Highlands, Sea Bright, and Carton Brewing Company, or “Everything is Legal in New Jersey”

Holly Kay and I got a very rare two days off together this past week, so we decided to take a little mini-vacation to tide us over until our BIG Vacation in November to celebrate a (belated) 5 Year Anniversary! (5 years is the Shillelagh Anniversary, right? No? It’s Wooden? That’s fine, I’m pretty sure there’s wood somewhere in Ireland…)

We booked a room on AirB&B in Highlands, NJ. I figured it was just far enough away from the city to be a getaway, but close enough that we wouldn’t have to stress about traveling. (It took about an hour and 40 minutes to get there in rush hour traffic, which wasn’t terrible.). Holly and I read nearly all of the 93 five-star reviews on the app, so we figured the place was a safe bet.

We arrived at our AirB&B, a charming, 100-or-so-year-old house about a half mile from the water, with views of Sandy Hook Bay from the window in our room.

The room was prettier than most hotel rooms we’ve stayed in. It was impeccably clean, bright, cozy and beachy. We had access to the common areas of the house as well, including a balcony down the hall from our room which offered peaceful seclusion and gorgeous views of NYC and Long Island.

So beachy!

If that’s not impetus enough for you to book this room right now, our hosts, Robin and Robert, were lovely, gracious, and attentive. They treat their home like a true B&B, offering us a bottle of Cabernet Sauvignon and fresh fruit upon arrival, and the most delicious breakfasts each morning. For under $100 a night, and the way that R & R cater to their guests, we plan on making annual trips back here. We loved every second.

Also, this is their French Bulldog Finny and how could you not fall in love?

Wait, this is a beer blog?

Our first meal of the trip was at Yumi in Sea Bright, a 5 minute drive from the AirB&B. (Apparently most of the restaurants in Sea Bright are BYOB, and we didn’t B any B, sad face emoji) The food was amazing. We shared a fried soft-shell crab (because when you dine 40 feet from the Atlantic Ocean, you eat crab, for crying out loud), a spicy white tuna roll (with tempura flakes, of course), two unbelievable pork buns, and a gosh darn extra side of spicy aioli that you bet your behind we smothered on our crispy fried soft shell crab, because we’re grown adults.

Holly Kay and a pile of fried, soft shell crab

Spicy White Tuna and a red headed fool!

Soft shell from above!

In the Uber on the way back from the restaurant, we chatted with our driver, who had lived in the area for many years. We told him our plans to visit Carton Brewing the next evening, and he said, “Oh yeah, I know the whole family!”

I wasn’t surprised. One of my favorite things about craft beer is the focus on community. Small breweries form relationships with the people around them (local businesses, restaurants and bars) so it’s not surprising that owner Augie Carton is so well known around town.

We went to sleep early that night, after a little singalong (Holly Kay brought her ukulele) and some wine on the balcony!

After breakfast the next morning (vegetable quiche and fresh fruit!!) we took our coffee onto the front porch to plan out our day.

Front porch sittin’ is one of Holly Kay’s favorite things to do.

It was a little chilly, and we were going to go to the beach, but it was cloudy, and that crisp, fall breeze was a’peckin’ and a’pricklin’ the little red hairs on my sexy legs, so we both decided to change into pants and forego the beach for some apple picking (AUTUMN THINGS!).

We first drove down the stunning, mansion-lined coast to Asbury Park, where we walked around the shops on the Boardwalk.

At this point, it still felt like Fall…

Paramount Theater in Asbury Park!

By the time we got to the Eastmont Orchards, it was over 80 degrees and summery again! But we’re stubborn… We committed to picking apples, and pick apples we did! We got all up in those trees bizness, (neither of us are the tallest of humans, so we had to get creative) and filled up a bag o’ apples, and also bought a jar of blackberry peach jam, which is delicious.

We still had some time to kill before Carton opened, and Holly Kay found some outlets (she has a sort of Spidey-sense when we’re nearby outlet malls and was mapping out our route from the orchard even before we began our apple picking excursion).

After a few hours (new sneakers for me, new leggings for Holly Kay, and two orders of Auntie Anne’s Pretzel Nugs with cheese dip and a large Diet Coke) we were on our way to Carton!

This is a blog about beer, remember?? Sometimes I forget…

Carton Brewing is located in Atlantic Highlands, NJ. They’re just a few miles (UPDATE FROM THE CORRECTIONS DEPARTMENT: AUGIE CARTON READ THE BLOG AND THEY ARE ACTUALLY ONLY 6 BLOCKS AWAY) from Sandy Hook Bay and the Atlantic Ocean. Their beer is everywhere in Atlantic Highlands, Highlands, and Sea Bright (from what I saw). They have a huge presence in that area. The brewery, on the other hand, if you’re not looking for it, you may just drive right on by. They took up space in an old abandoned warehouse that was used by Methodists (who came into town only for summer) to store their tents (Praise the Lord!).

Carton Brewing(?)

I’ve been a fan of Carton since my first taste of Boat Beer (their flagship, low ABV session ale/session double ipa/whatever). I listen to Augie’s podcast, Steal This Beer, on the regular (or, as the kids say, “on the regz”… Right, kids?), and seek out Carton beer on tap around NYC (their distribution of cans doesn’t go outside of New Jersey, so they’re hard to come by). Most recently, Holly Kay and I fell in love with Sakura (on tap at Barcade NYC), a sour ale made with sushi rice and cherry blossom, which, in concept, is so weird but worked so well. It was tart, refreshing, salty, low ABV, a perfect beer to drink on a hot day in summer with a good book (preferably in a hammock, but those are hard to come by in NYC, which is poopy. Maybe I’ll open a bar that has hammocks. I come up with so many good ideas writing this blog!!)

We step inside the brewery, and I’d heard that tours of the brew house were mandatory, which I think is a cool concept, to see where and how your beer is made before drinking it, to get a glimpse of the hard work and love that goes into beer. However, it was just Holly Kay and I, and the young lady who facilitated the (less than two minute) tour, talked so fast when describing all the different iterations of the building, and how beer is made, we barely understood a word she said. I was genuinely excited to spend time in the brew house, having listened to Augie talk about it on his podcast, and to learn about the Tippy (the small experimental brew system they keep to test out new flavors and ideas), and how they go about brewing beer. It seemed like, once she had finished her speech, and had walked us from the front of the building to the rear, she was done. No question and answer session, just an explanation of how the tasting room works, and pointed us up the stairs. I was a bit disappointed, to be honest. I was hoping to be able to snap a few pictures of the brew house, but was ushered up the stairs before I had a chance to.

Holly and I were chatting about it later in the evening, that perhaps, they get a lot of people who want nothing to do with a tour of the brew house and just want to get upstairs and start drinking beer. I don’t think it was the young lady’s fault, I just had an expectation of what the tour was going to look like, and it didn’t turn out that way. But lets move on to the beer!

On the stairs to the tasting room…

The way the tasting room works is, you can pay $5 for a flight of 6 4oz tasters. Everyone starts off with Boat Beer, a hoppy session ale, with aromas and flavors of grapefruit citrus, orange rind, and pine, balanced with a crisp, bready malt sweetness. Again, this beer is the reason I fell in love with Carton, and it didn’t disappoint.

My gorgeous wife holding a Boat Beer and some poker chips!

The next beer we tried was the B.D.G. (Brunch, Dinner, Grub). Augie wanted to make a Table Beer, meaning this would be a beer that will play well with any food you make (or order). This was a brown ale with flavors of toast, roasted coffee, a little spice, and lemon peel citrus from the Aramis hops. I like this beer a lot, Holly Kay thought it was more bitter than she likes in a brown ale (it’s sitting at 45 IBUs), and we both wished we had some food to go alongside it (no food at Carton, so make sure to eat something before, or, like we did, go out for dinner afterwards!). Next time I see a draught pop up in NYC, I’ll pick up a growler of this stuff and drink it alongside dinner.

Next in our flight was the Carton Canyon, their take on an American Adjunct Lager (UGH GROSS BUD BUD LIGHT MILLER LIGHT COORS LIGHT DAMN THE MAN), brewed with blue agave, to accompany the food at the nearby Southwestern-style restaurant Copper Canyon. An adjunct is anything put in beer in addition to the malt bill, most of the time used for cutting costs, but in this case, to alter the flavor profile of a style all beer drinkers are familiar with. It was bready sweet, with some floral, fruity, herbal sweetness (I tasted eucalyptus). I would definitely go for this if I saw it on tap ‘round these parts.

Carton Canyon!

I had checked out Carton’s Facebook page earlier in the day (because I’m a stalker) and saw they had their HopPun, a hoppy pale ale, that they were Randalling (infusing) through candy fruit slices… The device they use to infuse the beer is called a Randall and was invented by Dogfish Head’s insane CEO Sam Calagione (check out the link for more info!).

