site had a forum for Canada that contained a place for Canadian craft beer lovers to talk and converse. When I investigated further I realized there were not just a few new breweries in Canada since I left, there were SEVERAL, pretty much MANY I never even heard of. One brewery was even from my hometown that didn't exist after I moved away called <a href="http://www.halfpintsbrewing.com/">Half Pints</a>. <br />
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I really felt that a future return trip deserved an exploration of drinking some new Canadian beer. I wasn't sure what I would find, or more importantly how hard it would be to find these beers, and if they would even be worth drinking. I had a lot of great beer in the US and I was hoping that my old stomping ground could provide a plethora of choice and deliciousness that would make me want more. I was even more concerned that trying beers from an old hometown brewery was kind of scary. What if I didn't like them? I was actually nervous about this, could they measure up to all the great craft US brews too? In the end, what I discovered was more than just tasty beer, there were some surprises too that made just understand how far beer back home had changed.<br />
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Returning home I was like a kid in a candy store. I hadn't been home in the house I grew up in for more than 2 hours coming back from the airport before I said to my mom "Ma I am going out to get some beer!".<br />
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"You just GOT HERE, why don't you sit for a bit, I think we have some stuff in the fridge why don't you go take a look first!" exclaimed my mother.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Keystone Lager</td></tr>
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Patience is not one of my strong characters, but you can't keep a determined beer hunter down. Before heading out to a government run nearby store it was a good chance to survey the scene. A new fridge was in place where the old crumbling white and beige relic used to sit. As I glanced inside, I was also at first reminded how much things were still the same. There was a can of some mass produced beer that I swear was only made in the US called Keystone, painfully blocking some Anchor Steam. I heard rumors this was actually a real cheap beer in the US common for frat parties. However this can was red instead of blue, and it was called Keystone "Lager".<br />
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While there is a beer for every person, this one really was a classic macro fizzy lager, with little appeal to myself. Appearances seemed fine, but it was classic macro tasting, wildly rank smelling and off balance. A relic from a left over gift given to my parents who don't drink much beer to start with.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Can of Budweiser Shot - Malt Liquor</td></tr>
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So what else is in here? My eyes veered toward a can that was rather short, a very odd size, with the words Shot on it. A familiar red bow-tie seemed to stick out on it, as I cocked my wrist thinking ... Budweiser??<br />
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It was Budweiser. But not like a Budweiser I had EVER seen before. This was a product called Budweiser Shot. Reading the can I thought, so this contains coffee? Red Bull maybe? I figured it had to be a high ABV and that it was probably malt liquor. I guessed correctly, even if the label claims "strong beer" whatever that means (American or English Strong Ale this is not mind you).<br />
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A surprisingly large and thick bleach white head hit, with lots of retention, quite aggressive and impressive somewhat, but the smell was all corn and sweetness. Taste was pure sugar corn syrup sweetness, that I just couldn't even finish it.<br />
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It reminded me of many years ago in high school of some jock jerk who bragged that he drank Okeefe Extra Old Stock by the 2-4 (what we call a case in America), because it was one of the few beers back then that was mass produced higher than 5% (it was another malt liquor that clocked in around high 6.5 or 7 ABV if I remember). I distinctly remember as a young lad that it tasted like diesel fuel, but to him drinking it was somehow a badge of honor. I think it decreased his brain cell count.<br />
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It seemed we were off to a bad start, perhaps some things hadn't changed after all. Experiences are worth trying, but you always try to set your sights a little higher. There is fun sometimes in tasting odd beers you may not care for, but you begin to move on. I was wondering even if people in Winnipeg forgot how to drink. A wine store at the Forks I frequented often and took classes at in the past had a customer come in and say "You got any Coors eh?". Besides the fact that the store doesn't sell any beer, people in Winnipeg are drinking Coors now?? I thought this was the most bizarre thing since the concept of drinking mass produced US beer was considered treasonous by my Canuck counterparts when I was younger (it also wasn't readily available like it is now). It was time to head to the MLCC stores and see if things might make for a different experience.<br />
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<a href="http://www.mlcc.mb.ca/">The Manitoba Liquor Control Commission</a> is the entity in the province of Manitoba that regulates the sales of alcohol. Like many places in the US that have county or state stores, it means you grew up having to get your beer/wine/spirits in only one place. It's a little more complicated and the laws vary but I think I've made my point.<br />
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Back in my time, without sounding like a crotchety old man here, MLCC store selections for beers were atrocious. They offered very little beer selection compared to the mass macro vendors. Often it was no point going to them for beer, you went to vendors for beer, got the macro Canadian stuff from the cooler and then went home. Another problem was their hours. I seem to remember they didn't stay open late on certain nights, and they weren't open on Sunday. However on my return, I discovered they are now open on Sundays, and they stay open later, but there were also some surprises on the shelves. It's the same vanilla, but there were things to behold.<br />
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First off, while the selection is nowhere as varied as can be down where I live in the US, there were plenty of items domestically and a few foreign gems that I have always had on my radar. Another surprise was you could break up six packs and buy single 12oz bottles. As someone who is a major beer reviewer and taster of everything, this is extremely appealing. Being on the East coast in the DC area, with the ability to travel to several counties and different states, there are many places where you can't even do this. I learned long ago not to waste time on buying six packs being stuck with beers I found I didn't want to drink.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ossian Supremely Golden</td></tr>
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My eyes immediately glanced over to one foreign gem I've been dying to try for years. It's a beer from Inveralmond called Ossian, which is described as a golden ale from Scotland, and is considered in the category of "milds" for beer styles.<br />
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Ossian pours a real nice brassy yellow, and a head that fluffs a great white. The nose is filled with marmalade, and apricot flavors, and a great tasting sweetness of malt, cask like feel, citrus and orange zest. It's a wonderful beer.<br />
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Cocking my wrist I then discovered this beer was... very old, a problem I have with not checking labels. Consuming this beer though 9 months past expiration still brought a lot of joy. However, since every MLCC store is the same, I went to another one and found plenty of this beer and fresher. It was still fantastic, but strangely I am almost convinced it was better aged.<br />
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Golden and fantastic the beer was also everywhere I went, which brings another point about government stores. It doesn't matter where you go, they all carry the same stuff. I gave some thought, and felt that this beer should be put on top of the Winnipeg legislature and crowned the new <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Golden_Boy_(Manitoba)">Golden Boy</a>. That being said, there was an abundance of it, and it probably isn't that popular among the mass offerings. A few sips off to family confirmed this as they didn't like it. No problem, ... more for me! But having a pint of this on the "ledge" as the locals call it would probably make the Scot community quite happy in the city.<br />
