Got To Love New York

I won't go into detail about my long and, recently, painful history with the New York Knicks.  But I do have to scratch my head at the wishful logic of Knicks' fans.

When the Cavaliers were on a tear these Knicks's fans were all excited because, so the reasoning went, if LeBron could deliver a championship to Cleveland his work there would be done and he would be more willing to move to New York.

Now, with the Cavaliers not doing so well against the Celtics (my current favorite team because of Kevin Garnett) the logic goes that LeBron will want to leave Cleveland and come to New York.  Why, because the Knicks will have enough cap room to pay him well and surround him with a couple of great players so he has a chance to win a championship.

Hope blooms eternal for Knicks fans who haven't had a team to root for in many years.  I go to Minnesota this weekend for the Annual Fishing Opener gathering and it has been a long time since I have had to try to find a bar with a Knicks play-off game on their television.

But, and remember that you heard it here first, my prediction is that LeBron goes to the Nets and ends up playing in Brooklyn.

Why White Men Can't Jump

Some fascinating news has been coming out concerning the relationship between Neanderthals and modern humans.  It appears that somewhere around 60,000 to 100,000 years ago there was a bit of hanky panky going on between the two.  As a result 1% to 4% of the genome of non-Africans today is derived from Neanderthals.

This may also account for why most hockey players are non-Africans.

dba Brooklyn's Cask Festival

On Saturday I headed over to Williamsburg for the Cask Festival at dba Brooklyn.  The dba in Manhattan was one of the first bars around here that sold cask ales.  They had two of the hand-pump casks installed but usually only sold the ale during the cooler months.

I overestimated the length of time it would take me to get to Williamsburg.  From here, in Downtown Brooklyn, you take a subway into Manhattan and then at Union Square transfer to another subway back into Brooklyn.  Convoluted, but this time I hit all the connections and showed up a bit early.

Where's The Beer?


I actually walked right by the place the first go-around.  When it is closed there isn't much to distinquish it from the places on either side.  One metal door looks pretty much like any other.

Although dba Brookyn wasn't open yet Spike Hill was ready for business so I passed a bit of time there.

An Early Morning Kind Of Place


They have a few interesting beers on draft here and the Hacker Pschorr Maibock caught my eye.

Smooth, A Glass Of Brunch


Maibocks are a lighter form of Bock beer and, as you might guess by the name, is typically served in May.  Very good.

I may have had a glass of brunch, but the Mysterious Chinese Woman thought something more substantial might be in order.  Just down the street is a nice little Asian restaurant that we have been to before.

RED BOWL or redbowl


They seem to have a bit of an identity problem.  One sign uses all Capitals and two words while the other signs use all small letters and run the two words together.  I know, picky, picky, picky.

I had a plate of noodles to wash down my Sake.

Sake And Flowers, How Springy


Then it was time to head back to dba Brooklyn.

Better Luck This Time


And there was Alex, setting up his wares.

A Hard Working Guy


Well, it isn't like it was all fun and games for me, either.  I had some drinking to do.

Started out with the New Jersey '1787 Abbey Single Ale,' a relatively mild 4.8% ABV.  It is in the style of a Belgian Pale Ale and is considered a session ale.  This means it is low enough in alcohol that you can make a session of drinking it.  I thought it was pretty good but had kind of a coppery taste to it.

My next beer, a Fuller's 'London Pride,' was even milder at 4.1% ABV.  You can get the London Pride in both bottles and on draft, but the cask version has much more flavor.  Nice and well-rounded.

I finished up - yes, I know, a short session - with a fairly strong 10% ABV Stoudt's 'Double IPA.'  As you can imagine, this was a fairly hoppy pour.  And the hops was long lasting.  It uses three types of hops, Warrior hops for bitterness and Cascade and Williamette to impart the hoppy aroma.

Savoring My Ales


For some reason, maybe because it turned out to be a nice Spring day, I didn't feel like sitting inside drinking cask ales all afternoon.  Note, it was chilly and drizzling earlier in the day, hence the somewhat inappropriate jacket and hat I was wearing.

