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Well, it was finally here and I managed to pop in all three days. On the first day, Friday the 16th, it wasn't at all crowded when I showed up a bit after noon. Only about half a dozen people. I am sure it crowded up later on though.
I was met with a rather curious sign:
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Well, more misleading than curious. I mean why would you spend $4.50 for a half pint when a whole pint is only $6.50? It took some questioning before I could figure it out. The half pint is half an imperial pint. An imperial pint is 20 ounces so you are getting 10 ounces for your $4.50. The pints, however, are standard 16 ounce pints. Confused yet? I am sure a lot of people were.
I started out with a couple of the half pints.
Bar Man And His Half Pints (good name for a band)![](https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/blogger_img_proxy/AEn0k_vgutvEXNfioF_zzc_hx6cMCnjk_6bXF1J-9YX-QRnG6sDhPJL2YsvswU0TaL-h-EWwFykgUiJ2iBmPljectXo5T4ykl3sti4Cxrggfq38H2-CRTO_uY97j4ZbfnQbxHB4pnoe28QYqZhBnOT7KLTqmzg=s0-d)
I figured I would start big so I had the Arcadia Hop Rocket Ale, a hefty 9% alcohol brewed in the double IPA style. It is from Arcadia Brewery which is located in Battle Creek, Michigan. As you might expect, this one packed a lot of hops and was a nice eye-opener.
My second one was Stoudt's Scarlet Lady from the Stoudt's Brewery in Adamstown, Pennsylvania. This one is a milder 4.8% alcohol and is an English Extra Special Bitter. I did indeed find it to be bitter with a burnt coffee flavor. I didn't particularly care for this one.
Having wet my whistle I decided to up the quantities a bit and my next two were full pints.
Bar Man And The Big Boys![](https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/blogger_img_proxy/AEn0k_vindevhyNp3k18xgI4DCYEB2dPhGRPCBADt15Yafj1QWPVZl83a7UFLSzMcESJK-8HLTxuoy8faf2pxk4y2CwndBp_WQFN-nyzySJ1SGNYfItIKl-TQuHn6mrJfHqFIjuOs2GwTidwfAeXoP2vFLtF4g=s0-d)
I had the Magic Hat Lucky Kat, an American IPA from the venerable Magic Hat brewery in Burlington, Vermont. I am a big fan of the #9 they produce and this was a tasty one as well. It was a golden color and although it had a very hoppy nose, it had a nice malty taste to it. My kind of an IPA.
I finished this day with the Chelsea Sunset Red. The Chelsea Brewery is in Manhattan and I am generally a big fan of their beers. This one, not so much. It had a nice coppery color but had a thin head that looked a bit like soap suds that have sat for awhile.
Soap Suds![](https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/blogger_img_proxy/AEn0k_seZ4YE7PbYLG-8ms7jnOe3Vxu_pB3TRnjeTFd7M1Fl7xu3O3mZu9j7TRY-qoZie4sSVQW0kCGYn2DajOhDPgwae_7E3gVHzcHidIGBp0oN8S3uUKotnEo3NXm4SL6O6NBXdxsxW2Gc2CakpLdz3UatNA=s0-d)
It is an American Amber Ale and comes in a 5.6% alcohol. Has a malty taste but was a bit sour. The Mysterious Chinese Woman said she detected notes of ammonia. Maybe they were soap suds.
Saturday was warm and sunny so I just popped in for a couple.
Garden Party
I opted for another Chelsea product, the Checker Blonde Ale. It is a light 5.5% alcohol and is a Kolsch style ale. This is a style of beer that is common in Cologne, Germany. A bright yellow with a decent white head. Very refreshing with a light, but not over-powering, hop flavor and nose. Quite refreshing and perfect for a sunny day.
I followed that up with the Smutty Nose IPA. This one comes in at 6.6% alcohol and pours a golden color. It has hints of citrus and pine and wasn't a bad brew at all.
You can see that the place was much more crowded today.
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The following day, Sunday, Jim, The Mysterious Chinese Woman and I headed back again after our brunch at Jolie's.
Jim And Bar Man Having A Cool One![](https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/blogger_img_proxy/AEn0k_s67HKX7QJNqeActlZtq1PHBKxrI6YkL7fstJs5YCygGum5QMOXemcVL46J9YkRwhTFx-8Yjy3Jut6DMfgK4CV7pTBLLdYGFOloS1Cwh-5zXXMaIjYZnmrp6Xv088EZUyCNWHVWX3gmQLRJYrUV-qrepg=s0-d)
It was another nice day and we got here early enough so we beat the crowd. We shared three different ales today.
The Chelsea Flower and Showers Spring Wheat was a very drinkable number. A decent 6.4% alcohol that pours a bit hazy with an orangish amber color and a white head. It has a touch of a fruity spiciness to it, but nothing too serious. Most drinkable.
The Blue Point Double Blonde Ale, brewed by Blue Point in Patchoque, New York, is a bit stronger at 7.4% alcohol. This was a pleasant change from IPAs because it is quite malty. I thoroughly enjoyed it.
The third one we had was Sixpoint Chocolate Brownstone Ale from near my neighborhood. The Sixpoint Brewery is in Red Hook and I have written about it before when I wrote about Rocky Sullivan's. This version was made especially for the festival and they infused it with chocolate from Taza, a small-batch chocolate company. It comes in at 5.7% alcohol so even though they call it a "session beer," I think it is a bit on the strong side for that designation. It was a good tasting beer, kind of like their normal Sixpoint Brownstone Ale with a bit of chocolate added. Go figure.
Even when they are not having an ale festival, Brazen Head has a good selection of beers and a fairly extensive selection of Scotches as well.
The Normal Offerings![](https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/blogger_img_proxy/AEn0k_syNVWJnnIhHFZBVk-5_UFxyddRpWa08W5WrtAZbE-VTtUzD4uUdOZS9ckXstPr0PFhp8HAIvYe18rKIWYGveyztpjfj37lHSO9doRIAhyCKf2ZSkn9QP7lzXMTvZZ3PRN861uCeDZIH3VM9aJVj6-y=s0-d)
Tomorrow I will definitely post about the Bass Brolly. Really, I promise.