adventure

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

WHEN WE LAST LEFT OUR FEARLESS, ATTRACTIVE ADVENTURERS…

We had just finished up at Carton Brewing Company, and we were STARVING. The evening prior, we were headed to Tommy’s Tavern and Tap, as we’d heard great things about their tap list, brick oven pizza, and sushi (how can you go wrong across the street from the Atlantic Ocean?), but the power had gone out in the town of Sea Bright, and they, along with most of the other shops and restaurants in the neighborhood, had closed early. We decided we would go to Tommy’s to quench our powerful hunger (If you’ll recall Part I, we had only eaten 2 things of Auntie Anne’s pretzel nuggets and two Diet Cokes since breakfast…)

By this point, we were both exhausted, still trying to wind down from our day-to-day stresses, (I believe I’ve mentioned how stressful and wonderful it is living in this hectic, smelly, gross, beautiful, monster that is NYC), and I began to feel very emotional, and also a little bit guilty. I told Holly that I felt like I was dragging her around on all these beer vacations, and I was upset because I never wanted her to feel like we were doing something she didn’t want.

She cocked her head a little bit, and smiled, and said “I suggested we do these types of trips, so that you had things to write about for the Blog. Also, I love any vacation where we’re together. You’re not dragging me anywhere.” She also told me that she hates when other people take credit for her ideas. We both cried a little bit more (stress is weird, you guys) and ordered what any two grown adults would, chicken fingers and pizza, which were comforting and delicious.

But wait… Isn’t this a Beer Blog?

Yes it is! It’s the BENEDICT Beer Blog, and Holly brought up an amazing point, (after I asked her if I should leave that last part in) that sometimes it’s good to get some insight into our lives, because my goal with this blog is to talk about our life, our love, and our adventures and how craft beer is involved.

So, now the beer!

Holly and I split a Kane Brewing Head High IPA. Kane Brewing is another brewery about 15 miles south of Highlands, which unfortunately wasn’t open during our stay. Thankfully, most of the bars with craft beer carry their selections on tap, and we were lucky to have tried this. Flavors of juicy pineapple, orange rind, and pine dominate, with some grassiness, and cracker. At 6.5% ABV, this is crushable.

New Jersey is literally inside this beer!

We had seen this cute little boutique wine and beer shop, Cork & Barrel Wine and Spirits (I’m still amazed in states that sell beer, wine and liquor in the same store). We were hurried into the store quite quickly, not really knowing what was going on, but the employee filled us in, saying one of their regulars had called to see if they were open, and they were turning off all the lights to play a prank on them. They told us to hide towards the back of the store, which we did. When the customer showed up, they pretended as if they were closing up shop and leaving, and I’m not sure they got the reaction they wanted, but Holly and I appreciated being a part of the joke.

We were recommended a bottle of wine from the 90+ cellars, a company that partners with respected wineries from around the world, puts their label on the wine and sells it for less. We ended up with a delicious Malbec for around $10. Not bad.

When we got back to our wonderful, luxurious AirB&B, I think we maybe had a sip or two of wine before falling asleep. We were so thrilled to still have a full day ahead of us (we’re not used to two-day weekends, yo.), and so exhausted from all our activities (Boardwalking, Apple Picking, Drinking, Eating, Crying), we fell asleep with no trouble.

The next morning we were met with another amazing breakfast, this time, a scrambled egg dish with tomato sauce, a side of fresh fruit, and a toasted English muffin with a sweet basalmic drizzle. Also, a fresh pot of coffee. We took our coffee to the porch to plan our 2nd (!!!) day off together, and this morning, unlike the last, was warm, and the sun was out in full force. Today. Today would be our day at the beach, our last “See Ya Later!” to summer.

But first, we explored the Twin Lights of Navesink, a historical site about a half mile from the AirB&B. This monument consists of two identical lighthouses (one of which offers a spiraling, multi story staircase leading to incredible views of Sandy Hook Bay, the Atlantic Ocean, and New York City). It was a bit hazy that morning, but we were still offered some stunning views.

One of the lighthouses!

The other lighthouse!

View from the top!

View of Sandy Hook Bay and the Atlantic Ocean!

We realized before we went to the beach that we didn’t have any towels, so we made a quick pit stop at Target, (which of course turns into a nearly $70 excursion, but we get 5% off with our Target card!) and walked out with towels, I forget what else, and a fresh copy of Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, Parts I and II in Hardback.

We spent nearly 4 hours on the beach. Now, if you know what Holly Kay and I look like, basically take the palest thing you can think of, and multiply it by 856,462. That’s how pale we are. So we set up our awesome little beach umbrella and our Home Depot branded chairs, and Holly Kay read the Harry Potter play to me, and also we dipped our feet in the ocean as it was about -856,462 degrees. I also made a fun Facebook Live video with facts about the ocean and the Jersey Shore (which were 100% factual and not at all made up by me on the spot).