I was told that the Hop Pun was not part of the flight (I misread the Facebook page and thought it was), so I ordered Holly Kay and I the Wit Whale, which I’ll go into in Part II of this post (oh yeah, Part II…), but the amazing bartender (I wasn’t able to get his name) brought over a shareable pour for Holly and I to taste… AND IT WAS AMAZING!! Infusing the beer with candy fruit slices is nothing short of crazy, but it added a really nice candy sweetness to the citrusy hops in the beer. The flavor was new, fresh, and bright, but invoked nostalgia, as only artificially flavored chewy fruit candy can do. I’m pretty sure I have one more cavity than I had before I got there, but I ain’t mad…

Cheers to the amazing bartenders! HopPun Randalled through candy fruit slices!

We forewent our last two tastes in the flight, as we were absolutely starving, because the aforementioned two orders of Auntie Anne’s Pretzel Nugs had long since worn off, and we were ready for dinner.

I picked up way too many cans, thanked our awesome bartenders for their hospitality, and we headed off to eat!

#haul

NEXT TIME, ON BENEDICT BEER BLOG…

Tommy’s Tavern + Tap, Twin Lights, Sea Bright Beach, Tommy’s Tavern + Tap, and Bahr’s (OMG BAHR’S…) Just you wait….

This Post Sucks! Or, Does It?

Do you have a beer that constantly surprises you?

Do you have a beer that, with each taste, a smile creeps across that sweet mug of yours, and you chuckle to yourself about how damn good that last sip was?

Do you have a beer that inspires you?

I took a sip of beer a few nights ago and stopped in my tracks. I was overwhelmed with thoughts of my (in retrospect, very short) craft beer journey.

This was the first IPA that blew me away. Holly Kay and I were at Tap and Barrel in Smithtown to see our dear friend Matthew Spitz (from the absolutely unbelievable Moustache Brewing Co.) and his band Royal City Riot, whose sole mission was to groove our mind, body and spirit with their reggae/ska/dancehall jamz, and groove our mind, body and spirit they did. My goodness. (Please refer to my Love Letter to Moustache Brewing Co. to learn more about Matt and Lauri Spitz, their baby, Moustache, and how amazing they are.).

I saw they had Lagunitas Sucks IPA on tap, and I was drawn to it, of course, because of the name. I was still naive about IPAs at that point (please refer to This Blog Post in which I have my brother Chris, who’s new to beer, try 3 >100 IBU IPAs, and the results are as expected!), and wanted to try something new.

I took one sip, and thought “THIS is the reason I got into craft beer.” I was overwhelmed with brown sugar (which is interesting when you hear the story about this beer), plum sweetness, and toasted caramel from the malts, balanced with a blast of lemon and orange zest citrus from the hops. One of the most flavorful, balanced IPAs I had ever drank.

Lagunitas Sucks! Also, my foot!

We could talk about how Heinekin purchased a 50% stake in Lagunitas, which would lead us down the wormhole to AB InBev and their acquisition of multiple Craft Breweries in an attempt to conquer the Craft Beer market.

But we’re not here to talk about that.

I want to talk about the time I didn’t get that promotion I had been working so hard for, and Holly came and picked me up from work (because she’s amazing) and surprised me with a 32oz bottle of Lagunitas Sucks (because she’s incredible. Also, beautiful. She has unbelievable brown eyes. Have you seen those eyes? My goodness.). She handed it to me, gave me a big old bear hug, and said “Honey, that sucks.” I drew myself a hot bath, popped open that bad boy, enjoyed the sweet, citrusy blend of magic, went to work the next day as cheery and chipper as ever, and got the promotion a week later. Boom.

Ok, so, the beer name. Here’s the story. Lagunitas has a beer called Brown Shugga. Due to their capacity issues in 2010, that particular beer, a strong ale with tons and tons of, you guessed it, brown sugar, took a long time to make. They were trying to expand, but the giant lauter tun (the vessel used to separate the liquid wort from the grain) they were going to used got damaged, so they couldn’t brew Brown Shugga. They called the IPA they brewed instead Lagunitas Sucks, as a consolation to all the Brown Shugga fans, and a comical, self-deprecating nod to staying humble in the face of success, even when something goes wrong. It used to be brewed only around Christmastime, but it’s become a year round brew for them, and for good reason.

Every time I come back to this beer, I’m blown away. Periods of time will go by, and it will disappear from my grocery store, and will show up again months later, and remind me again why I love craft beer so much. It reminds me of Spitzy, and Holly Kay, and all the adventures we’ve been on since I started getting into craft beer over 5 years ago.

My Dad’s go-to, Founders Breakfast Stout, and mineD Lagunitas Sucks.

It’s all about love, friendship, and great beer. And this is a great beer.

Until next time!

Cheers!

P.S. Huge shout out to my dude Brandon (@itsb_ran on the Instagramz) for helping me come up with the second half of my title this week! Thanks, buddy!

Date Night! Or, “Is It Weird That This Beer Smells Like Sushi Rice?”

Holly Kay and I have been married for 5 years (!!!) now. We’ve got a trip to Ireland planned for the first week in November (!!!) which we’re super excited for, but we’re always looking for ways to celebrate our love.

This past Friday, we were both done early from work, so I met Holly down in Soho so we could find a nice Happy Hour (who doesn’t love a good Happy Hour?). As I waited for her to get out of work, I had a hankering to visit one of our favorite special places here in NYC. It’s got great food, great beer, and great… Arcade games?

Yeah. You got that right, Jack (who is Jack anyways and how did he get that right?), I’m talking about Barcade.

Barcade!

The first Barcade opened in 2004 in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, then in Jersey City and Philadelphia in 2011, two Manhattan locations in 2014, and New Haven in 2015.

Our very special Barcade is located in Chelsea, on 24th street, equidistant from the E and the F trains, which both run express to our neighborhood of Jackson Heights, so, bonus. We haven’t had a chance to visit the other locations, but we’ve spent numerous occasions here, including our 4th Wedding Anniversary (sandwiched between a massage and a Punch Brothers show at The Beacon Theater).

We all love nostalgia, and Barcade touches all the right, nostalgic-like parts of your brain cavity. With arcade games such as Tapper, Rampage, and Donkey Kong, you’re transported back to your childhood, except it’s cooler because you’re an adult now and you can do what you want and what you want is an extensive craft beer selection and a menu that features Tetris-shaped tater tots.

In this picture: Grilled chicken sandwich with fried onions, Tetris Tots, and a short rib grilled cheese (!!!!) with spicy mayo, beer, water.

We took two stools at the bar when we arrived (it was just before 5pm), and began perusing the beer list. We were greeted by Brian, (who we later learned was the beer manager for that location), who was amazingly friendly and helpful, and more than willing to answer any questions we had, or let us sample a few beers before deciding (a sign of a great beer bar).

Holly ordered a Kent Falls Lade Øl Saison. This is a “toasted hay grisette”. Saison? Grisette? They’re nearly the same thing. While a saison was a low ABV beer brewed for farmers to enjoy after (or during) a long day in the fields, a grisette was brewed for miners (Because nothing prevents black lung like a farmhouse ale!).

Lade Øl is Danish for “barn beer”. The addition of toasted hay adds notes of grass, vanilla and spice to the funk and citrus of a traditional Farmhouse Ale.

I started with an Evil Twin Erase and Rewind #2 IPA. Clocking in at 7% ABV, this is a punchy, citrusy IPA bursting with pineapple and orange, pine, and some malty sweetness. Another hit from Jeppe and crew at Evil Twin.

Evil Twin Erase and Rewind #2 IPA. Also, a gorgeous array of taps.
Let’s talk food. We decided to share a sandwich and some Tetris Tots. We glanced up at the specials on the chalkboard, and I immediately drooled all over myself. Why? Check this monster out…

Spicy chicken sandwich with shredded lettuce, chipotle aioli, and a pretzel bun. Also, check out them crispy totz. We were full.

Holly Kay’s next beer was from the always phenomenal Carton Brewing from Atlantic Highlands, NJ. It’s called Sakura, and it’s a Gose brewed with sushi rice (!!!???) and cherry blossom. Weird? Yup! But with Augie Carton, you always know he’s going to do you right.

(Check out This Article about Augie’s philosophy, and you’ll see why I trust this dude with any beer he makes.)

As soon as Holly and I took a sniff of this beer, we glanced sideways at each other. “Is it weird that this beer smells like sushi rice?” I asked Holly. “Yes.” She responded. “It’s brewed with sushi rice!” I said. She took another sniff… “That definitely smells like sushi rice.” The aroma was salty and sweet just like sushi rice, with lemon and floral notes. Taste was tart lemon peel citrus, floral, and salty. I’m hoping they have cans of this left when we visit the brewery next week, because this was out of this world.