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYADeNQjTzYzUxSv_84hBkpKa2u6GpbNAB2spVeG1_ppG02x1boffeo1LWl9J1hc6GkfZew7s9uSDdyYNSQePFIfES9YefzfIv_Tetdg0uIMXdXK-HPqBQA44XAf5c4jdPqztThhMzrVc/s1600/3_monts.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYADeNQjTzYzUxSv_84hBkpKa2u6GpbNAB2spVeG1_ppG02x1boffeo1LWl9J1hc6GkfZew7s9uSDdyYNSQePFIfES9YefzfIv_Tetdg0uIMXdXK-HPqBQA44XAf5c4jdPqztThhMzrVc/s320/3_monts.jpg" width="239" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">3 Monts</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Speaking of other beers I found in the MLCC, I ran into another I wanted. 3 Monts Flanders Golden Ale is a beer from France that is full of flavor and greatness.<br />
<br />
Wonderful candy notes, and hints of honey, with a body crisp and wine like. Pear and champagne flavors tantalize the palate with a wonderful finish while consuming.<br />
<br />
Suddenly the trip to the old MLCC was not as bad as I remember. Another surprise for myself was the price on these bottles. Ossian clocked in at $3.45 and 3 Monts not that much more. These bottles where I live would have easily been more expensive to buy, even at parity with the US dollar.<br />
<br />
It seemed like I got some imports that I could have fun with, but also there were many Canadian craft brews to be had. Many of them were very well done.<br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxlW3DKVZ4j0CRNmHCXqZ8_OTcE1CPKvSL5zNj91RofQVnAwagLGnPCkdQzJ6iq4x2YnxRpX5g97IRbhbDdLuXWQWyQ1cDM2wTmsNPrqSiF4s2LeQPkIaBun1x_IrgKRoo3UTNgVvFuN8/s1600/IPeh.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxlW3DKVZ4j0CRNmHCXqZ8_OTcE1CPKvSL5zNj91RofQVnAwagLGnPCkdQzJ6iq4x2YnxRpX5g97IRbhbDdLuXWQWyQ1cDM2wTmsNPrqSiF4s2LeQPkIaBun1x_IrgKRoo3UTNgVvFuN8/s320/IPeh.jpg" width="239" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Russell Brewing Company's - IP'eh!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<a href="http://russellbeer.com/">Russell Brewing Company</a> out of Surrey BC, had two bottles that I picked up. One was an iconic IP'Eh with a classic 1987 style Canadian maple leaf reminiscent of the Canada Cup hockey series. What's more iconic than that!? As an English style IPA, it's hop angle did bring the classic herbality, but it had a wonderful rich and malty backbone complimenting nicely.<br />
<br />
Another surprise from Russell was a Scotch Ale called, what else Angry Scotch Ale. In a remarkable great twist of fate, a ham dinner provide a wonderful pairing for this malty rich and toffee tasting great brew.<br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIMz-fvh866TKpJ9Ch1izYW_zdp7pBGpqSQHWCgxLNkCVDB0a1zy6U-QOMK3zMWm4ZCQh1U9TWf-EgMd5BqiE5j3XLjjNXLSnDr2Ahm2_E55Ljcwjzu44xVzU8TXAAmOC7LLQ5-sdoD_0/s1600/AngryScotchAle.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIMz-fvh866TKpJ9Ch1izYW_zdp7pBGpqSQHWCgxLNkCVDB0a1zy6U-QOMK3zMWm4ZCQh1U9TWf-EgMd5BqiE5j3XLjjNXLSnDr2Ahm2_E55Ljcwjzu44xVzU8TXAAmOC7LLQ5-sdoD_0/s320/AngryScotchAle.jpg" width="180" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Russell Brewing - Angry Scotch Ale</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
There were many other fantastic offerings as well among the shelves.<br />
<br />
A brewery out of Barrie Ontario called <a href="http://www.theflyingmonkeys.ca/">Flying Monkeys</a> had a plethora of great offerings. <br />
<br />
Hoptical Illusion is one big take on a hoppy pale ale. The hops keep coming also in Smashbomb Atomic, and then there was probably the best memorable beer I had on my visit.<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: left;">
</div>
A Black IPA/Cascadian Dark whatever you want to call it, a brew called Netherworld. The brewers website refers to it as "weird". I call it a mish mash of American and English IPA styles slammed together with roast goodness.<br />
<br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQJJ7xvvvkGd9HW6lqzbGgYGYFq1qC18KNJXuYg1Kas4uDWbjutqIyeRy5kaCm1pCEnCQOMSmNf2bCbT5XCnne_6pumuSQFLpQBcGHZheQg6HOStKlO0H7MWQuIGWoYchLI6XIcvOHBbM/s1600/Netherworld.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQJJ7xvvvkGd9HW6lqzbGgYGYFq1qC18KNJXuYg1Kas4uDWbjutqIyeRy5kaCm1pCEnCQOMSmNf2bCbT5XCnne_6pumuSQFLpQBcGHZheQg6HOStKlO0H7MWQuIGWoYchLI6XIcvOHBbM/s320/Netherworld.jpg" width="239" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Flying Monkeys - Netherworld</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
It is truly a fantastic and unique offering for this style. <br />
<br />
It seemed I was doing quite well so far. Many of the brews I sampled were providing an abundance of great flavors and reminded me of many of the tasty brews I had in the US. It seemed things in Canada for beer were progressing VERY well compared to my past. But... what about the home team?<br />
<br />
From here I had to come back to my most anticipated beers for this trip, and that is checking out a hometown brew. I am not sure of when <a href="http://www.halfpintsbrewing.com/">Half Pints</a> started brewing, but it was certainly not at a time when I was living in Winnipeg. Thinking about this brewery made me pray that my hometown could deliver. You all have memories and fondness for the place you grew up in. Could they play with the big boys of the beer world? Could they make a simple solid style?<br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMi96Pef-MPfonUpoNnve5SEG1yUbmRSI_TlI8YgR91ilANGItpD48WlCmCFB6fiZQIv_KPKdWldP2fncNgPjJ2u8Oj5tGce5SHaL_nhrIWM4SXE2GmTnJia5QwTIdCS9O46E-6VP1Bmo/s1600/Humulus.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMi96Pef-MPfonUpoNnve5SEG1yUbmRSI_TlI8YgR91ilANGItpD48WlCmCFB6fiZQIv_KPKdWldP2fncNgPjJ2u8Oj5tGce5SHaL_nhrIWM4SXE2GmTnJia5QwTIdCS9O46E-6VP1Bmo/s320/Humulus.jpg" width="239" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Half Pint - Humulus Ludicrous</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
I thought about all the beer I had in the past, how could I feel about what they offered? I was thinking if I could even be partial to enjoying beer made in Winnipeg. I thought I had to be honest with myself, but what if I had something that was truly awful, a mess, how would I feel to say these things? I was conflicted, I couldn't be a homer, but you always want your friends to succeed. Luckily I didn't have to think much about this once I had a beer called Humulus Ludicrous.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGO3NGkMQxKvVp9nbnwe79ynHdOLh-qI3egx7uI6OskZekDqyS1v1-EYBWSIPm9yESONThmoUm37DTFLS2BGAbaNUmVgB1GD4CmEeSshzTYaoHR4jLIopF9rVC0IJKzg-Csdprfh3szqs/s1600/StJamesPaleAle.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGO3NGkMQxKvVp9nbnwe79ynHdOLh-qI3egx7uI6OskZekDqyS1v1-EYBWSIPm9yESONThmoUm37DTFLS2BGAbaNUmVgB1GD4CmEeSshzTYaoHR4jLIopF9rVC0IJKzg-Csdprfh3szqs/s320/StJamesPaleAle.jpg" width="239" /></a></div>
A giant large Double IPA, Humulus to me rips with dank and earthy hops on the nose, complete with a hoppy palate and rich minty finish. Boy I like mint on beer, but I find it so rare on hoppy brews. Half Pints didn't just make a solid beer, they picked the geekiest beer style that would easily make any hop head chasing junkie happy. Stir Stick Stout turns out acceptable for a coffee stout. Their take on an Oktoberfest style fits in nicely with most other Märzens I've had. However, I was even more pleasantly surprised by a flagship brew called St. James Pale Ale.<br />
<br />
St. James (no doubt taken from the neighborhood of the same name), is actually more like a Kölsch style brew, as the brewers website describes. I love Kölsch, it is one of my favorite styles, and I really felt they nailed this solidly. Floral hoppy with great tasty bread action. It's what I look for in this style. I felt like I could just drink these till I was blue in the face. The naming of this beer sort of throws me (perhaps it's a terroir thing), but I wish I could bring these beers home with me.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVtpJU71tvSyCpzdKR9dqLl0KCXDeoaC6AxcT1c7CuwEFVl35Vdi-u10FqLi9QKTJo7oKPiF5D-9NJPvA7ks3aszc_zTGdYrBZY4hwNFl4IIHNMfeq2CX0aiixV0CJXTMULP1pcNMBhTg/s1600/CzekMate.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVtpJU71tvSyCpzdKR9dqLl0KCXDeoaC6AxcT1c7CuwEFVl35Vdi-u10FqLi9QKTJo7oKPiF5D-9NJPvA7ks3aszc_zTGdYrBZY4hwNFl4IIHNMfeq2CX0aiixV0CJXTMULP1pcNMBhTg/s320/CzekMate.jpg" width="239" /></a></div>
I was far from done it seemed. The neighboring province of Saskatchewan (or I like to call the big "S") even proved it was up to the task. As much as I like to make fun of those guys, it turned out a brewery called Paddock Wood made one heck of a memorable style Czech Pilsner called what else, Czech Mate.<br />
<br />
Full of super dry grassy hops and huge nose of citrus and lemon lime, the beer has a great crisp texture, matching citrus and some candy grapefruit. Unlike most Czech style pilsners I had this one was truly mouthwatering.<br />
<br />
So it seemed as I surveyed the MLCC shelves, I made a good dent and was quite surprised by what I found. I don't think it's going to vary much from now, but I didn't quite have everything either.<br />
<br />
However, a return trip may not provide other new Canadian beers to try, but plenty of repeat beer offerings. I guess the problem though now is if I want something new from Canada I just may have to go somewhere else. But as long as these beers are around, I don't think I'll ever be missing anything if I return, cause I will be more than satisfied upon my return.<br />
<br />