Anyway, I had been to the nearby Surf Bar before and thought that would be a nice change.  For some reason I thought they served Australian beers.  Maybe the used to, or I am getting it confused with the Sunburnt Cow in Manhattan, which is an Australian bar with a surf theme to it.

The Surf Bar


Well, no Australian beers this time around, but they had a nice outdoor seating area.

Lovely Little Place


They had a number of Tiki drinks, but I didn't like the looks of the recipes.  A bit on the sweet-side for me.  On the other hand, the Mysterious Chinese Woman found the Zombie to her liking.

What A Pretty Zombie


Peek-A-Boo


I have been on a bit of a Margarita jag lately so that is what I had.  Not bad, but not as good as the ones I make.  Alton Brown had an episode of Good Eats the other day where he demonstrated his Margarita making skills.  I will have to try it his way.  He doesn't use any orange liquor, kind of a staple, but does use fresh orange juice.  He also makes a big deal about muddling the limes and ornages with a bit of agave syrup to extract all of the oils from the skins.

Another tip, he dips the glass in tequila and lets it dry for ten seconds before dipping it into salt.  I will have to try this next time.

Not One Of Alton Brown's


Then it was back home after a quick stop at Spike Hill for a bathroom break and one final Margarita.

It would have been a perfectly fine day if it had ended there.  However, such was not to be.  Jim called and wanted to know if the Mysterious Chinese Woman and I wanted to hook-up at Capucine's.  He was taking the Mysterious Chinese Mother-In-Law out for an early Mother's Day.  Well, how could I say No.

After heading back to Manhattan there was Jim, but he was by himself.  Apparently the Mysterious Chinese Mother-In-Law didn't feel like going out.  So we ended up the evening with dinner, a couple of Rob Roy's and an after-dinner Rusty Nail.

Sadly, the next day I was supposed to go with the Mysterious Chinese Woman to meet the Mysterious Chinese Mother-In-Law and a Mysterious Chinese Sister-In-Law for dim sum in Chinatown on Sunday at 11:00 A.M.  I say sadly because I begged off on going and now, I am sure, I am in the doghouse with someone.

The life of Bar Man is not an easy life.

But First A Word From Our Sponsor

Not really a sponsor, just my favorite neighborhood bar that, by now, you probably know is Pete's Waterfront Ale House.

I popped in on Friday for a quick bite and they had a corned beef sandwich on the special menu board.  Sam, the grilll-master, was there and I asked him if he did his own brisket.  I should have known, of course he did.  The spicing and brining and smoking, the whole thing.  Well, how could I resist.

One Fine Looking Sandwich


It didn't take me long to dig right in.

Stuffing One's Face


I have said it before but it is always worth repeating, the food at Pete's Waterfront Ale House is always surprisingly good.  They don't advertise themselves as a rib place, yet their ribs are some of the best I have ever had anywhere.  And they sure don't advertise themselves as a deli, but their corned beef  sandwich, dare I say it, was even better than Katz's.  Smokier, which I prefer.

Now they don't often do a lot of Mexican food, but I think they did have some Cinco de Mayo specials last Wednesday.  They do, however, have pretty decent Margaritas.

Good To The Last Drop


And Don't Forget The Free Fresh Popcorn


The next day, Saturday, I went to dba Brooklyn for another cask ale festival, but more on that later.

And The Pot Calls The Kettle Black

Is it just me, or does an obviously obese or, at least, very over-weight, U.S. Surgeon General warning about the dangers of obesity seem, well, a bit strange?

Hey, Cut Out The Cupcakes

Kind of like me warning about the dangers of drinking.

And what's with that "I never thought of treating my patients as work" all about.  You are a doctor.  You see your patients while you are at work.  What, you treat them as a hobby and don't charge them? 

Sanjay Gupta should never have turned down this job.