My next pick was the Stone Farking Wheaton W00tstout. This is a collaboration beer with everyone’s favorite need Wil Wheaton, and Drew Curtis (who runs the website fark.com). This year’s iteration was brewed with rye, flaked wheat, and pecans (yummmm) and aged in bourbon barrels. For a beer brewed by a bunch of nerds, this brew is a bully. At 13%, it’s dangerous, because the smoothness of vanilla and caramel from the bourbon barrel plus the sweetness of the pecans make for a real easy drinker that’ll shove your head in a toilet and take your lunch money. I want these dudes to continue making this every year.

Also, can we please all just look at this Star Wars-inspired label? It’s unfair how cool this beer is.

W00tstout. My sweet lord.

It was time for video games. First was Holly Kay’s favorite…

Discs of Tron!
My wife is amazing. (Have I mentioned my wife is amazing?). She always comes on top 10 on this game. This time, she hit #7. I thought I had a picture of it, but it turns out, when you get on the top 10, your initials blink on and off on the screen. Of course, I took the picture when the initials weren’t on the screen. So, you’ll just have to believe me, or come with us next time we’re at Barcade.

We then hit up Tapper, everyone’s favorite anxiety nightmare Bartending game. We rock this one out all the damn time, although that probably has something to do with that we downloaded a free version (or was it 99¢?) of Root Beer Tapper for iPhone (the version inside Barcade is completely branded by Budweiser…) and we are now seasoned Tapper veterans. I think we’re just naturally talented with our hand-eye coordination.

In summary, you all should head to Barcade. You’ll have an amazing time regardless, but if you have the pleasure of being served by Brian, prepare to have an elevated Craft Beer experience. Thanks, Brian!

Until next time!

Cheers!

Pucker Up, or Just Another Article About Sour Beers And Also This One is Funny, I Hope!

I came here this week on the advice of two of our followers (still waiting for inspiration to strike on what to call you!!), Shelbie and Rick (whose Blog, Rickommended, posted its second blog entry today, and is all about food!), to write a post about Sours.

Proof!

Lo and Behold, a few hours before I start to write, I see this link pop up on my Facebook page…

When Tart, Pungent and Funky Mean It’s a Good Brew

Dammit. The New York Times writes an article on sour beer the day before I decide to write an article on sour beer.

You know what, though? Their article, while quite well written, is dry. It’s nice to see beer, and in this case, specifically sour beer, getting press. Sours are amazing beers, and quite difficult to get right (basically you rely on a bacteria to infect your beer to impart the tart, sour flavor). I enjoy their rating system (one to four stars) and they’ve got some great beer on their list. But there’s no wit! There’s no snap! There’s no pizzazz! I’d like to think that Benedict Beer Blog is full of wit. And what’s interesting is, as I’m writing this, I cracked open a half growler of what should have been a LIC Beer Project Higher Burnin’ IPA, a nicely balanced, juicy and sweet IPA, but was given the wrong beer, and I’m pretty sure it’s an Ommegang Witte. So now, not only am I full of wit, I’m full of Witte. Take that, New York Times! Hahaaaa! (That’s a triumphant Hahaaaa!)

Sour beers were first (purposely) brewed in Germany and Belgium. Back in the early days of brewing, it was hard to find a beer that wasn’t sour, whether intentionally or unintentionally. Brewers would reuse yeast from batch to batch, and sometimes the starter yeast would contain bacteria or wild yeast strains. Now, Brewers intentionally use bacteria or wild yeast to give their beer an acidic flavor. Three common bacterias used to intentionally sour beer are lactobacillus (mm… Milky…), Brettanomyces (also, still not sure if I’m pronouncing this correctly. I say “Brett-a-NAH-mih-seas”, but I think it’s actually “Brett-AAH-no-my-seas”. How U say it??), and Pediococcus (hehe, coccus).

Breweries sometimes have facilities away from their regular breweries so that their “regular” beers don’t get infected. Even when these measures are followed, bacteria can still form (see the great Goose Island Bourbon County infection and recall of 2016). I tasted an infected Goose Island Bourbon County Coffee Stout, which I reference in my first ever blog post! Normal flavors of coffee, chocolate, vanilla, and booze, gave way to an almost raspberry chocolate cake because of the bacteria. I liked it because I knew what I was in for, but I think a lot of people who paid a lot of money for that beer must’ve been pretty upset.

Goose Island’s PR must be pretty fantastic (they got that AB-InBev money), they offered refunds and said they were learning from the new lactobacillus acetotolerans strain they discovered was causing the sour flavors.

One of the first sour beers I ever tasted was a Lambic, which is a spontaneously fermented sour (meaning they expose the beer to wild yeasts and bacteria found in the place it’s being brewed, mostly in Belgium). The most famous, and sought after, brewery of these types of beer is Brasserie Cantillon, in Brussels. I haven’t had a chance to try any Cantillon (my closest bet is to find it when it pops up at Tørst in Brooklyn), but it’s highly praised. The first Lambics I tried were Lindemans Framboise (with raspberries added), and Brouwerij Boon Mariage Parfait Kriek (aged with cherries). Another type of Lambic is Gueuze, a blend of new and aged Lambics. These beers are sweet, tart, dry, and have a low ABV, so they’re great for summer (but drink them whenever you want because you’re an adult).

Let’s hop from Belgium over to Germany, yah? Ict bin ein Berliner Weisse. This is a German Wheat beer (what did I say? This blog is so Witty! Tell your friends!), low ABV, super tart and refreshing. Here are a couple of my favorites:

Evil Twin Justin Blåbær, a Berliner Weisse brewed with blueberries. Owner/brewer Jeppe Jarnit-Bergsö used to be a hair model, so they made a Teen Beat-esque label. Baby, baby, baby, ohhhh… This is one of Holly Kay’s favorite beers!

Westbrook Brewing Co Lemon Coconut Weisse Weisse Baby. The tartness from the lemon is balanced by the smooth, creamy flavor of the coconut. Oh, so tropical. I shared this with Ryan Keogh, manager at Benedict Beer Blog favorite Il Bambino. It reminded me of my honeymoon, and all the tropical fruit-infused Rum people were selling outside their homes on the walk from our hotel into town. Yeah, we tried it and survived, and it was gooood. I think this is a great, lower ABV option if you want to imagine being surrounded by the clearest ocean you’ve ever seen. Loved this beer!

Another German sour style is called Gose (pronounced “Gose-uhhhh”… Or, as Hermione Granger would say, “Win-GAR-Di-um Le-vi-GOSE-uhhhh”… Also, why has nobody named a beer Wingardium LeviGose?). These sours are brewed with salt and coriander (!!) which makes these beers both tart, savory and with a bit of spice. May look weird on paper, but trust a recipe that’s been brewed consistently since the 16th century in Germany… It’s a relatively new style brewed in the US, but breweries like Westbrook and Lost Nation have some classic examples of the style.

Sour, Salty, Delicious.

Evil Twin and Two Roads Geyser Gose, inspired by a trip the Brewers took to Iceland, and brewed with Icelandic moss, rye, herbs, Skyr (an Icelandic yogurt) and birch-smoked sea salt. Sounds weird? Sure. Tastes amazing? Absolutely.

Evil Twin makes another Gose, called Mission Gose, that features the addition of Eucalyptus, which upped the refreshment factor by adding an herbal, almost minty quality to the tart citrus. Amazing.

Modern Times Fruitlands Gose with Apricot. The base beer is already sour, salty, and funky, and the addition of apricot rounds out the sweet, fruity flavor and is absolutely devine. Get this beer if you find it.

Two other styles of Belgian sours are Flanders Red and Oud Bruin. Flanders Red are usually blended with both fresh and mature beer to adjust the flavor. If you’re interested, try to find Rodenbach, it’s a classic interpretation of the the style. Oud Bruin is a sour brown ale. Try Goose Island’s Madame Rose, or Mikkeler Juice Bag. I’ve loved both of those!

Most sours brewed in the US get lumped into another category called American Wild Ales. The bacteria in these beers are either cultured or spontaneously fermented. Here are a few of my facorites:

Grimm Rainbow Dome. Grimm has made some amazing hoppy beers, and what they’ve done here is dry hop a sour ale with El Dorado, Columbus, and Cascade hops. This leaves an unfiltered, gorgeous glass of basically orange juice. So tropical, fruity, and absolutely crushable.

Stillwater and Other Half Rockstar Farmer. OK, technically, this is a Farmhouse Session IPA, but it is fermented with Brettanomyces, so I’m counting it. What I love about this beer is that in addition to the citrus tartness, you get some dankness from the hops, and funk, hay, and earthiness from the Brett. Soooooooo damnnnnnnn goooooooood. Shared this bad boy with Holly Kay over some salame and gorgonzola Crostinis with honey.

Finback Starchild, a sour ale brewed with grapefruit peel, which adds a nice citrusy bitterness to the acidity of the beer. Another amazing brew from these folks in Queens (Ridgewood, Queens, represent, represent-sent)!
Pucker up, folks, and go out and try some sour beer!! Hope you all enjoyed this walk through of this style, and I’m hoping you’ll all find something you love!