Well done Canada. Well friggin done eh?<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace; font-size: large;">Beers reviewed and tasted on trip to Canada:</span></b></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace; font-size: x-small;"><b>(in no order of preference within the groups, italics indicates foreign)</b></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<b>Exceptional:</b></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
</div>
<ul>
<li>Netherworld Cascadian Dark - Flying Monkeys, Barrie Ontario</li>
<li><i>Ossian Golden Ale - Inveralmond Brewing, Perth Scotland UK</i></li>
<li>Humulus Ludicrous - Half Pints, Winnipeg Manitoba</li>
<li><i>3 Monts Flanders Golden Ale - La Brasserie De Saint-Sylvestre, Saint Sylvetre Cappel France</i></li>
</ul>
<div>
<b>Very Very good:</b></div>
<div>
<ul>
<li>St. James Pale Ale - Half Pints, Winnipeg Manitoba</li>
<li>Czech Mate - Paddock Wood - Saskatoon Saskatchewan</li>
<li>Muskoka Mad Tom IPA - Lakes of Muskoka Brewing, Bracebridge Ontario</li>
<li>Russell IP'eh - Russell Brewing Company, Surrey British Columbia (BC)</li>
<li>Russell Angry Scotch Ale - Russell Brewing Company, Surrey British Columbia (BC)</li>
<li>Hoptical Illusion - Flying Monkeys, Barrie Ontario</li>
</ul>
<div>
<b>Worth trying:</b></div>
</div>
<div>
<ul>
<li>Oktoberfest - Half Pints, Winnipeg Manitoba</li>
<li>Stir Stick Stout - Half Pints, Winnipeg Manitoba</li>
<li>Mill Street Coffee Porter - Mill Street Brew Pub, Toronto Ontario</li>
<li><i>Einbecker Brauherren Premium Pils - Einbecker Brauhaus, Einbeck Germany (watch out for skunkiness though because of the green bottles)</i></li>
</ul>
</div>
Imbibe Hourhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05099763169853562511noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-987850443416528384.post-49614252624667551522012-09-16T12:26:00.001-04:002012-09-19T21:39:33.682-04:00Fall brings more cider. I want to be back in Orleans again!<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuZM9iPRpTyGeyfiFhqA6NcBJtcJIQJ0ba2QFEFZLtuC_ktVflnapJ0oNRXsz_3tz1l9kOqEojDwuNcRiWFRqxYH9zqGsUKy7BAgAxxqLQ3HctU_9D_Qt-oiGAXwLzTKlJONMAAXcMXKk/s1600/OrleansCider.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuZM9iPRpTyGeyfiFhqA6NcBJtcJIQJ0ba2QFEFZLtuC_ktVflnapJ0oNRXsz_3tz1l9kOqEojDwuNcRiWFRqxYH9zqGsUKy7BAgAxxqLQ3HctU_9D_Qt-oiGAXwLzTKlJONMAAXcMXKk/s400/OrleansCider.jpg" width="298" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Orleans Cider taken at Stowe Taste of Vermont Fair</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<b><span style="font-size: x-large;">S</span></b>ometime ago, <a href="http://imbibehour.blogspot.com/2010/09/fall-imbibing-season-kicks-in-to-high.html">I posted a blog entry about drinking cider and fall imbibing</a>. I found that apples as a fruit where never my fancy, but when fall season would come, I would think about them for good drink.<br />
<br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
You may have seen my <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZTcXfCo_pI0">video of visiting Hill Farmstead in Vermont</a> for great beer, but I also made a discovery at a small food fair near Stowe Vermont, trying a little product I had never heard of from a craft producer. That product was ice cider made by <a href="http://www.edenicecider.com/">Eden Ice Cider</a> in West Charleston Vermont.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
You heard that right ice cider. It was here I discovered a product known as
<a href="http://www.orleansaperitif.com/">Orleans</a>. Orleans unlike most ciders is
actually a cider hybrid wine. They took
their fresh pressed cider from Vermont apples, then fermented the concentrate
to make a dry wine that was then infused with a mixture of herbs. The result is something truly spectacular.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
At first sip Orleans is like cider, but then it tastes more
like an ice wine when nicely chilled.
The nose is all apple aroma but filled with huge notes of basil and
other aromatic herbs. It finishes clean,
with a palate rich in flavors of apples, honey, anise, slight pepper, and LOTS
of basil.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Speaking with the booth attendant, she remarked the product was extremely popular with bartenders in New York City who were making lots of cocktails with it. This was no surprise to me whatsoever, the applications you could do with this beverage made my headspin. Cider and fruit check, incredible herbs, check, controlled sweetness, check. It was practically a well crafted cocktail in a bottle by itself.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
All I can say is that if you ever see this product where you live, you need to try it, it is really something special worth seeking out.</div>
Imbibe Hourhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05099763169853562511noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-987850443416528384.post-55317138557243888782012-09-08T20:31:00.001-04:002012-09-08T20:31:33.908-04:00Hunting treasures in the home. Old home bars leave untapped secrets<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-IiBTMY89F0FDE0hL2SVJt58hYRjVU5ShmWRTsb9_a0AAHEADuvU9cxlJ_HjlffW1vhJ0ZRJ-1WU9RkhthziL9SeUaCqmJdQAQXDiA7Q4fYRRpAXm1ZllCT3LRbFk7slQWX-sUzncgmg/s1600/BandBold.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-IiBTMY89F0FDE0hL2SVJt58hYRjVU5ShmWRTsb9_a0AAHEADuvU9cxlJ_HjlffW1vhJ0ZRJ-1WU9RkhthziL9SeUaCqmJdQAQXDiA7Q4fYRRpAXm1ZllCT3LRbFk7slQWX-sUzncgmg/s400/BandBold.jpg" width="298" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Old Bottle of B and B found in home bar</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<b><span style="font-size: x-large;">I</span></b> hadn't posted a blog write-up for sometime. I am not always sure what to write about somedays. I could easily "repost" video reviews, and also "repost" beer reviews, but the former is simply on <a href="http://www.youtube.com/user/imbibehour?feature=mhee">my channel on You Tube</a>, and the later being on <a href="http://beeradvocate.com/user/beers?ba=smakawhat">BeerAdvocate's website</a>. It was becoming a bit redundant just for redundancy sake I felt to throw them up on here. Once in awhile though, life events among good drink come into play, sometimes you can find a little piece of history. Where can you find drink history? I soon found out in other peoples old home bars.<br />
<br />
First a bit of background. My wife and I were invited to a wine tasting party for a couple we only knew a little bit about. A classic, they are friends of friends of ours sort of thing.<br />
<br />
We weren't sure how "much" of a wine tasting this would be, I debated about which wine to bring among a plethora of choices I have. I do love wine, and I have "plenty", and nothing says like an excuse to get rid of wine than to go or have a party. We grabbed a bottle of Sancere that we like, and off we went.<br />
<br />
Shortly into our visit it was obvious this was really just a house party. We nibbled, we chatted, we hung out, we met friends we knew, and some new people also. It was not a sophisticated gathering of glasses and tasting orders, which was good, but hey we were prepared not knowing what to expect. Bottles sat on the table, people dove in to the selections. I am always interested in finding new wines, one bottle that was brought was a Romanian sweet white whose name I can't remember. You certainly couldn't buy it here. A Hungarian co-worker of the host brought it, and it made a good talking point between us and him since my wife and I spent time in Hungary. Who says drink doesn't provide good conversation worth talking about?<br />
<br />
It became obvious though while we were outside that is was getting quite humid and warm. While the setting was nice, it was a classic DC muggy summer day, sweat was pouring off my body, I found myself going into the inside of the house for water too often, and the chilled whites sweating on the table were getting consumed like crazy as the reds barely got touched. It seemed like we just needed to cool off. Our host recognized this and then said:<br />
<br />
"Hey let's all go downstairs into our basement where it's cooler, what do you say?"<br />
<br />
We all glanced around, and it was pretty obvious we all didn't have to say what was on our mind. Then our host said:<br />
<br />
"I have a bar down there!"<br />
<br />
Hello did he say BAR? Enter our hero!!<br />
<br />
Pulling the sliding glass door, we all made a dash for downstairs, as the air conditioned blasted and evaporated the sweat off of my forearms. I was excited to see another bar, perhaps we could swap stories and tips.<br />
<br />
I went downstairs and noticed the bar that was definitely part of the house probably built when the basement was refinished. The host had mentioned that when they bought their house, the previous older couple left many things behind, furniture, tables, much of it from the mid century modern period and totally retro, going with the style of the houses build date in the early 60s. The previous owners had no use for these items, and left them for the new couple. One of the things they left behind also was a bar (although it appeared to be made much later), and with it were contents of glassware, shakers, instruments, the usual for any well prepped bar. But also it contained... old bottles.<br />
<br />