After we were sufficiently beached-out, we took a walk over to Tommy’s Tavern and Tap (which was open!), and made a new friend. I will not give his name, but he was in charge of his company purchasing another company that was going out of business, which I won’t name, but it makes really famous sweet treats and rhymes with Schmostess. He bought us two rounds of drinks, lamented to us about how his brother talked him out of purchasing a boat, his mansion down the road, etc. It was amazing.

Kane and a Cocktail!

I started with a Kane Head High, and moved on to a Brooklyn Bel Air Sour, a nice, tart citrus refreshing brew from Brooklyn Brewery. I find I’m never blown away by anything from Brooklyn, but I’m never mad at them, either. Everything they do is solid and their six packs are usually super cheap and will do in a pinch. Don’t know what to bring to your friend’s party? Pick up a six pack of anything from Brooklyn. Can’t go wrong.

Cute little seaside town!

Before we headed back to the city, we wanted to take advantage of our proximity to the ocean and decided on a seafood feast at Bahr’s Landing. We had fresh oysters, grilled lobster, fried scallops, shrimp, and cod, and french fries. They had Carton Brewing Company’s Wit Whale on tap, it’s zesty orange notes playing off the probably 856,462mg of sodium we took in from all the food. What a way to end a vacation.

Carton Wit Whale and a view of the bay!

Love!

Sometimes it’s necessary to take little trips away, even for just a day or two, to reset and relax. I think Holly Kay and I squeezed every last drop of relaxation we could out of our time in Jersey, and because of the hospitality of our hosts Robin and Robert, will absolutely make our way back here to enjoy the seemingly innumerable restaurants and bars we’ve been recommended.

Enjoy yourselves! Drink amazing beer! Holly Kay and Patrick love each and every one of you!

Thanks for reading.
Cheers!

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!

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!

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!

Surprise, Surprise, or, Patrick Uses the Same Hulk Hogan Picture Twice in One Blog…

I’m starting off a Benedict Beer Blog post talking about beer.

I know. I’m surprised too, brother!

I drank a few good beers today.

I was at C’est Cheese in Port Jefferson this afternoon. I ordered a glass of Grimm Artisinal Ales Rainbow Dome.

Just look at it. Rainbow Dome is a hazy, golden, juicy, gorgeous looking beer. This is a dry-hopped, oak aged wild/sour beer, brewed with apricots. I can’t stop looking at this picture. It’s unbelievably CRUSHABLE at 5%ABV.

One sniff and you’re smacked in the face by fruit and citrus (this is dry-hopped with El Dorado, Cascade, and Columbus). Taste is tart, lemon zest, mango, peach, apricot. It’s not too acidic and the mouthfeel is creamy. If it wasn’t too hard to come by, I would make this my summer go-to brew. Throw me poolside, on a shaded recliner (is that a thing? I think I could be a millionaire), with a glass of this. Heaven.

I sat down at C’est Cheese to write today, but that went out the window. A minute or two after I ordered, Bryan, a fellow C’est Beer member (it’s $20 for the membership and you get discounts on draft beer, and special bottles and cans), who we had met a few weeks back, sat down, and we chatted about our mutual Long Island beer friends, Matt and Lauri from Moustache Brewing Company (go back and read my love letter to these two cuties, if you haven’t!).

What’s amazing is that everyone who meet Matt and Lauri talk about how passionate they are, and what amazing beer they’re making. What’s interesting is, in every conversation I have about them, their passion is always mentioned first. I think that’s why Holly and I gravitated towards them when we lived out here, because they are hard working people who laid it all on the line to do what they’re passionate about, and that is so admirable. Ok, I’m gushing again.

Bryan and I also discussed my trip to Boston with Holly, and the amazing, juicy IPAs coming out of the Northeast. He often travels to Tree House Brewing Company to pick up their insanely out of control juice bomb IPAs (as well as their top of the heap stouts). This dude is all about beer, and all about community, so I’m so glad we got to spend an hour or so chatting.

I also ordered a Jack’s Abby Hoponius Union, an India Pale Lager from this Lager-only brewery in Framingham, Massachusetts. This is a lager brewed with “classic American hops” (it doesn’t list which ones, but I’m sure the C hops, like Cascade and Columbus, are in there). What I love about India Pale Lagers, or IPLs, is that the malt balances out the hops, so it finishes with a smooth malty sweetness that you find in a great lager. I’m sad Holly and I didn’t make it to this brewery, because I don’t believe I give lagers enough credit (Brooklyn Brewery and Sam Adams Brewery are really the only two lagers I will see on a regular basis), and from reviews I’ve read and hearing them talk on podcasts, these guys have perfected the style and are taking it to the next level. Cheers to them!

Last weekend, for Fathers Day, we bought my Dad a few beers, one was Central Waters Brewing Company Rye Barrel Aged Chocolate Porter, and the other, a Great Divide Brewing Company Chocolate Oak-Aged Yeti Imperial Stout. Dad had a little left over of the Yeti (he has yet to open the Porter), so I poured an ounce or two into a wine glass to try it.