Cheers!

Benedict Beer Reviews, or Bradco Brew Visits the Benedict Biergarten!

Hello, dear readers! I feel like I need to come up with a name for my followers… Like Benedict Beer Babies? Flock of Benedict Beer Birdies? The Triple B’s? The Triple B-52’s? The Triple B-Sharps? The B-Boys? The B-Boys and Girls Club of America? What do you think? Write in the comments below what you think you should be called.

This week, Holly Kay and I had none other than the man, the myth, the legend, known as Bradco Brew, over for a small bottle share. This man makes some incredible home brews. His Strawberry Wheat and Blueberry Cream Ale are two of my favorites, and the perfect beers for these hot summer days (a comment about how hot it is. I’m being topical!). Make these again, please, Brad.

A blurry can and a crystal clear Bradco!!

Brad stopped at one of our favorite spots, Astoria Bier and Cheese, and picked up a four pack of different brews. I stopped at our local Foodtown, which, surprisingly, (or not so surprisingly anymore) has a great selection of Craft Beer, for a mix-a-six.

This is a blog about beer. But first… Pizza.

Holly Kay got off work real early, and made two amazing pizzas. The first was tomato sauce (my man Don Pepino makes a killer sauce and it’s super inexpensive, say what up to Donny P next time you hit up the grocery store to make a fresh ‘zza, that’s short for pizza, bro), fresh mozzarella cheese, and because we do what we want, some salty, delicious prosciutto. The second pie (yeah. Second pie. When we eat, we eat right. The whole squad eats… Two pizza pies.) was basil pesto (made from scratch!!!), fresh mozz, and the creamiest goat cheese you ever did see. Holly baked those crusts so crispy, when you took a bite, the heavens opened up and a chorus of Pizza angels began singing songs of praise and wonder. She’s an amazing wife. And not only because she makes killer pizza. I didn’t get to take a photo of the pies before the three of us devoured them, but you can paint yourselves a mind-picture and, not unlike the late Bob Ross, put it on a canvas and hang it in your living room. You’ll thank me later.

The only known photograph of Holly’s pizza from Friday night. Check out that gooey mozzarella and sweet tomato sauce. AND THAT CRUST. Pizza heaven. Also pictured here, Off Color Brewing Apex Predator Farmhouse Ale, and some of the ingredients for an Old Fashioned. Because we so classy.

We started off sharing the Off Color Apex Predator Farmhouse Ale. The smell was funky, lemon, banana, hay, earth. Taste followed, with lemon and orange peel citrus, dryness, and earth. Holly was quoted as saying “The more something tastes like dirt, the more I like it.” Great example of the Farmhouse style, I would definitely pick this up again if I see it. Drink this instead of: Blue Moon. Also recommended if you love this beer: Trillium Farmhouse Ale, Ommegang Hennepin.

Kelso Beer Co Pilsner was our next choice.

Pilsners are a difficult style, because there’s not a lot to hide behind. You can throw in a ton of hops to a not-so-great IPA and it will taste amazing, but the beer will reveal itself after the hop flavors have faded. With a Pilsner, it’s all about balance, and refreshment. Kelso nails it, with a dry, crisp, bready, grassy, super easy drinking Pils. Perfect for post-lawn mowing afternoon, or by the pool, or in the pool, or in the ocean, or on the beach, or on the porch, or just about anywhere. It’s low in alcohol, and amazingly refreshing. Great stuff. Drink this instead of: any of those big name American adjunct lagers. Also recommended: Victory Prima Pilsner, Firestone Walker Pivo Pils.

Next up: New Belgium Brewing and Brouwerij De Koninck Flowering Citrus Ale, from their Lips of Faith Series.

Lips of Faith Series is a series of beers by New Belgium that are either sweet, sour or spicy. This iteration is a collaboration with Brouwerij De Koninck, from Belgium. This is a summer ale that smells and tastes of key lime and lemon zest, with aromas of rose, citrus and herbs. Again, put me outside on a porch at sunset with one of these in my hand, and I won’t be mad atcha. Drink this instead of: a Corona with lime (this beer tastes like butt without a lime). Also recommended: Stone Delicious IPA (made with lemon drop hops that give it a tart, lemon flavor), Lindemans Kriek (a sour, sweet lambic brewed with cherries).

To Øl Gose To Hollywood.

These dudes from Denmark brewed a Gose (a traditional German sour beer brewed with salt and coriander) with the best oranges California has to offer (hence the name, Gose to Hollywood). This was our favorite offering of the evening. At 3.8% ABV, you could crush so many of these cans at a barbecue and not worry about grilling over open flames. Super orange citrus, balanced out by a bit of salt and some FUUUUNK! Because who doesn’t like funky-a$$ beer like every single day? Drink this instead of: Blue Moon, Lienenkugel Shandy, Shock Top. Also recommended: Westbrook Gose, Two Roads and Evil Twin Geyser Gose (brewed with Icelandic Moss. Wild.).

Stillwater Artisanal Superhop.
This is a nicely balanced IPA from Maryland, with grapefruit, pine and dankness, balanced by some sweetness, and fruit from the malts. Nothing to write home about, but still a solid IPA. The artwork on this bottle is phenomenal, which is par for the course with this brewery. Hand me this brew at a party full of beer nerds who like to talk about artwork as well as beer. Drink this instead of: Sam Adams Rebel IPA. Also recommended: Dogfish Head 60 and 90 Minute IPA, Green Flash West Coast IPA.

DuClaw Sweet Baby Jesus! Chocolate Peanut Butter Porter. Dessert.
Ever wanted to drink a Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup? Well, now that DuClaw distributes to New York, you can! I brought this beer back from Pete Shelly’s bachelor party in DC a few years ago, so it wasn’t my first time with it, but Brad hadn’t tried it before. It bursts with candy sweetness, chocolate, and peanut butter. This was a great way to end a night of fruity, crisp, citrusy beers. Our “dessert”. It’s low in ABV (6.5%) so even after a long night of sharing and chatting, it won’t put you over the edge. Put me in front of a fire (or even a Yule Log on the television) in the dead of winter with this bad boy in hand and I’d be happy as a clam. Drink this instead of: Guinness. Also recommended: Greenport Harbor Black Duck Porter, Moustache Brewing Co. Everyman’s Porter, if you want high ABV, Southern Tier Choklat.

There you have it! All in all, a solid share. Brad’s offerings won out over the Foodtown beers, but we had a great time, introduced Brad to the IT Crowd, which is a show all should be introduced to, and watched as much as we could of the Olympics via NBC’s garbage app for the Apple TV. Seriously, it’s the worst.

Anyway, leave a comment below with what you, dearest Benedict Beer Blog reader, want to be called!

Until next time! Cheers!

The Perfect Storm, or Weird Surprise After Weird Surprise

Today is a special day. It just so happens to be both National IPA Day, and, according to Facebook, #NationalGirlfriendDay, (The Perfect Storm) so I’d love to share a quick story that involves both IPA, my brother, and my ex-girlfriend who I married, Holly Kay Benedict, aka @hkbenny aka HBK The Heartbreak Kid aka The Little Negotiator aka The Holly aka My Love!

I adore my wife. We fell in love in a whirlwind romance involving Karaoke, our friend Jeff, Jefferson Starship, Central Park in the middle of the night, and a wild raccoon that we named Stanford. She’s smart, funny, talented, and strong willed. Plus, she’s gorgeous (which is the icing on the cake). She takes my breath away on a daily basis.

Holly Kay enjoying a Youngs Double Chocolate Stout at the Souveneer show (see earlier blog post BEER, I mean… Here.)

Here we are, over 7 years later (5 and a half years married) and we’re preparing for a trip to Ireland in November to celebrate a belated 5 year Anniversary (we were at a wedding in Houston on our actual Anniversary, March 5th). This will be a celebration of our love, and Holly intends on writing handwritten letters to each of the owners of the 5 B&Bs we’re staying in to tell them how excited we are to spend our anniversary with them.

On Saturday, Holly called me on her lunch break as she was out on a walk through Soho. We were chatting, and she suddenly said “I’ll be right back.” She came back on the line about 30 seconds later, and I asked if everything was alright, and she said “Yes, I was just picking up your surprise! You’re going to be very excited about it!” I told her she didn’t have to get me anything, but she insisted that this was going to be amazing, and she had gotten a tip. That was all she told me.

So I spent the day trying to figure out what it could be. I had a feeling it was beer related, but wasn’t too sure. She’s a wily one, that Holly, so you never know what she could bring home (One time, she was dared to convince me she had bought a turtle. I fell for it, hard).

On her subway ride home, she was texting me, and she asked me about Other Half Brewing Company. She said “are they the ones who do the can releases where people wait for hours in line to get them?” I said “Yup! They had one this morning!” And described the three cans that were released that day. She responded, “Cool, we should go do that sometime!” I will refer you back to this post in which she says something similar and you can find out what our friend Kevin’s reaction was(!!!)