"I don't know what this stuff is?! What do I do with it?!" the host asked holding up a Hawthorne strainer.<br />
<br />
It soon became apparent to me that this was happening in homes across America. I certainly remember this when I was shopping for a house years ago. Many new homeowners were buying older homes, and there were downstairs bars in them. Sometimes they didn't always know what to do with these bars, or get the most out of what they offered. More importantly it dawned on me that these bars could contain bottles of a former era. Thoughts of being a cocktail bar rescuer as a job fluttered in my imagination, but figured that wouldn't pay much.<br />
<br />
I remember one DC rowhouse I saw way back while looking for a new home, extremely dated, in ok condition, but nothing to get excited about, until I was told by my wife to go in the basement.<br />
<br />
"So what's down there?" I asked, "another purple toilet or something?" I said.<br />
<br />
"No just go take a look I think you'll be surprised.".<br />
<br />
I held off my excitement that from what I had already seen in this house we were never going to buy it, a classic too many problems. However, my jaw hit the floor when I went downstairs.<br />
<br />
Far off in the distance was a formed wall with a full seated bar, 4 swinging upholstered swivel chairs, cubed glass bar that went at least twenty feet in length, a full working sink. I could easily see that the person who lived here was really putting his priorities into a great drink establishment, neglecting the rest of the house sans working kitchen with no new appliances. The bar was not stocked, much of the bar items were of course boxed away in preparation for a move, but the bar was lengthy, a great giant slab of wood, a few touches of cigarettes odd burns and circular water stains. Not many, but just enough to give it character. A classic old cubed TV jutted in the corner, it was from the 70s, you could easily mistake it for a fish-tank.<br />
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The stories that place could tell, I dreamed of the African American couple who lived there, the guy who came home with his buddies, and made drinks for everyone, probably with a little bit of TV.. maybe Redskins games, slamming down drinks and perhaps making a good cocktail or two, probably during a better football era than now. This bar had more charm and history that I think of any local watering hole I'd ever been in.<br />
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Getting out of my flashback, I quickly pulled out at my smartphone and said "here look, this is my channel, and this is my bar at home, I can show you some things." Our host took one look and then exclaimed WE HAVE A BARTENDER!! I was quickly voted in to make drinks for everyone.<br />
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"You have to show me how to make this stuff!" said our host. I replied "Oh of course, but let's take a look around".<br />
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Investigating any new bar is always fun, but for the most part, many people don't have a lot of things bottle wise. I realize I have a hobby and buy lots of different liquor, but most people aren't like me. Most home bars usually contain one to 5 simple bottles, mostly just of something people like to drink all the time. Usually there's just a bottle of gin, cause people like to drink gin and tonic all the time. Or there's just a bottle of whiskey, or a bottle of vodka. Sometimes people just want to do shots, but mostly the contents of ingredients in drinks for home use can fit on a small shelf.<br />
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"Make something!" someone from the party exclaimed excitedly. <br />
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I saw a large bottle of Makers Mark.. ok plenty of this, but I started noticing that our hosts bar was quite empty. "Do you have any bitters?" I was thinking if I could get some Angostura bitters and find sweet vermouth I could make people Manhattans. I noticed no bitters, that's ok, but we need vermouth. <br />
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I opened up a cabinet, and found some more bottles, and couldn't make out what they were in the darkness, so I grabbed the first one I could and brought it out. The picture above is what I found, an old bottle of B & B or Benedictine and Brandy. Most of the contents were still in, with about 1/2 the bottle still left. We quickly made the rounds, based out some small liqueur glasses and drank. Still good, classic herbal notes, almond, vanilla, and sweetness, it held up and was absolutely delicious. The worn brown label indicates and older bottle, but I don't think this bottle is very old, or say... worth a lot of money. But it's always great to taste some history. If you know anything about how old that bottle might be from the picture, please contact me!<br />
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTd2O-GlYXDVKxD4qWV8l9zhAeYbDBtpsuFgApQoEM4SA-9pSdkU6-KbW_b_8dNaKzzXLegFP4omxySd58QEKM3z_REmKhhCJFXetknG8-08YnDR2drh6nnH39iTUclX-1r0MitTvm7iQ/s1600/Galliano-and-glass.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTd2O-GlYXDVKxD4qWV8l9zhAeYbDBtpsuFgApQoEM4SA-9pSdkU6-KbW_b_8dNaKzzXLegFP4omxySd58QEKM3z_REmKhhCJFXetknG8-08YnDR2drh6nnH39iTUclX-1r0MitTvm7iQ/s400/Galliano-and-glass.jpg" width="210" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Stock picture of Galliano bottle</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Digging back into the cabinet I found what I call, another relic classic from the so called Fern bar area. In this bar was the classic bottle of <a href="http://www.galliano.com/">Galliano</a>. I recognized this instantly, and it is something I distinctly remember from my childhood, but not because as a young 12 year old kid was I sipping it with pinky raised mind you. The one thing that is unmistakable of Galliano is it's bottle shape. A bottle of Galliano is very slender and thin, and extremely tall. It's so tall and obnoxious that when you go to a bar somewhere it sticks out like a missile or something that belongs in an ammunition warehouse.<br />
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I noticed the bottle was old, probably from the 80s, since the lettering on it was identical to all the bottles I saw growing up. I remember many neighborhood restaurants I went to as a repeat customer with my family. These restaurant places I went to I had been going for many years, I would pass by the bar area and I would see that bottle of Galliano on the shelves. Through the early 80s up to practically the last of the early 90s, I could still go back to these places and see that SAME bottle on the shelf. It... Never.... Moved... ever. Something even in my gut tells me if I went back to these same places now in my old hometown that bottle would STILL be there.<br />
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Just like the downstairs bar, the Galliano was still there. In here is where my fascination with this spirit lies. It is the relic of my youth, it is my wonderment of always thinking, "what does that large ICBM bottle taste like?". I just could never want to ask or try it, or even go buy it, I always made excuses. Columnist Justin Wilson of the Washington Post describes it as: "<a href="http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/06/01/AR2010060100760.html">a sweet Italian anise-citrus-vallia liqueur</a>". but for me I have always been averse to trying it because to me the contents look banana colored, something I really dislike.<br />
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Unfortunatly, my free sip of Galliano was not to be either. The bottle had barely an ounce in it, and I left it to be hoping someone might finish it. Something tells me though... it's still going to be there like a spent radioactive fuel rod that just never goes away, and nobody wants to touch.<br />
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So while the party went on, some basic cocktails were made, including a whiskey sour with Makers. Asking for sugar and eggs for the bar, the host was wide eyed. "What are you going to do bake us a cake!?"<br />
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Au contraire, for within a bar there are secrets and memories waiting to be unlocked.Imbibe Hourhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05099763169853562511noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-987850443416528384.post-89364795100568236562012-07-25T21:13:00.001-04:002012-07-25T21:13:54.193-04:00Beer and Bratwurst! Beer and food and pure love<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4ZbfaTj3P5o2JVj5JmFqddKvOWqJdSqzDuE_Lejx9ARoLs8k_VCJXsiU59jIMne7rd-q2RYzZv_9-cJm-p7Yi2aDIWA8T8WoRf43X0e8xoev8RXuMCfj_vTlbaWRtJbMYaEceYnFbsCw/s1600/AechtSchlenkerlaDinner.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4ZbfaTj3P5o2JVj5JmFqddKvOWqJdSqzDuE_Lejx9ARoLs8k_VCJXsiU59jIMne7rd-q2RYzZv_9-cJm-p7Yi2aDIWA8T8WoRf43X0e8xoev8RXuMCfj_vTlbaWRtJbMYaEceYnFbsCw/s320/AechtSchlenkerlaDinner.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<b><span style="font-size: x-large;">I</span></b> really love to cook, and one of the great simple things in life is to make something simple. Poaching sausage with just some simple onions does the job, but what if you could combine bratwurst and try different beers?<br />