A Guide To Licorice Liquor

Well, no pictures today from Bar Tabac, but I shall pass on a bit of knowledge, or opinion.  I like licorice, so I also like licorice flavored liquors.  Sambuca, a bit too sweet for me these days, and that goes double for Anisette.  Strega, ah, great step up from Sambuca.  Then we move to Ouzo, Pernod, Riard and Arak.  Of course there is always Galliano of the old Harvey Wallbangers fame, belongs there up a step below, or maybe above, Sambuca.  And, then, the often overlooked Herbsaint, developed after Absinthe was outlawed, much like Pernod, but Pernod actually made Absinthe, and still around today (that is Herbsaint that is still around today, my last sentence was a bit convoluted, even by my standards).

Anyway, after having a bit to drink today, Ricard being predominate but also including most of a bottle of Sancere and a wee bit of Champagne (and a glass of whatever the woman sitting next to me left behind), I have decided to present you with my guide to drinking licorice flavored drinks.

Anisette:
To be avoided at all costs unless given to you by someone "connected."  In that case it will be high-proof and made from 100% alcohol stolen from a tanker shipping it from a  Midwestern brewery to a wine company on the West Coast that makes fortified wines (that tanker somehow getting rerouted to Boston).  If the latter, drink it straight up or use it to "sweeten" your espression, er, I mean your espresso (both, probably).  And you didn't here this from me.

Sambuca:
See above, but can be consumed if nothing else is available and you are desperate.  Do not pay extra for "Black Espresso."  It isn't worth it and only stains your teeth.  This may not hold if you are actually in Spain, Italy, or Portugual.

Sterga:
Italian for "Witch."  A big step up from either Anisette or Sambuca.  Still sweet, but strong enough to make up for it.  Plus, any Italian restaurant that has Strega is, in my opinion, probably a good restaurant.  Only the good ones even know about it.

Herbsaint:
Over-priced and nothing taste-wise you can't find somewhere in the following list.

The Following List:
Ouzo, Pernod, Riard and Arak should be drunk, in my opinion, one of three ways.  Staight (think Root Boy Slim and Boogie 'Till You Puke), in a glass with an ice-cube and a spash of water, or, and one of the best, one part of the alcohol, five parts water and a couple of ice-cubes in a tall glass.  Absolutely refreshing.  Also, and try mixing with orange juice, a favorite of mine but not to everyone's liking.  I think it tastes like those little pumpkin candies you used to get on Halloween.  Back when little kids could actually go door-to-door and accept candy from strangers.

Ah, remember those old days when you could read comics at the drug store and buy everything you needed to make gunpowder as well.  Try going to CVS or RiteAid and picking up a couple of ounces of sulfer and saltpeter today.  We used to be able to shoot marbles a full-block, eh, but that is another story for another time.

And, one cannot forget Absinthe, newly legal in the United States, but drunk by yours truly in many a foreign country before then. Staight (not highly recommended), with an ice-cube and a splash, or with ice-water dripped over a sugar cube (probably the best, but I wouldn't make an issue of it).

In my opinion, of all those available. in the United States today, Pernod is far and away the best.  Pernod was, if not the first, one of the original makers of Absinthe.  When it was banned (wrongly, because of the wormwood), Pernod altered the recipe a bit and lowered the alcohol content (the real culprit).  Now that it is legal again Pernod has reconstructed their recipe to as close as possible to the original and upped the alcohol content back to a respectable 134 proof.

Cinco de Mayo and Pinatas

Being somewhat of a contrarian, and trying to avoid a crowd, I lilke to go to Bar Tabac, a French bistro, to celebrate Cinco de Mayo.  And, the Mysterious Chinese Woman wanted me to know that the pinatas, of which you may see a lot today, probably had their origin in, this will be hard to guess, China.

At least as far back as the 13th century, the Chinese had a game whereby large paper dolls in animal shapes were stuffed with seeds and then smashed to bits by partygoers.  The paper remnants were then burned and the ashes kept for good luck.

Explorer Marco Polo saw this game during his travels to China and brought the idea back to Italy, where the object was called a pignatta - or "little pot" - and became popular with the Renaissance nobility. Instead of paper and seeds, small clay vessels were filled with trinkets and other pricier gifts, then batted at during pre-Lenten celebrations. Larger, colorful pignattas filled with candies were hung in town squares and smashed open for children during the carnival festivities.