So I go to pick her up from the train station, and we’re walking home and chatting, and she says the surprise is something I’ll love, and would only get a few uses out of. I’m figuring it’s beer related (I don’t know if you guys know this, but I write a Beer Blog. You should totally check it out), but can’t think for the life of me what it would be. We get home, she unpacks her bag and says “The surprise is in my lunch bag.” At this moment, as I unzipped the lunch bag, I knew exactly what she had gotten me, but couldn’t for the life of me figure out how on earth she had pulled it off…

I pull out three 16oz. cans of fresh (we’re talking canned yesterday) Other Half IPAs. Hop Showers, All Green Everything, and another IPA simply called ! . I was a little in shock, because I swore she was at work, and she could have gotten up at 5am, drove to Gowanus (where the brewery is located) and then just stayed out all day and pretended to ride the subway home (she didn’t do that).

I asked her how on earth she pulled this off, and we’ll leave it at this… It’s a secret. She bragged “People waited in line all morning for this. I didn’t have to wait in line.” With a huge smile across her face. How did I get so lucky?

From Left to Right: Hop Showers, !, and All Green Everything

Earlier this week, I found out that my brother Christopher had tried a Guinness in Ireland, his first drink he’s ever had, ever (also, he hated it). This was weird for me. It still is. He texted me earlier in the day, “do you want to drink beer and watch baseball later?” Readers, I don’t know if you understand the magnitude of how weird that text message looked in a thread under his name. Anyway, I thought this would be a good opportunity for him to try some beers that are the exact opposite of Guinness. Other Half is making world class IPAs, maybe he’ll like those. Also, all three are presumably over 100 IBUs (International Bitterness Units). Needless to say, these are not beginner beers, but maybe it was wishful thinking that we would immediately be brothers in hops.

I cracked open the Hop Showers and poured some for myself, Holly Kay, and Chris. Immediately we were all walloped upside the head with hops (which I love), dank, grapefruit, pineapple, lemon. Not a ton of sweetness in the malt, but enough to sweeten that bitterness and let those hops dance (or in this case, punch.)

The next was ! , 8.5%, another dank, hoppy monster. This time, on top of light citrusy grapefruit and pineapple, were flavors of herbs, green bell pepper, garlic and onion. It was wild. Chris liked this one better, Holly Kay was more of a fan of the Hop Showers. This was my favorite of the 3, lots of flavor but still super drinkable, I picture crushing this at a beach (although at 8.5%, it would be nap time after just one or two).

All Green Everything was next on the docket. I was hoping that the sweetness of the alcohol and malts (it’s a hefty 10.5%) would balance out the hops, but this is another hop bomb. Craft a house out of hops and put me inside and I will live there until someone evicts me. This was a balanced, well crafted, triple IPA with sweet, sugary citrus. Also, not for beginners.

I love insane beers like this one, but Holly’s favorite was still Hop Showers, and Chris preferred ! .

What a week full of beer surprises. Chris surprises me with a photo of his Guinness in Ireland, Holly surprises me with three freshly canned IPAs, and I surprise Chris by destroying his palate with hops so he can’t taste anything else for the rest of the night.

Chris shared all three mega hopped, insanely bitter IPAs, which is brave, and I vowed to find him a beer he would like. I believe, with time, we can become hop friends, (Holly, do you have any advice for him as a person who was forced to love hops because of your weirdo husband?)

For now, the search continues…

Until next time! Cheers!

2016, The Year in Beer (So Far…) or Hey, Come Salivate Over These Pictures!

Hello, gorgeous Benedict Beer Blog readers! Thanks for coming back, or, if this is your first time, welcome here! Holly and I have had some amazing adventures this year, which you’ve read about, so I think it’s time to recap the first (a little more than) half of the year with some pictures. Everyone loves pictures, and you wouldn’t be here unless you:

A. Love beer

B. Are related to me, or

C. Both.

Thanks for tuning in for these first couple of months. Now, let’s look at some pretty pretty pictures of craft beer why not??!?!?

January 1st, 12:01am. Singlecut Beersmiths Heavy Boots of Lead Imperial Stout. I’ve gushed over this beer and brewery in numerous other posts. This is liquid chocolate, so drink it if you ever see it. He fills his victims full of happiness. Ozzy approves.

January 3rd. Hilton Garden Inn, Long Island City, NY. Post-ceiling collapse, we stayed in this amazing hotel, where we drank beer and wine out of paper cups, because Holly Kay and I are Renaissance Men. Southern Tier Brewing Company Crème Brûlée Imperial Stout. Skip dessert, drink this instead. Sweet, sugary, vanilla, chocolate, coffee. You (dia)BET(ic) we loved it!

January started off with some stouts! They warm ya up when it’s cooooold out there! Chris “MusicDktr” Benedict, would approve, right, Dad?

January 8th. Belated Christmas dinner at Brad (of Bradco Brew) and Alex’s Apartment! This beer is out of control. Barrier Brewing Company Money IPA. Bursting with tropical citrus and pine, just put me on a hammock in between two palm trees and get me out of this New York City winter for crying out loud!

This is Brad, aka Bradco Brew. He makes amazing brews. Our favorites are the Blueberry Cream Ale (which I wish I could drink all summer), Citrus Saison, and his amazing Chocolate Stout. Become friends with Brad and you can try these. He’s nice!

January 23rd. First major snowstorm of the year. Holly Kay and I got off of work early, and spent the day watching movies, eating, and drinking. This is Pipeworks Brewing Company Lizard King, a single hopped session IPA with Mosaic hops. Mosaic, she’s a naughty, naughty girl… Pineapple, pineapple, and more pineapple. Another tropical dream to escape the 12″ + of snow building up outside our apartment window. Also, this can art cannot be beat.

January 23rd… Speaking of snowstorm… Evil Twin and Two Roads Geyser Gose. Gose (pronounced Gose-uhh) is a traditional German-style beer that is tart, herbal, and salty. Geyser Gose is brewed with ingredients sourced from Iceland (a country I would absolutely love to visit), including Icelandic moss, rye, herbs, sea kelp, skyr (a tart, Icelandic yogurt) and birch smoked sea salt. The kelp, sea salt, and moss, give this beer an earthy, umami saltiness to counteract the sour citrus. It might not sound appealing in writing, but it’s unreal. It’s great for summer, or, in this case, to counteract our Cabin Fever.

February 11th. Sixpoint Brewery C.R.E.A.M., a Cream Ale brewed with coffee… Beer + Coffee + Wu Tang Clan? Dolla, dolla bills, y’all. This blonde ale tastes like coffee with cream, bitter like green bell peppers (which is a flavor that I sometimes pick up from a really bitter black coffee), balanced by a sugary sweetness. Craft Rules Everything Around Me.

February 26th. Barrier Brewing Company and Other Half Brewing Half & Half. This was shared at Threes Brewing. In preparation for Brian and Tanya’s wedding in Houston, I met up with Brian and his coworkers Doug and Martin (I was at work, so I missed their excursion to Other Half Brewing), and we enjoyed some beer and food from BBD’s (Beers, Burgers, and Desserts) who had a pop up restaurant at the brewery. I guess I inadvertently theme my beer drinking, as this tasted like coffee with half & half and sugar.

This one had less of a hip hop theme, but more of two of my favorite local breweries, so it’s a toss up which one I love more. So we’ll leave it at I love them both the same.

March 4th. Honeymoon Cafe. These aren’t beer. They’re beignets. Because why wouldn’t I post a picture of these gorgeous monstrosities of culinary delight? You’re welcome.

March 5th. Our 5th Anniversary, and the day of Tanya and Brian’s wedding. While our lovely wives were getting ready, Jerry, Scott and I decided to walk to a brewery on the outskirts of town. As you’ve heard a million times before by the great Rob Thomas, “Man, it’s a hot one…” And it truly was. Houston, Texas clocked in at literally 7 inches from the midday sun. This Rocket Fuel from 8th Wonder Brewing, made with Vietnamese Coffee and served on nitro, at a sessionable 4.8%ABV, was so Smooth. It gave me its heart, and made it real, so I couldn’t forget about it…
March 12th. “Guest Bartending” at the Grand Opening of Il Bambino’s new location on 8th Street in the West Village, NYC. This man knows how to handle a tap… Wink.

March 17th. Saint Patrick’s Day. Because you have to. Also, this throwback artwork is incredible!
March 26th. My first ever Trillium Brewing Company beer, their Farmhouse Ale. Holly Kay stated, “this beer taps you on the shoulder and says, ‘Hello!'” Dry, funky, grassy, with tart lemon citrus, it’s the perfect beer to accompany rich food, but also stay out of its way and act as a compliment to the salty, funky cheeses.