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I decide that when I was viewing some recent threads on <a href="http://beeradvocate.com/">BeerAdvocate.com</a>, a place I spend probably far too much time on.. there was a good discussion on cooking with beer and bratwurst.<br />
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I get great sausage from my farmers market from a place called <a href="http://smithmeadows.com/">Smith Meadows</a>. I really REALLY love their Sweet Italian Sauage but I digress... <br />
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I bought some of their bratwurst and decided that I should try to cook them, trying and tasting them with different beers and seeing how the results went. I picked a very common light produced mass lager, a true great German Pilsner, DC Brau's the Corruption IPA, and finally the grand daddy of them all, one of my all time favorite beers, Aecht Schlenkerla Eiche, a very malty doppelbock that is smoked with oak.<br />
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I loved this beer so much I decided to make a gravy with it also. The results of this cooking experiment were quite fascinating. I video taped my experience (they make tapes?) and the experience is below, feel free to watch my experiment below.<br />
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CHEERS!<br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="360" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/bbpK7vz2Grk" width="640"></iframe>Imbibe Hourhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05099763169853562511noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-987850443416528384.post-26818051739012610982012-07-22T09:38:00.002-04:002012-07-22T09:40:14.287-04:00Grabbing a beer with Greg Engert beer director of Churchkey Birch & BarleyThere has been a lot of changes lately in the craft beer world since I can remember. Living in the Washington DC area for many years gave me a real good opportunity to witness such changes, particularly when a new establishment came along called <a href="http://www.churchkeydc.com/">Churchkey</a>.<br />
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<a href="http://www.churchkeydc.com/">Churchkey Birch & Barley</a>, is a craft beer bar that has 50 taps and 5 casks, and is managed by beer director Greg Engert, a former employee of the Brickskeller.<br />
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I sat down to talk with him about the birth and growth of craft beer and his establishment. It was quite an interesting and if you want to see it grab a drink and spend 1/2 hour watching the video below. Cheers!<br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/9tbgobOXjIo" width="560"></iframe>Imbibe Hourhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05099763169853562511noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-987850443416528384.post-18653065201951858462012-06-20T23:31:00.003-04:002012-06-20T23:44:42.757-04:00Beer Cocktails, stepping it up with Maui Coconut Porter and Chairman's Reserve Rum<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjf0druz12yYqvUYpsGU3Svhw0LQoLFonLBpZ2pVRffQwmSbLUjbRYjGn2xtc0dAmMNrsL4vQQUhGfYThHzOSJmHztV6QjZxE5qUSqUvVKtl_YO7cR20_V031tXcOuh_HeYgzp_wXfXNxQ/s1600/BlackWhiteTiki-BeerCocktail1.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjf0druz12yYqvUYpsGU3Svhw0LQoLFonLBpZ2pVRffQwmSbLUjbRYjGn2xtc0dAmMNrsL4vQQUhGfYThHzOSJmHztV6QjZxE5qUSqUvVKtl_YO7cR20_V031tXcOuh_HeYgzp_wXfXNxQ/s320/BlackWhiteTiki-BeerCocktail1.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<b><span style="font-size: x-large;">S</span></b>omething seems to be happening in the drink world that defies explanation. Two unlikely concoctions, beer, and liquor (in the form of cocktails) have come to a-head on meeting in a full collision melding with craft practice. How did this seemingly happen?<br />
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Brewers have taken the world over with interesting beer. Revisiting old styles, revamping them, taking on new twists, and giving many things for beer geeks to salivate over.<br />
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With that, mixoligists and bartenders (can they be one or the same... sure) using their knowledge of solid cocktails, combine their smarts and find interesting ways to meld flavors, technique, and history to make something different and hopefully delicious. <br />
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Mixing alcohol into beer is really nothing new. How many times have you heard of depth-chargers, car bombs (or that other name that isn't so flattering), boiler makers, snakebites and so forth. Sometimes adding things to a beer involved things that just seemed like an afterthought out of boredom, such as the stories I hear from people dunking a shot of whiskey X into a pint of brew. I doesn't even have to be other alcohol, shandys, radlers also come to mind.<br />
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However, sometimes people put a little more effort into a good drink, and when they do the results can shine, and from that you can have a beer cocktail with true thought and great taste.<br />
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Beer cocktails aren't without their controversy either. Some brewers cringe at the idea of a beer they concocted, slaved over, perfected after many repetitions, just to have someone seemingly pour something ELSE into the mix. Dam them all some might say. Others might be more flattered. What if you could punch flavors out, enhance them, use good quality ingredients, just as the brewer intended, could it work? For myself personally, I am on the fence, but I take exception to anyone who does things with good technique, and understanding of what came before, and those who use the right things at the right time. A beer cocktail can truly get it right.<br />
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Pictured above is a beer cocktail developed by Gina Chersevani, and published in the Washington Post (<a href="http://projects.washingtonpost.com/recipes/2012/04/11/black-white-tiki/">recipe here</a>). In it, she uses a fantastic craft style American Porter beer made in Hawaii that I have actually reviewed before called Maui Coconut Porter. Just toss a shot of whiskey into your glass after you pour? Hell... and no.<br />
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In this drink, she uses classic cocktail ingredient and proportions, that enhance the character and flavor of the drink. Chairman's rum is used, to give a molasses kick with a very dry match of the porters roast, coconut milk and sweet syrup come into the mix to pull out that coconut of the porter also, and add a sweetness not unlike a good refreshing summer cocktail. <br />
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I decided I had to try this drink out and get an idea if a beer cocktail can really deliver. And when done right, it really shines. There are plenty of other beer cocktails out there, and so long as they are done with thought and care, I'd love try more myself. Check out the video below to see how I made this drink.<br />
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Cheers!<br />
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/uG8Y4V2C3IY" width="560"></iframe><br />
<br />Imbibe Hourhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05099763169853562511noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-987850443416528384.post-7115740997882563892012-05-16T23:07:00.001-04:002012-05-17T22:00:16.440-04:00One Tequila, Two Tequila, MORE!!!!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiERHpECDxqHJg7nWpqOwTk2spAAlhlCgl3T9xjjnS_hrb7pvAYP8hEXO0LXXhDJCMfQtXkDef5V_qWd4pI7ofoIYbkogFbVxMeENrEs07AZtrPT5Imtnsp39aenhorVfRpU8ULOlBW7Eo/s1600/IMG_0478.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiERHpECDxqHJg7nWpqOwTk2spAAlhlCgl3T9xjjnS_hrb7pvAYP8hEXO0LXXhDJCMfQtXkDef5V_qWd4pI7ofoIYbkogFbVxMeENrEs07AZtrPT5Imtnsp39aenhorVfRpU8ULOlBW7Eo/s320/IMG_0478.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: x-large;">W</span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">hen I think of tequila back in my younger days, one word keeps popping up into my head. SHOTS!! dude SHOTS!!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The second though is a trip I took down to Mexico in my youth with my family, to escape a cold Canadian winter and spend time in a country where we could get out of our comfort zone and enjoy some better weather. But we loved it, and getting away from a cold Canadian winter is key if you can, and your last thought is how great the booze tastes.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">In the end my memory of tequila and youth is one of manufactured falsities, one where sowing your oats involved picking a drink based on your pre-conceived notions of what taste and perhaps manhood meant. Does this tequila have the worm in the bottle? I asked my friend in my youthful days.. oh ho ho no it doesn't... that's not the real stuff. At a sand bar on the beach in a typical tourist trap, a drunken man came up to me and told me in his experienced wisdom.. "the only good tequila...