The route from Italy to Spain brought small changes to the custom, which then made its way across the Atlantic to Mexico with Spanish missionaries.
In Mexico, the Spanish pinatas were used as a tool of religious conversion, as the hanging pot was meant to represent sin, and those who destroyed it represented good vanquishing evil. Pinatas were readily accepted in Mexico because a similar Aztec ceremony honoring Huitzilopotchli, the god of war, already existed there.

So there you have it.  Of course according to the Mysterious Chinese Woman, everything had its origin in China.

Left Handed Playing Cards

As many of you know, I am left-handed and, according to the Mysterious Chinese Woman, possibly an alien.  And not from Mexico.  She is thinking someplace a bit further away.

Now I have often maintained that the left-handed are, if not more intelligent than right-handers, more adaptable.  As a case in point, I can easily sit down at a right-hander's PC and use their mouse without thinking about it.  However, I have watched right-hander's struggle for hours trying to get comfortable using my mouse that is set up for a left-hander.

Here is a little experiment you can do.  Most people don't realize that playing-cards are designed for right-handers.  Don't believe me?  Take a close look.  Right-handers naturally hold their cards in their left hand and then use their right hand to fan them.  Easy to see the numbers and suits when you do that, Right?



Now hold the cards in your right-hand and fan them with your left-hand.  Hah!!  You can only see the number and suit of the first card.



Okay, here is my point.  Left-handers have no problem with this because they can adapt and hold the cards in their left hand just like right-handers.  But, see if you can get a deck of cards for left-handers, and not the ones that have the numbers and suits in all four corners but just in the opposite corners.  Now slip it into a card game and watch the perplexed looks on everyone's face when they can't figure out what their cards are.  And then watch them struggle to figure out what to do.

Left-hander's are not just more adabtable, we also have a weider sense of humor.

Cask Festival At The Brazen Head - Day Three

Another nice day on Sunday so another fairly small crowd at The Brazen Head.  A bit unfortunate because new casks don't come out until the old ones are gone.  As a result there were only two beers available that I hadn't already tried.

I started out with a Pearl Street Saber's Edge Imperial IPA.  This is a double IPA which, I guess, means that it has a lot of hops.  A nice coppery color, but way bitter.  It is a hefty 8% ABV and not a beer that I would drink a lot of.  I was glad I was just drinking half pints.

My next one was a Defiant Porter, a dark, fairly heavy brew with the now common hint of coffee.  A bit hoppy, but nothing overpowering.

I still had tickets left and I had enough of the heavy beers so I finished up with a pint of the Michigan Celis White to clear the old palate.

Now that should have been my day, but oh no, not me.  Someone took an interest in the pictures in the background at Cody's Ale House and wanted to know if Gaid had a website.  Now I knew I had one Gaid's cards someplace but, of course, couldn't find it.  This meant I had, simply had, to go to Pete's Waterfront Ale House  to see if I could get the information.  And, you can't go to Pete's without getting a drink, or two, or three.

But, I did get the information, kind of.  It turns out Gaid doesn't have a website but does have a telephone number.  I guess he isn't a complete dinosaur.

Old Time Photographs - (917) 245-5523


Or, you can stop into Pete's Waterfront Ale House on a Friday or a Saturday afternoon, when Gaid usually works, and ask to see his portfolio.  Tell him Bar Man sent you, I might get a free beer out of it.  Or you might and I will have to pay double.  Gaid can be funny that way.

I was minding my own business drinking Margaritas at the bar and talking to a guy named Vinnie about the old days in the neighborhood when in walks the Mysterious Chinese Woman.  She had returned from visiting her mother and tracked me down like a dog.  And she was hungry.

We got ourselves a table where she had chicken fingers and I opted for the softshell crab sandwich again.