April 14th. Picked up one of these Pipeworks Brewing Company Ninja Vs. Unicorn Double IPAs at a little store on the East Side called Miso Hoppy. It poured hazy orange, with aroma of pineapple, orange, lemon. Taste followed, with a little candy sweetness from the malt. Pick it up if you see it. This is right up there among the great IPAs out there.

April 14th. Stillwater Artisinal Ales On Fleek Imperial Stout. Pours black as night, tastes like dark chocolate, cherries and coffee. And this can is out of control!!

April 20th. The hits keep coming with Stillwater Artisinal Ales, this time they teamed up with Other Half Brewing to make Rockstar Farmer, a hoppy farmhouse saison, with notes of lemon, funk, and hay. Another great compliment to our food that night, Gorgonzola and honey Crostinis with cured hot sausage. Holly Kay and I treated ourselves royally!

April 22nd. Shared this beer with Holly Kay and our favorite bartender, Derek at The Folly on Houston Street. This was a great platform to let the Citra hop do its thing with floral and citrus notes. Other Half always kills it. This can was a gift from Rick Vath! Thanks, Rick!

June 9th. Carton Brewing Company and Barrier Brewing Co. collaborated on this SS-C.R.E.A.M. A hoppy, imperial cream ale, with citrus notes from the hops, balanced with vanilla and cream. This was enjoyed at Rattle ‘N’ Hum in NYC!

June 9th. Westbrook Brewing Company Mexican Cake Imperial Stout brewed with cacao nibs, cinnamon, vanilla beans, and habanero peppers! That’s a spicy meatball! This was quite possibly the best stout I tasted this year. Smooth, creamy mouthfeel with heaps of cocoa and cinnamon, and a slight heat from those pep peps! Mama Mia, me so spicy!
June 16th. Brought back reeeeeal fresh from Tree House Brewing in Monson, MA. Another citrus bomb from these guys! I love their can artwork as well!
Picture taken June 16th, beer shared the night before with Ryan, Erica, and Holly Kay! Trillium Brewing Artaic Double IPA I would say this is my favorite IPA I’ve had all year, but it got slightly edged out by another, which you’ll see in a minute. This is brewed with honey, which just sets off and intensifies the citrus, juicy hop profile. It’s drool-worthy.

July 13th. National French Fry Day. Paired with Troegs Brewing Company Nimble Giant. This is a KILLER beer. Another juicy, Northeast Style IPA, but the malts create a cherry-like sweetness that plays well with these hops. Unreal.
July 21st. The winner for my favorite IPA this year. Singlecut Beersmiths Softly Spoken Magic Spells. Absolutely gorgeous pineapple juice in a 16.9 fl oz bottle of wonder and amazement. If Singlecut keeps making beer like this. I’mma keep drinking ’em.
July 24th. This was yesterday! This has certainly been a year filled with some juicy IPAs, and Tree House Brewing Company Bright fits right in. Mom, Dad, and Holly Kay all loved it! Lime is prevalent in this brew, but complimented by pineapple, orange, and pine. Hops are an amazing creature, and I’m so excited to see what all these insane Brewers will do with them in years to come.
Thanks all for sharing in this half year (plus a little bit) in pictures! The Benedicts will be back with more adventures! Thanks again for reading! Cheers!

The Poconos! Or, How I Couldn’t Stop Singing The Beach Boys “Kokomo” Incessantly, For Days On End…

“Because we’re going to the Poconos, we’ll get there fast and then we’ll take it slow, that’s where we wanna goooo… Go to the Poconos!”

-The Beach Boys (original draft lyrics, I think)

We’re continuing our year of quick little adventures!

Holly and I rarely get two days off together, so we try and squeeze every ounce of goodness out of our occasional weekends (read: Wednesday and Thursday) off. We called up my Aunt Delia, who owns a house (from now on, and forevermore, it will be referred to as The Chalet) on Camelback Mountain, in Tannersville, PA. We love The Chalet because:

A. It is under 2 hours from NYC

B. It’s quiet, with a ton of outdoorsy-type activities

C. Our favorite Pennsylvania brewpub, Barley Creek Brewing Company is less than a mile away.

Holly picked me up from work, and we drove through the Lincoln Tunnel, past the seven layers of the Candy Cane Forest, through the sea of swirly, twirly gum drops… I’m sorry, that’s how you get to the North Pole. We did stop for Disco Fries at a Diner in New Jersey, though, and they were crispy, salty and DELICIOUS.

First stop after dropping our bags off at the Chalet was the aforementioned Barley Creek. I’ve been coming to the Chalet for nearly ten years, Holly for about 4, so we’ve dined at Barley Creek many times before. We’re always delighted, and this time was no exception. Our bartender Nick, was so friendly and welcoming, he almost made us forget we’d been awake for nearly 20 hours. They had a 2 for $10 appetizer special, so Holly and I shared two Bavarian pretzels with mustard and beer cheese, and a Beer Cheese Soup. Whenever we come here with my brother-in-law Matt, we refer to Barley Creek as “Pretzels for Dinner.”

Pretzels for Dinner. Giant, twisted, golden delicious, crispy on the outside, fluffy on the inside and flecked with crystals of salt that gleam, beckoning you for just one more bite.

Holly rocking a bite of Beer Cheese Soup made with Barley Creek Antler Brown Ale.

From left to right: Rescue IPA, a malt forward, English-style IPA with a bit of citrus hop presence, Summer Double Wheat, a hefty Hefeweizen at 7.2%ABV, Too Bitter ESB, another balanced, English-style ale, and one of the guest taps (they have several), Otter Creek Brewing Company Citra Mantra, an IPL (India Pale Lager), made with pilsner and Munich malt and hopped with Citra for an amazing grapefruit and pineapple dance around your taste buds.

I told Nick about the blog (shout out to Nick for being amazing!) and told him we’d be back before we left. We, of course, made good on that promise. More on that later…

Myself and Nick the bartender, just two guys holding a Barley Creek Growler.

We got back to the Chalet, exhausted, but so excited to finally be on a mini-vacation. So guess what we did? We opened a bottle of wine, and popped in a VHS copy of Home Alone 2: Lost in New York, and wound down on the giant, comfy couch. Because that’s how we do. Christmas in July, baby.

Chaise Lounge, anyone?

I also opened a bottle of Fegley’s Brew Works Hop’solutely Triple IPA. It poured a beautiful orange color with very little foam. This didn’t have a date on it, but usually with IPAs this high in alcohol content (it clocks in at 11.5%), even if the hops fade from age (hop flavor begins fading as soon as beers hit the bottle, which is why it’s important to drink them fresh), the alcohol heat and the smooth, sweet malts create a nicely balanced beer with a bit of citrus, and a nice cherry sweetness from the malt.

Tim Curry was interested to see what I was drinking…

Hop’so… LUTELY!

The next morning, we ventured out pretty early to take a tour of the Tannersville Cranberry Bog (which is as amazing and… well, boggy as it sounds. And yes, they do have cranberries, although none were ripe enough to eat.). Our guide, Darryl, had been working for the Tannersville Conservancy for nearly 30 years and you could tell that he was absolutely in love with his job. At one point, he pretended to fall into the bog, face first. The guy was a clown.

Darryl. Sweet, Funny, Pratfalling Darryl.

If you stepped into this, you would be really wet and also in a bog.

These plants are carnivorous, luring insects in to drink water and then slowly digesting them.

It was about 85 degrees that afternoon, but in the bog felt closer to 856,972 degrees… Celsius.

We spent the rest of the afternoon in the community pool back at the Chalet, and doing a little shopping at the Outlet Mall. At the Mall, we did a wine tasting, and I had a Honey Wine, which was sweet and syrupy, and a Bourbon-Barrel Aged red wine that was amazing. The wine took on the caramel and vanilla characteristics you usually associate with bourbon, along with the oak from the wooden barrel. It was fantastic.

After working up a powerful hunger at the Outlets, we were trying to decide where to go to dinner. Nick (our bartender from Barley Creek) recommended we go to ShawneeCraft Brewing Company, about a 30 minute drive from where we were. We did go there on the way home, but we decided that we’d both be happy going right back to Barley Creek. But, not before going to Target and picking up Galaxy Quest and Nacho Libre for $5, to watch back at the Chalet.

Barley Creek looks amazing lit up at night.

My cute little Holly Kay with a big ol’ Barley Creek Farmhouse Porter. Smooth, creamy, malty chocolate and coffee, with some funk, citrus, and hay. It’s a lovely cross between a farmhouse saison and a porter.

We shared a Chicken Bacon Ranch Pizza and a plate of Buffalo Wings. It was National Fried Chicken Day, but Holly Kay protested that wings DO NOT count as fried chicken. They still tasted amazing.

We fell asleep about 15 minutes into Galaxy Quest, but woke up the next morning and watched it again. Everyone loves a good Tim Allen film, but Alan Rickman is outrageous, and on a completely different level. It’s wild. It was Holly’s first time seeing it, and she loved it.