(hic) is the gold stuff". Which is about as useful information as the best beer is the one's that are brown. In the end I take that drunken retired and highly inebriated man's wisdom with a grain of salt now in my older years. Mostly cause he left the bar with a tab that went down with a paper strip to his ankles.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I felt like I graduated when I would order tequila sunrises at the bars as a young twenty something. Yup fake grenadine, cheap orange juice, and you guessed it... cheap tequila. Cheap tequila is simply known as mixtos. And mixtos for most people, is what your life is introduced with for tequila. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The reality is, true tequila, is like a fine wine. Really good tequila can be aged like a great whiskey, be served with care, and caressed like a true lover when it is 100% agave. I had a premonition of this many years ago when I went to a restaurant in DC called <a href="http://www.oyamel.com/">Oyamel</a>. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I fell in love with Jose Andres creations, having eaten at Jaleo. When I visited Oyamel back in the day, I discovered tequila in ways I could only dream. There were flights, just like glasses of wine. Mostly though, it was the taste that emanated from them. They rolled like great whiskeys of oak and vanilla, some had honey and chocolate. Sometimes their palate was velvety, tequila was something really impressive. It was time for a return.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I returned to Oyamel for a taste of fancy. The first picture was what I had first, a simple tasting flight of blanco tequilas. The first was Siembra Azul a mild salt nose and faint hint of cocoa, tasting simple and warming with a muted presence. Next was a Domain Charbay produced tequila which had an incredible salt and briney nose. I was blown away even tasting basic silvers/blancos that had salt sensations on the nose. It's as if the salt you had to lick for your shots were not even needed.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi84Io8CiHcYW0eoh-RrIWsO9IzXS-WffnhGhpacDl_BgfCkD1DN7a83QUAB8MNgScXt85blq84_owyBgjCWpoG5vSBoetcl2CnByZyF37Le_jTTAVe-SQCtgMR_Btk0JLZ8kbq38yEJZY/s1600/IMG_0481.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi84Io8CiHcYW0eoh-RrIWsO9IzXS-WffnhGhpacDl_BgfCkD1DN7a83QUAB8MNgScXt85blq84_owyBgjCWpoG5vSBoetcl2CnByZyF37Le_jTTAVe-SQCtgMR_Btk0JLZ8kbq38yEJZY/s320/IMG_0481.JPG" width="320" /></a><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">With Domain a huge grass finish came out and a warming giant bump on the swallow. Third and next to come for the Oyamel Blancos flight was Casa Noble. Nose brought a faint sour lemon and still some mild salt. Finish brings on the palate much of what was on the nose but also some black pepper and mild lime.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Strangely enough the silvers/blancos/plata whatever you wish to call them, didn't provide me personally with much a flavor profile. Chamomile? Orange? not so much. Things changed a bit when I went for a flight of rare and collectible which included a mezcal, the first mezcal I have ever had.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The first in the rare was a Casa Dragones another blanco. Strangely, the blancos as enjoyable as they were, just were not grabbing my attention. Another salty nose, and salty palate but this one finished with a real impressive mild sugar sweetness. Still I was wondering where my tequila dreams would return?</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The next was Jose Cuervo "Reserva de la Familia". Notes for me personaly on the nose brought a most impressive blanco. Mild floral notes mixed with a sense of grass and nut. In the palate it had a wonderful texture, creamy, sensing of vanilla condensed milk and a herbal finish particularly mixing with the sangrita on the side.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Did I mention the sangrita jalisco? House made, a mixture of peppers, chile pecin, grapefruit, lime, citrus and blood orange juices. It really was an impressive combination with the tequilas.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Not to be out done, I had my first mezcal, and without question, it was memorable.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Del Maguey "Pechuga", is something I can truly say to this day I have never in my life ever had anything like. Limited to only 650 bottles, and distilled with among other things... hanging chicken breast. Say what??!? No I am not making this up. Nose hits with a smoke bomb, nearing a whiskey peat fire. Sweetness comes in the smoke flaring nostrils, orange, dried citrus peel. This one on the nose is a big winner, I have never had a sensory experience like this before and I'll never forget, chicken or not.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Taste however got into a giant almost tannic oak monster whiskey barrel sensation. Wooden, splintery, and also unfortunatley a huge blast of novocaine and phenolic like numbing on the finish. Luckily the sangrita with this mellowed out the palate and brought more of the nose out.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjI21InZBhrkZAlYgNgA9App7t5AMMbyiKJXiCm3tZ9r05kdQtPFj4Db0GyxGLusfL2-ClHzX0o94LXcwoH9dyCXBy3Gyd-GK1s6nytM3IGKTEI_XZvFoVoqcupHSjSbd8h-W0AdA3lRpg/s1600/IMG_0479.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjI21InZBhrkZAlYgNgA9App7t5AMMbyiKJXiCm3tZ9r05kdQtPFj4Db0GyxGLusfL2-ClHzX0o94LXcwoH9dyCXBy3Gyd-GK1s6nytM3IGKTEI_XZvFoVoqcupHSjSbd8h-W0AdA3lRpg/s320/IMG_0479.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Still I was trying to find my tequila niche, and then I remembered, all tequila, is not clear, some is truly like liquid gold. Pehaps that old man who was downing cheap tequila was on to something? I decided to get a recommendation for an añ</span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">ejo style tequila, and was recommended Casa Noble, and thank the tequila gods it came up.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">A wonderful brass and amber body, compliments a most wonderful nose. Milk chocolate, powdered cocoa, and vanilla abound. Yes this is tequila, and boy is it amazing.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">It has a wonderful amber bronze body, a nose bursting with chocolate notes, and sea salt (I love sea salt and chocolate together). Tastes incredibly mellow, rich oak and soft grass mixing with chocolate and some butter in a nice memorable dance. Finish is wonderful with a great warmth but no trace of serious heat or even alcohol burn. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">It seems I found my tequila niche. It just might be a</span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">ñ</span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">ejo. I think I need more aged tequila, just like a fine wine, and lord knows, I don't need any more shots to entertain me. But it looks like I am honed in on aged tequila. More please!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/-HrCKzw5fhw" width="560"></iframe></span>Imbibe Hourhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05099763169853562511noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-987850443416528384.post-27459725647003568652012-05-08T20:35:00.002-04:002012-05-08T20:46:34.423-04:00ZOMBIES ATTACK - and the horror cult that is Three Floyds<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhD0PRLH0sAs97OP1bNgLnG3xHeQmQq9S2F9ruZ0oljPLY26uvzIPQJIcoXhGEerOCFp2jznQChhRUZxJZ9Vj0kI1l7ql7g0PCbo7G-0nvY-3tzTwFBipkfMPKgIadjIbYsguejHQajesk/s1600/ZombieDust2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhD0PRLH0sAs97OP1bNgLnG3xHeQmQq9S2F9ruZ0oljPLY26uvzIPQJIcoXhGEerOCFp2jznQChhRUZxJZ9Vj0kI1l7ql7g0PCbo7G-0nvY-3tzTwFBipkfMPKgIadjIbYsguejHQajesk/s320/ZombieDust2.jpg" width="239" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<b><span style="font-size: x-large;">T</span></b>here have been many breweries that
have emerged from the scenes of the craft beer drinking masses. It seems us beer drinkers sometimes want more
interesting beers, and more choices. If
there is one brewery that has stood out since it’s inception in 1996, it would
be <a href="http://www.3floyds.com/">Three Floyd’s</a> out of Munster Indiana.</div>
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<span style="text-indent: 0.5in;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="text-indent: 0.5in;">Three Floyd’s was started by two
brothers in 1996 in Hammond originally, but soon grew with increased demand in
2000 to their new home in Munster. Like
many breweries word seemed to travel, their beers became highly desirable. The brewery also has a limited distribution
depending on where you live. Good beer
is one part of the equation and we all have our opinions on what we like, but
one thing that seems to be unique about three Floyd’s is their image.</span><br />
<span style="text-indent: 0.5in;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
I spent some time hearing about the
brewery talking to a few beer geeks who raved about their unique take on
styles. With some footwork I acquired a
few bottles of their beers and had to admit I was quite impressed with their
taste, but more striking was their labeling.