Finger's Lookin' Good


A Crab With His Crab


What A Cute Little Fellow


Things were pretty much under control at this point but then...  They have had the Pernod Absinthe here for awhile and so far I have resisted the temptation to try it.  But the fellow at the table next to us ordered one and, well, I figured as long as the waitress schlepped the whole intricate serving device all the way from the bar I would make it worth her while by having one myself.

Ice-Water Over Sugar Cube Into Absinthe
 

A Close-Up


I got a picture with the waitress and you can see the veneration with which I am held around here.  I am not sure if that sentence was grammatically correct.  I think I meant You can see how I am venerated around here.

I Get No Respect


And now I am ready to meet the Green Fairy.

Tinkerbell, Here I Come


Ah, nothing like a blast of 136 proof green stuff to get you looking at the world a bit differently.

Smooth, And Refreshing


I am bringing a bottle of this to the Minnesota Fishing Opener in a couple of weeks.  Must remember to buy sugar cubes, but I think we will use a simpler device to pour the ice-water.

Just a reminder, this weekend the Cask Festival shifts to dba Brooklyn in Williamsburg.

 

I am going to try to get there Friday so if you go, look for me and say hello.

Cask Festival At The Brazen Head - Day Two

Got off to a bit of a later start yesterday and meandered over to The Brazen Head around 2:30 PM.  Although there was a good crowd, it wasn't as packed as I expected it to be.  I suspect the beautiful weather, high of 85 and bright sunshine, after several weeks it being windy, chilly and damp was part of the reason.  The beaches and parks were really crowded so just the die-hard cask-heads were holed up inside.  The Brazen Head does have a nice little outdoor area, though.

I showed up alone but was soon joined by the Mysterious Chinese Woman and her brother Jim.

The Happy Crew


I was glad to see that The Nazz was still playing, er, I mean pouring, so that was my first beer of the day.  And no, there won't be any long discourses today.  I am off the mushrooms.

At an ABV of 10% it had a kick to it, but nothing like the Belgian Quadruple that I had yesterday.  It was smooth and a bit hoppy, but not overpoweringly so.  The malt came through as well as a burnt coffee flavor with a hint of caramel.  Very good, indeed.

Alex was here again to provide information about the offerings.  He really knows his stuff so you know he loves his job.

Ask And Ye Shall Know


I moved on to the East End Black Strap Stout, and black it was.  It looked pretty potent but at an ABV of 6.2% it wasn't overpowering.  It is brewed with blackstrap molasses and  brown sugar and had a distinctive coffee taste.  This would be a great beer to have first thing in the morning before heading out to work.  Particularly if your work involves heavy machinery  No! No!  Scratch that last one.  I can already see a potential lawsuit from someone who followed my advice and injured themselves.

Jim was drinking who knows what.  but was certainly enjoying whatever it was.

It Is All Good


My next beer was a Clipper City Peg Leg.  A fairly strong 8% ABV and another black one.  It must have been my day for beers that had a hint of coffee to them, this one mixed with a bit of caramel or toffee and more molasses.  And yes, I did use a clean glass with every beer.

Enjoying The Day


Alex had some help today and despite what it says on his glass, his name is Ron, not Karl.

Alex And Ron


Now, no offense to Ron, but I liked his other helper a bit better.

It Was Her Personality


Her name wasn't Karl either, it was Lauren.  I have no idea who Karl is or how he lost his glass.  Well, that isn't right, I can figure out how you might lose your glass in this kind of an environment.

Pizzeria Uno, a chain of pizza places, actually has a brewpub in their Metuchen, New Jersey restaurant and I had their Pale Bock, a hefty 7.2% ABV but quite good.  Finally a beer that was kind of a pale gold.  Smooth and malty but the alcohol did come through.  There was a bit of an herb (no, not that kind of herb) flavor to it.  Maybe some of the oregano from the pizzas permeates the brew.

Pretty Things of Fluffy White Rabbits fame had a St. Botolph's Town as well this time around.  Milder than the Fluffy White Rabbits, an ABV of 5.7% versus the Rabbits ABV of 8.5%.  It initially had a sweet malty taste to it but a bit of a secondary bite.