We packed our things, and decided we would go for a hike along the trails at Camelback. Let me preface this by saying, neither of us are hikers. Holly has said, many times before, “I refuse to run unless something is chasing me.” We’re both up and about all day at our jobs, but that’s on solid, steady ground. This was a mountain. So I’ll go ahead and say that the “Easy” trail we chose was, to us city folk, a solid “Intermediate.”

We took the Indian Trail, which was rocky, but that view was unbelievable.
The view from the halfway point of the 1.3 mile trail. Gorgeous. What you can’t see is the 90 degree drop off just beyond these bushes…

We’re hikers (I think)!
Look at my hiking gear! I’m such a professional HIKER!
Oh, also, about .3 miles from the exit to the trail, Holly Kay made a noise. This is a blog, and it will not do this noise justice, it sounded like this… “WOO, WHOO!!!” And this wasn’t a celebration, this was a WOO WHOO of surprise!!(!) I looked around, not knowing what was happening, if perhaps we were about to be, or already were, in serious danger. Holly yelled, “SNAKE!” I looked towards the ground, and watched this legless, wiggly monster slither (thankfully) away from our general direction. At that point, we hustled just a bit faster than we had been, as we were done hiking, basically.

On our way home, we made good on our promise to Nick, and stopped by ShawneeCraft Brewery, tucked away behind the Shawnee Inn and Golf Resort, right next to the Delaware Water Gap.

We discussed with our bartender the meaning of this symbol (Holly Kay said it was pagan in origin, I said it looked like a Native American dream catcher.). She told us that the owner of the brewery created it as a conversation piece, and its meaning is a mystery (OOH… Mystery.)
Hop Bines, with four different varietals of hops.

We sat at the bar and were welcomed warmly by our bartender, and ordered a flight to share.
From left to right, Saison Cuvée, a kettle sour saison blended with a red wine barrel aged saison, (our favorite of the flight),with flavors of tart grapefruit, cherry, sweet red wine, Dry Hopped Saison, which had an aroma of barnyard, citrus and medicine, with a flavor dry, white wine and citrus, Session Porter, on nitro, which tasted like melted chocolate, and went down easy at 4.5% ABV, and Raspberry Blanche, also on nitro, a wheat ale brewed with fresh raspberries.

The bathrooms at ShawneeCraft were located in the brewhouse, so I will leave you fine Blog readers with a few pictures of my trip to the restroom…

Barrels upon barrels of delicious beer!

HIKING! DANGER! MYSTERY! PERIL AT EVERY TURN! These are the adventures… Of the Benedict Beer Blog! Tune in next week, when Patrick and Holly Kay do something less perilous probably!
Until next time…

Cheers!

Beer Plus Music Vol. II, or How Singlecut Saved Us From Our Ceiling Collapsing on Our Heads…

“Hey you! Out there in the cold, getting lonely, getting old, can you feel me?

Hey you! Standing in the aisles, with itchy feet and fading smiles, can you feel me?”

If you can’t feel Pink Floyd, you can’t feel feelings.

So last week, I put together some beer and music pairings. A few days ago, I thought to myself, “How did I make a beer and music post and not mention one of my favorite (and literally the closest to my apartment) breweries, that is as obsessed with music as they are with beer?”

Singlecut Beersmiths. 37th Avenue, Astoria, Queens. This is a place you should go, definitely.

This is their entrance!

As far as beer and music collaborations are concerned, these guys are the (ZZ) tops!

They’ve taken a warehouse and made it home.

When you walk through the door of the giant warehouse, you’re welcomed in with large wooden tables, a gorgeous bar, complete with a record player and some unbelievable vinyl, beautiful, dark wood paneling, and gorgeous guitars hanging from the wall. Lining the walls are framed bags of malt, tying in their passion for beer with their passion for music.

The tap handles? All designed to look like guitar heads. The beers? Mostly named after the brewers’ favorite musicians, or song lyrics.

A video of me mouthing the line that Robert Plant shouted in the middle of “Stairway to Heaven” during a live recording for the 1976 concert movie The Song Remains the Same, which, apparently, still makes him cringe and inspired Singlecut’s IIPA of the same name.

Does Anybody Remember Laughter? IPA clocks in at 7.2% ABV, with aromas and flavors of dank, piney resin and citrus, tropical fruit (mango, pineapple) and pine. The forests truly do echo with laughter.

If you’ll excuse me… My hedgegrow is bustled, and frankly, I’m a little alarmed. I’ll be right back…

…

Ok, much better. Back to the beer.

Mo’Shuggie Soulbender IPA, found at Little Tibet, an unassuming, fun restaurant in our neighborhood of Jackson Heights, features Singlecut and other Queens breweries like Transmitter Brewing.

Mo’Shuggie weighs in at 7.4% ABV, and is brewed with both New Zealand and Australian hop varietals, and has aromas of tropical mango, pineapple, and orange citrus. The taste follows, with flavors of grapefruit zest, and white peach, leaving it with a dry finish. Simply, a world class IPA. Bright, fruity, aromatic, picks you up and drops you on the beach, the ocean lapping at your toes. Juice, juice, juice.

Singlecut helped Holly and I kick off our 2016. We were undecided on where we wanted to go to celebrate New Years Eve, but we discussed it with some friends, and decided to spend our evening there (not before a quick stop at the Ditmars location of Astoria Bier and Cheese)!

HK Benny looking super cute and wintery…

Holly started out with an Eric More Cowbell! Milk Stout. This is a creamy, smooth stout at 6% ABV with bitter bakers cocoa and coffee notes with some sugary sweetness. Great way to kick off the evening.

I had the Bon TNT Pale Ale, which is a hazy, unfiltered Pale Ale (see glass of orange juice in the picture above), a 5% ABV, juicy, citrus refresher and another great beer to kick off our evening.

Singlecut also has the Bon Bon 2XTNT IIPA, which, in my opinion, is as good as and easier to find than all the “New England Style” IPAs that are sought after and waited in line for. It’s another juicy, citrus bomb that drinks super easy for its 8.2% ABV. It’s packed with amazing New Zealand and Australian hops (which is appropriate, as Bon is a reference to the late Bon Scott, frontman for AC/DC). OI! OI! OI! OI! OI! OI! He’s dynamite, and he will win the fight.

Boom!

We continued the evening as our friends trickled in, Ryan (manager of Il Bambino, see my love letter to Il Bambino from a few months ago) and Erica, Rafa, and Alex and Shelbie all came by to spend a relatively quiet New Years Eve chatting and celebrating. The staff at Singlecut are always so welcoming and friendly, and they threw New Years confetti all over the tables, while we all listened to whatever records were spinning that night (I can’t remember exactly, but I think Rolling Stones and T-Rex were both a part of the night). It was an awesome evening ( aside from getting home at 1am to find our ceiling collapsed in our kitchen, but you’ve probably already read that post. If you haven’t, check it out here.)

Beer Plus Music Equals Love

Ryan and Erica. So happy to have these two in our lives!

Alex and Shelbie having a blast!

A grainy picture of Holly, Rafa and I. It’s grainy because of all the fun we were having. Also, you know, artsy. Beer is art. Grainy selfies are art, too.

Holly and I decided we were going to start the new year with our favorite beer from Singlecut, a MONSTER Imperial Stout called Heavy Boots of Lead.

Is he live or dead? Has he thoughts within his head?

Named after a lyric from Black Sabbath’s “Iron Man”, this is a heavy hitter, at 11.2% ABV. It tastes like liquid dark chocolate, with hints of vanilla and coffee. One of my favorite non-barrel aged Imperial Stouts, whenever I see this around, I have to get it. I could drink this in the middle of summer.

The moral of the story here is, you should absolutely make the trek up to Northern Astoria (don’t go too far, or you’ll end up on Riker’s Island). They have amazing sour lagers (ahem, lagrrrs), also, try all of their Billy series IPAs, they range from about 5% ABV to 10%, and are all juicy and delicious. Their newest juice bomb IPA that I love is…

Breathe… Breathe in the air…

These guys are making absolute world class beers, and have only been around a few years, so I look forward to seeing what these mad scientists will put out next. Right on the bottle, it says “Mastery knows no shortcut”. And they’re not taking any. You know Holly and I will be there, and you should be too. Although, their traffic might explode after getting the Benedict Beer Blog Bump! 😉

Thanks for reading. Don’t sleep on Singlecut!

Cheers!

SouvenBeer, or Beer Plus Music Equals Winking Smiley Face Emoji

Beer and music go together like… Horseshoes and Apple Sauce! Wait, hold on, that’s not right… Let me try this again.

Beer and music go together like… French Fries and Butter Lettuce! Nope.

Teeny Tiny Trains and Horticulturalists?

Red Snapper and Winged Creatures of the Night?

Hot Sauce and Lemonade!