Glancing at a bottle of Gumballhead, a scary demented yellow character of
a Looney Tunes tweety bird reject stared back at me wanting to pick a
fight. Another bottle of Alpha King Pale
Ale had a mad Neptune like character swirled around with big artist rendering,
as did Dreadnaught with what looked like a manic British general dancing around
in front of the Taj Mahal.<br />
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
Art work and neat graphics are fun,
and everything about the artwork and the characters that grace the bottles of
this brewery hints at a group of creative attitudes, but also some sense that
there’s a bit of mad scientist working behind that Munster curtain. It seems to be a working formula for the
brewers, as their brand had reached what one could call a fanatical devotion.<br />
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
Still as much as I have never <a href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=987850443416528384" name="_GoBack"></a>stepped foot in their brewpub (currently), I have always
wanted to try more of their beers, to romp in the fun and mania that is Three
Floyds. Checking out some of the laws
for shipping to my state I was able to get a shipment from a store in Chicago
for some Three Floyd’s beers. When I
called to place the order they actually just received a beer that normally
flies off the shelf, and that was a pale ale called Zombie Dust.<br />
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
Zombie Dust, almost a take on fairy
dust for the demented. The imagination
that is Three Floyd’s is truly quite unlimited.
The beer is a very desired pale ale.
The brewers decided to bottle this beer year round due to the raves of
their fans who had it. When it is
produced it goes fast. I was able to get a hold of some and try it out. To see more about it click the video below. Cheers!<br />
<span style="text-indent: 0.5in;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="text-indent: 0.5in;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/qXyWf7RRGxo" width="560"></iframe></span></div>Imbibe Hourhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05099763169853562511noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-987850443416528384.post-33365059024132156052012-04-28T22:35:00.001-04:002012-04-28T23:30:04.297-04:00Beer and bargains, playing is half the fun, but time waits for no thirsty man<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUEIszjTj5O_WtHgYZhpSIuHPSG6aOJjCw2EhbvdGROSHExTUKir-85Ijg-BHr53tdGReFrdSIKvncD2QOtJJAd6uFpPZGiIn-vJeKNmM2TdaNFgSOPacuc3J5WpRuYP417GJf2udydOo/s1600/BierBarronAbroath+-+Copy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="DC Brau's Stone of Arbroath at Bier Baron" border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUEIszjTj5O_WtHgYZhpSIuHPSG6aOJjCw2EhbvdGROSHExTUKir-85Ijg-BHr53tdGReFrdSIKvncD2QOtJJAd6uFpPZGiIn-vJeKNmM2TdaNFgSOPacuc3J5WpRuYP417GJf2udydOo/s320/BierBarronAbroath+-+Copy.jpg" title="DC Brau's Stone of Arbroath at Bier Baron" width="239" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">DC Brau's Stone of Arbroath at Bier Baron</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<b><span style="font-size: x-large;">T</span></b>here are two things that you can't get away from when going out to enjoy good beer. One is that you will be able to have beer on tap which is something you can't do at home (unless you have your own home bar and kegerator). The second is, usually you will be spending more money, particularly when it comes to drinking non macro produced brews.<br />
<br />
For me, drinking beer in the DC area can be expensive, that is why I was so excited in early April to read about a promotion that was going on for neighborhood bars and restaurants.<br />
<br />
The <a href="http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/going-out-gurus/post/dc-beer-week-offers-discounted-brews-all-month-long/2012/04/03/gIQAJoEctS_blog.html">Washington Post had an article</a> about a passport that you could get to promote <a href="http://dcbeerweek.net/">DC beer week</a>. You buy a small badge for $10 dollars, visit the venues and you could get certain discounts. The deals on beer varied from venue to venue. <a href="http://churchkeydc.com/">Churchkey</a> for example, had a promotion for the badge to have half off any cask beer on Mondays. It was obvious when I looked at the offer the badge price would be quickly compensated for the deals that were offered. The real kicker was that if you visited all of the places in your passport, you would get stamped, and could enter your passport in a drawing. 15 winners would get a $50 dollar gift certificate to 1 of the 15 bars, and... wait for it... 1 grand prize for $50 gift certificates to.. ALL OF THEM. Looking at the list there were many venues I was quite often a visitor, some that I had not visited in some time, and some that I have never been to. It was time to move post haste and get my badge and earn the prize... or... not. Perhaps it is of no use to mention this deal now, since the end of April is upon us, but if I could make one saving grace to tell you about this promotion, it is that I have not got a chance to grab the brass ring. But I tried!! and found also some real new interesting things along the way.<br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2uXfJyivHsih7k-5gGPGFvuVAgk9qSXar9EVW3dPGHyG2vU6BSIVs3ys-sQGspvuIGiF7UC7Bz4t3YZZwinIBo2aN4pUtthxusDAa2fyTOR7_rPBQxfs8qYmb6lZKMK0AZdV-BGFb3oQ/s1600/NuggetNectarDCCopy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Nugget Nectar at Churchkey" border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2uXfJyivHsih7k-5gGPGFvuVAgk9qSXar9EVW3dPGHyG2vU6BSIVs3ys-sQGspvuIGiF7UC7Bz4t3YZZwinIBo2aN4pUtthxusDAa2fyTOR7_rPBQxfs8qYmb6lZKMK0AZdV-BGFb3oQ/s320/NuggetNectarDCCopy.jpg" title="Nugget Nectar at Churchkey" width="239" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Nugget Nectar at Churchkey</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
The first place I thought of going to was an obvious one and that was <a href="http://churchkeydc.com/">Churchkey</a>. I am at this place often, and it is no stranger to anyone in the DC area as a premier destination for beer. Here is a place to chase 40 taps and a bottle list that fits in a huge binder. If you are a beer nut/geek/dork/freak, you need to visit. It was also one visit here that during my passport hunt I met someone I will refer to as only "The Man".<br />
<br />
"The Man", like myself, is a guy who comes into Churchkey with pen and paper in hand to review, not unlike me and many other beer reviewers. There is one exception. "The Man" is retired, he's also much older than myself and is up to nearly 10,000 personal reviews of beers. Striking a conversation with him we could talk about beers till we were blue in the face. The hardest part, was he wouldn't let me leave! Needless to say, I still had to figure out how to get to all these other places on my passport. Me and "the man's" path I am sure will cross again.<br />
<br />
<a href="http://meridianpint.com/">Meridian Pint</a> was a no brainer, It's often in between my work and on the way home so that was no big deal. The Dupont Circle area was close to my area for work for after tipples that fit places like <a href="http://www.eatyourpizza.com/">Pizza Paradiso</a>, <a href="http://www.kramers.com/index.html">Kramers</a>, <a href="http://www.bierbarondc.com/">Bier Baron</a> and so forth. A few spot places could also be managed. But how was I going to do the rest? It was obvious that a good chunk involved a return trip to the Adams Morgan neighborhood. The last time I was there to imbibe was during my last bachelor party which should put things into perspective, and will be a story I won't dare repeat here. So what's new in Adams Morgan 7-8 years later?<br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYuEQhO_VK7X8YAnbMIGW52Is3VLX-4xoc_fsy9Xl9cdbdUA0uSKj7gw1cRS8_nKsHb4sNU9pQMGIQeRhXB5ZhBjCeyMjPVS-Vr6U6MugrJVJOHrUDbw8tfMaGs4DzW4khS0TzD2TiFWY/s1600/JackRose.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Jack Rose bar" border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYuEQhO_VK7X8YAnbMIGW52Is3VLX-4xoc_fsy9Xl9cdbdUA0uSKj7gw1cRS8_nKsHb4sNU9pQMGIQeRhXB5ZhBjCeyMjPVS-Vr6U6MugrJVJOHrUDbw8tfMaGs4DzW4khS0TzD2TiFWY/s320/JackRose.jpg" title="Jack Rose bar" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">One of three walls of Jack Rose</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