My next one was a Shawnee V.S.O.P.  The tasting notes said this was a very rare beer brewed with honey and aged in mature apple brandy barrels.  It was a robust 8.3% ABV and, to me, had a distinctive strawberry or raspberry jam taste.  Quite good.  Pair this with the East End Black Strap Stout and a piece of toast and you have what may be the ideal breakfast.

My last one, recommended by Alex, was another rare one, Kuhnhenn Anneliese Amber.  Not overly strong at an ABV of 5.8%.  Now maybe it was because I had just had the fairly sweet and fruity V.S.O.P., but this one tasted a bit sour and musty.  Not off-putting though, reminiscent of those Belgian beers that are naturally fermented.

I plan on heading back today for another round of tastings so I had enough beer for today.  Enough beer, but not enough to drink.  We headed off in search of another bar and were going to stop in at Henry Public, a relatively new place that I hadn't visited before.

Not Recommended


I can't say anything too bad about this place because we didn't stay.  Why?  Well the front was pretty full, no room at the bar and all of the tables were full as well except for small ones that wouldn't comfortably seat the three of us.

The Strollers Should Have Been A Warning


The back room was completely empty though so we asked if we could sit there.  We were told only if we were having dinner, this despite the fact that it was a bit early and there wasn't anybody eating.  Now how silly is this, you have an empty room and three people who want to buy drinks but you won't seat them.  Who knows, if we had a few drinks we might even have been inclined to stay and order dinner a bit later.  Suffice it to say I won't be rushing back here anytime soon.

We headed over to Cody's Ale House where they had no problems letting us sit at a table for a few drinks.

Highly Recommended


Comfortably Seated


Those pictures in the background are for sale and the guy selling them is Gaid, the world's friendliest bartender who works at Pete's Waterfront Ale House but does most of his drinking here.  Now Gaid is old, well, not as as me, but not old enough to have taken the pictures.  He gets the plates or negatives and then does the enlargements and touch-ups.  He has a whole portfolio of interesting pictures of old New York.  I have a couple of nice ones of Coney Island back in the good-old-days.

On our way over to Cody's we passed pile of books that were being thrown out so, scavenger that I am, I picked up a few.  The fat one on top is Sartre's "Being and Nothingness" that I will probably never read, but carrying it around makes me look intellectual.  One of the books was a beautifully illustrated cookbook, "The Heiritage Of French Cooking."  That one will get some use.  Another one was "Favorite Recipes of American Home Economics Teachers Meats Edition (including seafood and poultry)."  Hey, any cookbook that has almost nine pages of meat loaf recipies can't be all bad.  How can Bacon Meat Loaf with Olive Stuffing not be good?  Not so sure about the Creamed Brains in Nests of Mashed Potatoes, though.

Okay, just a bit after 1:00 P.M. and time for me to take a quick shower and then head out to another session at The Brazen Head.  A Bar Man's work is never done.

Cask Festival At The Brazen Head - Day One

I woke up at the crack of noon yesterday and rushed over to The Brazen Head to make sure I wouldn't miss out on any of the rarer cask ales.  Unfortunately Alex, the guy running it, was also running a bit late, caught up in traffic on the BQE.  The beers were all here and ready to be poured, but my mentor was missing.

Checking Out The Stock


But without any guidance it was hard to decide just what I wanted to try.

Confusion Reigns


Luckily, Alex did show up and brought his tasting notes with him.

Now I Can Decide

The Brazen Head is going to have twelve different beers on each of the three days of the festival so it didn't take me long to plot my day's strategy.

Ready To Roll


Meanwhile Alex was tending to some last minute adjustments.

Almost Ready


The beers ranged in potency from a relatively mild Michigan Celis White at an ABV of 3.9% to a deadly Lowell Beer Works Belgian Quadruple that came in at an ABV of 12%.  You were limited to a half pint at a time to that last one along with the Clipper City Holy Sheet at an ABV of 9% and the BruRm The Nazz at an ABV of 10%.  I didn't have The Nazz, but probably should have.  It was a one-time brew to celebrate the 40th anniversary and reunion of Mott the Hoople.