That’s it!

BEER AND MUSIC GO TOGETHER LIKE HOT SAUCE AND LEMONADE.

This is a Beyoncé joke. Hot sauce was her bat. Swag.

The first thing I think of when I think of beer and music is Dogfish Head Brewery. Sam Calagione, Founder of Dogfish Head, and one of the great pioneers of Craft Beer in America, created a line of beers called the Music Series (in addition to their already giant line up of amazing brews). From their website, Sam says, “Music has been a part of Dogfish Head since before Dogfish Head.” Their latest beer in this series, brewed for Record Store Day (back in February), is called Beer To Drink Music To. This is a Belgian-style Tripel, brewed with sweet orange peel, green cardamom, peppercorns and vanilla. Whoa, nelly. It weighs in at 9% ABV, so be careful, and sip this one, but don’t forget to turn up that radio first.

I picked up aromas of banana, clove, and flavors of freshly baked banana bread, juicy citrus, herb with a dry finish. I think I blew it and was watching TV while drinking this, but if I had to chose an album to spin while drinking it, I would suggest Harry Nilsson- Nilsson Schmillson, one of the most perfect Pop albums of all time, in my opinion. This album is a genre-hopping tour de force (as I write this sentence, I’m belting out the chorus to “Without You”, famously covered by Mariah Carey on her 1993 album Music Box.), and I choose this album because, like a lot of Dogfish Head’s beers, they use such genre-hopping ingredients, I think it fits. Find this beer, drink it, and listen to Nilsson. Magic.

Harry Nilsson- Gotta Get Up

Other notable beers to check out in Dogfish Head’s Music Series, Bitches Brew, an imperial stout with honey and gesho root, brewed for the 40th anniversary (in 2010) of Miles Davis’ album of the same name, American Beauty, an IPA brewed with granola, whose ingredients were chosen by Grateful Dead fans, and is inspired by 30 years (in 2013) of touring and recording, and Positive Contact, “a 9% ABV hybrid of beer and cider brewed with Fuji apples, roasted farro, a handful of cayenne peppers and a late dose of fresh cilantro.” This was brewed in conjunction with Sam and Dan the Automator of Deltron 3030, which, in 2012, was released in a “Box Set” of 6 bottles with a Vinyl EP of remixes made specifically for this release.

Deltron 3030 – Positive Contact

Holly and I had a night of beer and music a few days ago, as well. Continuing our adventures here in this great, smelly-in-the-summer city, we were invited to an EP Release show, hosted by our dear friend Mason Maggio, as he released his newest EP, Merit Badge Season, under the Monicker Souveneer.

Mason is the lead singer of The Republic of Wolves, an indie rock band influenced by bands such as Brand New, and As Tall As Lions (both bands y’all should check out), and Tigers on Trains, a folk duo with Christian Van Deurs, who have put out some gorgeous, Paul Simon-esque albums with beautiful harmonies that are perfect for any time of year.

Since this is a blog about beer, I’ve had the idea to pair a beer to each of Mason’s bands. Let’s go!

For The Republic of Wolves, I would pair a Founders Brewing Company Dark Penance. This is a Black IPA, made with Crystal Malt and Midnight Wheat (which makes it black), and hopped with Chinook and Centennial hops. I chose this because this is a dark, brooding beer with bursts of beautiful crisp citrus and pine from the hops. The Republic of Wolves lyrics and music are darker and heavier than Mason’s other bands, but they’re peppered with moments of beautiful, clean guitars and gorgeous melodies.

The Republic of Wolves – Spare Key

For Tigers on Trains, I would pair Allagash Brewing Company White. As mentioned earlier, I could listen to these albums any time and they make me so happy. With Allagash White, a traditional belgian wheat, you always know it’s going to be a good time. Crisp, orange citrus is balanced out with beautiful honey sweetness and a little bit of spice. Refreshing no matter when, no matter where. I could hand this beer (or share these albums) with anyone, and I guarantee they’d find something they loved.

Tigers on Trains – Long Sleeves

Holly and I started our evening at The Folly, our favorite Pirate-themed haunt, with our favorite bartender, Derek, on Houston Street.

Arrrgh! (Pirate growl)
Holly was already enjoying a glass of sparkling Rosé when I arrived, (which tasted DELICIOUS after coming out of the sun and was PINK), and I picked a Coney Island Brewing Mermaid Pilsner. As a craft beer drinker, I don’t pay enough attention to Pilsners. It’s very easy to get them wrong, because there’s nothing to hide behind. Pilsners are traditional German-style crisp lagers, with grassy, citrus hops and light, sweet malts. What an awesome beer for the summer. They’re low ABV, so you can have a few at a barbecue or on the beach and still be able to go out at night. This one didn’t disappoint (Coney Island makes some great brews. I miss their Seas The Day IPL, but that’s another story.), and was clean, bright, with some citrus and grassy notes, and a smooth, sweet finish. I can’t wait to head down to their new brewery space in Coney Island!

We walked east on Houston street towards the venue, The Cake Shop, on Ludlow Street. We stopped in for dinner at Sweet Chick, a Southern Inspired restaurant just a block or so away from the venue. Holly and I shared fried chicken biscuit sliders, with pickles and hot honey. We now want to put hot honey on everything, all the time. HOT. HONEY. GIT IT, GURL. We also got Mac & Cheese that was breaded with crumbled Ritz Crackers, which, in my humble opinion, can never be bad, and Mashed Potatoes and Gravy.

A Sweet Chick, in front of a Sweet Chick!

Oh right, this is a blog about beer.

Sorry.

Holly ordered Victory Brewing Company Donnybrook Stout, a dry Irish Stout, a low ABV, black as night stout, with flavors of coffee and bitter bakers’ chocolate.

Preparing for our trip to Ireland!
I ordered the Bronx Brewery Rye Pale Ale. These guys make such consistent beer, and this is no exception. The rye added a little spice, just right at the end of the sip, to the lemon peel citrus from the hops, balanced nicely with a malt sweetness. Another great beer for summer. Our friend Bryan joined us and ordered an amazing mango lemonade, which, while not beer, still tasted sweet, citrusy and refreshing. Summah, summah, summah, summahtime.

Well, hello, summer.
Bronx, meet Pennsylvania.

We arrived at the Cake Shop and gave hugs to Mason, and mingled and chit chatted as the first three bands played, all friends of Mason’s, and all very pleasant, folky, indie rock. But we were there for our son! (Actually, he’s Rich Maggio’s son. But we can pretend, can’t we?)

Thanks to Bryan for picking up our first round of drinks. Holly chose a Youngs Brewing Double Chocolate Stout. HK was on a stout kick tonight, and this is another winner, packing in a ton of chocolate flavor for such a low ABV stout. Milky, smooth, sweet, chocolate and coffee. If they’ll keep makin’ em, we’ll keep drinkin’ em.

I ordered a Peak Organic Fresh Cut Pilsner. I preferred the Mermaid Pilsner, but it could have something to do with the draft lines at this place. I’ll pick this up in a bottle and save my thoughts on it for another time.

Our friend Kevin joined us, and started with Narragansett Lager. He and Bryan moved on to Red Stripe (HOORAY BEER!).

Kevin.

Bryan.

HK Benny.

We said hello to Mason’s (actual) parents, Rich and Debra, who brought what seemed like a horde of relatives, which is super supportive and awesome. There was a ton of love in that basement bar on Thursday night, and well deserved. Rich, the proud Dad that he is, showed off that he bought the first ever Souveneer tee shirt. Debra, the proud Mom (and Grandma!!) that she is, showed us pictures and videos of Amelia, Evan (Mason’s brother and one of my dearest friends) and Missy’s daughter.

I was wary of the draft lines after the Fresh Cut, so I ordered a can of Double Chocolate Stout as well, and began enjoying it just as Mason took the stage, for the first time playing songs as Souveneer. He sang and played guitar, and was accompanied a violinist and a bassist, who also played bass for one of the previous bands, Hotel of the Laughing Tree. It’s fun to watch friends doing what they love, and receiving so much love and energy from the crowd of family and friends. The highlight of the night for me was his cover of The Talking Heads- Road to Nowhere, slowed down and performed just by Mason and his guitar. Every one of Mason’s show’s I’ve been to, his parents have been there, singing along and encouraging others to join in on the fun, and this was no exception.

Souveneer- Empathy (Clip)

Souveneer- Road to Nowhere (Clip)
So, in one evening, I got to:

A. Have a date night with my wife

B. Spend time with my buddies Bryan and Kevin

C. See Mason doing what he loves and continuing to put out amazing music

D. See Christian and Billy, band members of The Republic of Wolves and Tigers on Trains, who I haven’t seen in a while

E. See Rich and Debra Maggio and see them gush over their sons

F. Share stories, beer, sing along, and experience Mason’s newest venture with friends and family

Not bad for a Thursday.

Until next time.

Cheers!