I went to a place that never existed back in the day called <a href="http://jackrosediningsaloon.com/">Jack Rose</a>. Upon walking in, my eyes nearly exploded. Rows, and ROWS and ROWS lined the shelves filled with mostly whiskey bottles. I was rather stunned to see so many bottles on display, it was a physical library of whiskey. I grabbed a seat though thinking about what beer to have, and more importantly, if the beer selection would be just an afterthought to the whiskey choices offered here. With 20 choices on tap and a quick glance of the handles my mind was made up in an instant.<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBTvspQ9pNL5JGxxa9oOZ8O05YeygPZfjZl6fjy2Mb96pfyq_P731SYROOwX9y-ROHCsN-Ost0ewQYnThPPPOsuRdCtt2WSv7gBkuPFmg2k1n-BJTpb4_-HKvsHVYaQQ811_oxaCrNJZ4/s1600/AechtSchlenkerlaEicheJackRose+-+Copy.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Aecht Schlenkerla Eiche on tap at Jack Rose" border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBTvspQ9pNL5JGxxa9oOZ8O05YeygPZfjZl6fjy2Mb96pfyq_P731SYROOwX9y-ROHCsN-Ost0ewQYnThPPPOsuRdCtt2WSv7gBkuPFmg2k1n-BJTpb4_-HKvsHVYaQQ811_oxaCrNJZ4/s320/AechtSchlenkerlaEicheJackRose+-+Copy.JPG" title="Aecht Schlenkerla Eiche on tap at Jack Rose" width="239" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Schlenkerla Eiche on tap at Jack Rose</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Peering out was a familiar name, and more so, it's name on a distinct green background that makes me drool everytime on first sight, that beer name is <a href="http://www.schlenkerla.de/indexe.html">Aecht Schlenkerla</a> Eiche, <a href="http://www.schlenkerla.de/rauchbier/sorten/schlenkerlaeichee.html">their oak smoked rauchbier</a>. I love this beer to death.<br />
<br />
The tap list here at Jack Rose seems to focus on malty offerings, a <a href="http://www.epicbrewing.com/our-beers/itemlist/category/19-smoked-and-oaked">Smoked and Oaked Epic</a> beer popped out as well. No doubt the offerings here at Jack Rose are bent to hit on the whiskey smokiness offerings, and the beers seem to hint at dark richness focusing on malt and smoke. It is a place that I need to visit again. A quick chat of the bartender mentioned that the place has the largest whiskey selection in the United States. I <i><b>really </b></i>need to return...<br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1kowY0B25hrLDmW7u8tFynKW3Pv00kPMmIv8KUYRRa2e1YZpSIVqTw5r8VrFzYXAVVTy1V4j5cqbELQvThw3qsC-R6P6fXgC8E4zZfJR5My_4OS4E_O_jYVIXjmX2WiguFM_AaO2Luy8/s1600/AndersonVallleyCreamAleCopy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1kowY0B25hrLDmW7u8tFynKW3Pv00kPMmIv8KUYRRa2e1YZpSIVqTw5r8VrFzYXAVVTy1V4j5cqbELQvThw3qsC-R6P6fXgC8E4zZfJR5My_4OS4E_O_jYVIXjmX2WiguFM_AaO2Luy8/s320/AndersonVallleyCreamAleCopy.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Summer Solstice - Anderson Valley at Smoke & Barrel</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<a href="http://smokeandbarreldc.com/">Smoke & Barrel</a> was another place I visited that is also new. This place was a mystery to me at first, and it sort uh... made me wonder what happened to the old Asylum that use to be around here? I quickly forgot settling in with a familiar favorite cream ale from <a href="http://www.avbc.com/main/our-beers/summer-solstice/">Anderson Valley, their Summer Solstice</a>. Really nice atmosphere, and very friendly staff was what I left with for an impression. The place contains BBQ but I did not have any when I visited at the time.<br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigtXptIX2N_BjO9KsFyCpH8YcjtBDOBsbhvlFpU9bFtqhFXtqzqMjpuEdBETlupQmys47aVRVniavEWu-HrwsZ5cwGHbulnelQ6EwTKvg-4ATYwAa0kPdyoW1YixybEmAsH5BVKALSeNA/s1600/Tryst1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigtXptIX2N_BjO9KsFyCpH8YcjtBDOBsbhvlFpU9bFtqhFXtqzqMjpuEdBETlupQmys47aVRVniavEWu-HrwsZ5cwGHbulnelQ6EwTKvg-4ATYwAa0kPdyoW1YixybEmAsH5BVKALSeNA/s320/Tryst1.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Tryst tap shot and staff photos in Adams Morgan</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Being in Adams Morgan reminded me for an overdue visit to a place I always think of, but never get a chance to visit as much as I would like and that is <a href="http://www.trystdc.com/">Tryst</a>. A great coffee house, it has had what I would consider a very noticeable make over since my last visit. Where is all the ratty ripped furniture? Woah these walls are actually painted (and cleaner). Still the portraits on the wall of the coffee staff are still there, this time against a clean yellow creme background. I still get a kick out of the one guy who has a cup of joe over his groin, the camera angle posed and shot to make it look like he's a pic right of an ... ahem... porno mag. Hey your espresso isn't THAT big buddy... ;)<br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8GVetLofMqs0-S8Ci0yFHZh555lY99xhoRJPRUfLkGX_lxCIfdMUtlk3SGdJiUnkji6Li-PMpey7cTymfsOftKHyydIw1BYPWBYRZq8TqFGIur389jXZ3NURF-y0WLoIsijYfcYcAi5c/s1600/Tryst2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Espresso at Tryst" border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8GVetLofMqs0-S8Ci0yFHZh555lY99xhoRJPRUfLkGX_lxCIfdMUtlk3SGdJiUnkji6Li-PMpey7cTymfsOftKHyydIw1BYPWBYRZq8TqFGIur389jXZ3NURF-y0WLoIsijYfcYcAi5c/s320/Tryst2.jpg" title="Espresso at Tryst" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Espresso at Tryst</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
I was surprised they were participating in the promotion for beer, I couldn't even remember if they even served beer back in the day?<br />
<br />
Still, I took a breather and had of course great coffee. I almost forgot one of my favorite touches they have when they serve, and that is, animal crackers on your saucer. Even though I didn't have any alcohol they still stamped my passport which was nice, remarking that it was yellow and VERY hard to see.<br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjC3TRJ99uWLBiclz1ATQT2zkOu6Mw0eKZS8iDzSf46uu5sKx7mxZe5d_YmeQFc_VTk9VuTA_ggxc0m0N2erOTthy4gspFbfBTKZbKD8dkGZ0TXnZgxH59RyuJTE-yQJYRlsD4Shyphenhyphena1Uy8/s1600/Finish+-+Copy.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="The Totality Incomplete" border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjC3TRJ99uWLBiclz1ATQT2zkOu6Mw0eKZS8iDzSf46uu5sKx7mxZe5d_YmeQFc_VTk9VuTA_ggxc0m0N2erOTthy4gspFbfBTKZbKD8dkGZ0TXnZgxH59RyuJTE-yQJYRlsD4Shyphenhyphena1Uy8/s320/Finish+-+Copy.JPG" title="The Totality Incomplete" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The totality incomplete</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Still, after all this time adventuring, I am still not finished. Time has nearly run out, and even the budget with the discount hasn't quite made it happen. Technically of this writing I could "still" complete this passport but I am down to four places. One is in my favorite DC neighborhood of H ST NE, called <a href="http://granvillemoores.com/">Granville Moore's</a>. Another is the <a href="http://districtchophouse.com/">District Chophouse</a> that servers a nice side of corn bread in a cast iron skillet the size of your face. <a href="http://www.thebighunt.net/">The Big Hunt</a>, while also in the Dupont neighborhood has always eluded me... But as I understand it, when May 1st comes time is up for the passport.<br />
<br />
I suppose.. and I say this with all hypothetical possibilities cause what I am about to say next is "technically" possible... BUT.. I could visit all of the four remaining places within the next 48 hours.<br />
<br />
Somehow though the time and the funds always seem to run out, but the good beer and places in DC never does.<br />
<br />
<br />Imbibe Hourhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05099763169853562511noreply@blogger.com0