Trivia time, "You ain't the Nazz" is a line from Mott the Hopple's song Hymn For The Dudes.  The Nazz was the debut album of the rock group Nazz and Todd Rundgren was the lead singer...

Wow, synchronicity at work.  Literally as I was typing the above lines the song All The Young Dudes by Mott the Hoople came on the radio, 104.3 FM at 9:30 AM.  Spooky.

Even more spooky is that the full line from Hymn for the Dudes is "You ain't the Nazz, you're just a buzz, some kind of temporary." and, supposedly, was a swipe at David Bowie who wrote All The Young Dudes.  I am not sure why Mott the Hoople became disenfranchised with Bowie. 

Nazz took their name from the song "The Nazz are Blue" by The Yardbirds from their album Roger the Engineer. That song, in turn, took its title from Lord Buckley's comic monologue, "The Nazz," which is a re-telling of the tale of Jesus of Nazareth.  It is often erroneously said that the band took its name from a line in the David Bowie song "Ziggy Stardust" which goes: "He was the Nazz, with god-given ass" but that song appeared in 1972, and the first Nazz album appeared in 1968.

The official name of Roger the Engineer is Yardbirds and is the only album by them that contains all original material.  The unofficial name Roger the Engineer came about because the album cover features a drawing of their audio engineer Roger Cameron that was done by Chris Dreja, a member of the Yardbirds.

Whew, now that was a weird line of thought triggered by All The Young Dudes coming on the air.  The Mysterious Chinese Woman always says those mushrooms she puts in the soup can do things like this.

Okay, back to the beer.

I was only planning on just having a few yesterday and, in fact, if I hadn't run into Alex the other day I wasn't planning on coming at all until today.  Seeing as how it was just a bit past noon I decided to start off slow and began with the Heartland Mr. Atlas Imperial Pale Ale at an ABV of 7.7% (okay, not that slow) and the Harviestoun Haggis Hunter, another mild one at an ABV of 4.3%.

The Mr. Atlas was a pretty hoppy IPA with a bit of a citrus bite to it.  Primarily hoppy, though.

Bar Man Getting Hopped Up Early


By the way, Allen, you will notice that I am not afraid to wear my Cha Cha's cap in public (Allen carries his in a brown paper bag). I even got complimented on it.

Although the Mysterious Chinese Woman and I shared our beers, she preferred the Haggis Hunter which was a seasonal ale from Scotland.  Not hoppy and with a grassy grapefruit subtlety to it.  So subtle that I probably wouldn't have noticed it if it weren't for the tasting notes.  I just thought it was very good, unlike real haggis.  No offense, but I don't like chopped up lungs in my oatmeal.  Call me funny that way.

The Mysterious Chinese Woman And Her Haggis


For our next round we kind of hit the opposite ends of the spectrum in terms of alcohol content.  I got the Celis White and the Belgian Quadruple.

Guess Which One Is Which


The Celis White was really delicious in an interesting way.  The tasting notes said it is a spicy, citrusy beer created by Pierre Celis while he was in Texas and is now brewed by Michigan after Pierre moved to Belgium.  My personal tasting notes said that it tasted like a combination of freshly baked bread and lemon.  You could probably sell it at a church social and call it a lemon bar.  Get it, beer, bar, tastes like bread and lemons, lemon bars are a staple at church socials.

The Belgian Quadruple made no bones about its high alcohol content.  The nose and first taste were overwhelmingly alcohol.  However the aftertaste was malty and kind of a nutty molasses flavor.

Those four were enough for my first visit and even though we only got the half-pints I was feeling a bit of a buzz by the time I walked out.  Not too surprising when you consider that the Belgian Quadruple was like drinking a half-pint of wine.  Of course I remember the days when chugging a bottle of Thunderbird was considered kind of cool.

In fact I was so buzzed I almost didn't have a beer at Pete's Waterfront Ale House where we went for lunch.  Almost is the operative word.  I did have that hard-to-spell Weiss that the Mysterious Chinese Woman had the other night with my soft-shell crab sandwich, which was absolutely delicious.  The Mysterious Chinese Woman had the same thing along with a bowl of French onion soup, a favorite of hers.  She also had a bowl of it the other night with the ribs (that I just finished up for breakfast this morning).

I plan on heading back to The Brazen Head today after my brother-in-law Jim shows up.  Or, maybe, a bit before if he is late.  The Mysterious Chinese Woman is meeting friends at the Brooklyn Botanical Garden today for the Cherry Blossom Festival.  Due to an unusually warm spring all of the blossoms are long gone, though.  This should be a hot weekend as well.  It hit 78 yesterday and might hit 90 today with a high of 85 predicted for tomorrow.  Perfect for drinking beer.

Talk About Inflation

I have already talked about Duvel Green, a mighty fine Belgian beer that you get on draft.  Duvel in the bottle consistently ranks at the top of Belgian beers and the Green, draft only, is a mighty fine beer as well.

Okay, about the inflation.  The last time I was in Pete's Waterfront Ale House this beer was $7 for a glass.  not bad, but still a bit spendy.  And we are talking about a glass, not a pint.

Today I went in and they had it again after being out for a bit.  So, of course, I ordered one.

Spending The Green For The Green


What I hadn't noticed was that the price had gone up from $7 to $9 a glass.  I took a quick glance at the chalkboard and the 9 looked enough like a 7 that I didn't notice the increase in the price.  Now, again, this is a glass and not a pint.

But, what was really, in my opinion, beyond the pale, as I was drinking my beer the price went up from $9 to $10.  Now that is an 11% increase in the price of a beer as you are drinking it.  I am sorry, but $10 for a glass of beer, and I don't care how good it is, is a bit too much.

It Was $9 When I Walked In


And, I have never seen the price of a beer or a drink go up while people are in the bar drinking.  Couldn't you at least wait until after the bar closes before you raise your prices?

Don't get me wrong, Pete's Waterfront Ale House, is still my favorite bar, but this is strange even by my standards.  Are we getting to the point where we have to start buying futures on beers when we walk into a bar?

I did have a nice Long Trail Coffee Stout, their Happy Hour Special., with a mighty fine rack of ribs.  Long Trail is in Vermont and they turn out a nice selection of beers.  The Coffee Stout is a seasonal and is usually only available, or at least only brewed, in February and March.  It is a heavy and dark, very dark, and does have a very discernable coffee overtone.  You can also get a hint of burnt sugar.  I saw it when I first came in but it was a warm and sunny afternoon so I wanted to start with something lighter, hence the Duvel to begin.  The Coffee Stout, a hefty 8% ABV and a good compliment to the smokey ribs.

Oh yes, the Happy Hour Special, that I think runs all day, is a beer that has been selected to sell for $4.50 if you order it at the bar.  You can, however, then take the beer to your table.  I suspect they will even bend the rules a bit and let you order it at the table, but why push your luck.

Now, I don't want to be too critical about the price of the Duvel Green, I was more taken aback by the fact that someone actually went up on the ladder and raised the price by a dollar while I was sitting at the bar drinking it.  I came out alright though, I bought two of them at the lower price (maybe it was a supply and demand thing with the price and I was the demand),  Then a fellow, Todd, who recoginized me because he follows my blog, stopped by and bought me another and had one himself.  And the bartender, Mary, did a buyback.  If it wasn't for that Weinenstephaner Weiss ($6.50) that I had to buy for the Mysterious Chinese Woman I would have gotten off fairly cheaply.

I happened to run into Alex Hall, the fellow who runs the Cask Festivals around these parts and across the pond, on the way to Pete's Waterfront Ale House and told him that I would be coming to his Cask Festival at The Brazen Head on Saturday.  He recommended that I come on Friday because he had some rare offerings that might be gone by then.  Well, I guess I will just have to make the supreme sacrifice and go both days.  Maybe Sunday as well.