It poured out viscous and jet-black. Smells like you’ve just walked into a chocolate shop, like sweet oak and bakers chocolate. Taste is similar, it envelops your mouth and evokes flavors of bitter chocolate, dark roasted coffee, with a little heat on the back end from the addition of cayenne pepper. What a fantastic beer. Be careful, all you out there in Internetland, this baby clocks in at 9.5%, so, as rapper Iced Cube would say, “prior to wrecking yourself, please check yourself.” (I’m 99% sure that’s right.)

Later in the evening, we went to my Grandparents’ house in Port Jeff Station, and I drank… A Bud Light. Yup.

“One of these things is not like the other, one of these things just doesn’t belong…”

Choicest hops (sure…), Best Barley Malt (you know it ain’t the best because they’re telling you it’s the best) and RICE?

I’m just as surprised as you, brother.
Why rice? I’m still not really sure. What I’ve heard forever is that it’s cheaper, and you don’t become a multi-billion dollar company by using expensive ingredients, I guess. But, Anheuser-Busch’s website says it’s more expensive, and helps give the beer a lighter, crisper taste. So who knows.

So yeah, I drank one of these tonight. I drank one of these because, when your 87 year old Grandpa, who’s dealing with a particularly nasty bout of skin cancer, says “Beer man! Have a beer with your Grandpa!”, you pop open that ice cold brew and drink it with a couple of slices of pizza. I could say that this was the best beer of the day (it wasn’t), but pizza, a cold beer, and conversation with family always makes for an amazing experience. Also, it was like 72 degrees outside, so that didn’t hurt, either.

Poolside dinner with a… Beer?

Yeah I threw cold cheese on that slice because TREAT YO’SELF!
My Aunt Mary said to me at dinner, “Patrick, you’re going to be so mad at me. All I drink is Coors Light.” I prepared in my head some pilsners she could drink instead (Victory Brewing Prima Pils and Sixpoint The Crisp stick out), and I said “I can give you a few alternatives.” And she responded “But I don’t want any!” And I said “That’s ok. That’s the whole point of my blog, is you should drink what you like. Beer should be fun.”

I don’t like that Anheuser-Busch, Miller-Coors, etc. are trying to run smaller breweries, like our dear ones at Moustache, out of town, and are buying up Craft Breweries like crazy, but I’m not going to pontificate or force my Aunt to change her beer choice at an awesome dinner with family. I might pick up a six pack of Prima Pils at the next party, and have her try it, but I’m certainly not going to spoil anyone else’s experience if they’re not interested. I drink Goose Island. I drink Lagunitas (who are in partnership with Heinekin), and I drink Ballast Point (who are in partnership with Constellation Beer, who produce Corona). I don’t think, if you’re having fun with it, you should have to apologize for what you like to drink. If you can change someone’s mind with an experience, it’s much better than telling them what NOT to drink.

Anheuser-Busch needs to apologize if they change their name to America, though. That’s for sure. Because that’s absolute nonsense.

Till next week! Cheers!

Smooth as Tennessee Whiskey…

“Of emotions, of love, of breakup, of love and hate and death and dying, mama, apple pie, and the whole thing. It covers a lot of territory, country music does.” -Johnny Cash

Holly and I took a quick trip down to Nashville, TN to attend the wedding of our dear friend, and Holly’s former roommate, Sara, and her fiancé JP.

We hadn’t seen Sara in a few years, as she moved to Nashville shortly after we got married (March of 2011), and then down to Dallas, TX. I had met JP only once (I believe), but when we first got to chatting, it was like we were old friends.

Reflecting back on our short time there, it seems the city of Nashville is like that, as well. Everyone we met, from our AirB&B hosts, to boot store salespeople (you bet Holly got a pair of boots!), to Sara and JP’s friends, and even friends we haven’t seen in several years, welcomed us with open arms.

Mister Hat’s Boots!

Look at those cute little boots!

We arrived on Saturday afternoon, and took a Lyft ($5 off coupon, babaaaaaay!) to our AirB&B in East Nashville. We met Kat, one of the owners of the house, who was lovely, and got us acquainted with the space. As we unpacked, and realized that our idea of Lyfting around town all weekend was going to be way more expensive than we realized (it was $20 to get from the airport to the B&B, even with the coupon), we looked into renting a car, and found a deal for a compact car for $35. So, we Lyfted right back to the airport, and still spent less money than we would have if we relied on Uber and Lyft. I don’t regret our rides to and fro the airport, though, as our drivers were very knowledgeable and friendly, offering advice on where to go and specifically, where to eat. We did NOT starve.

First thing we did once we got our car (which, by the way, they upgraded to a pretty SWEET SUV. Holly kept referring to it as her “Truck”, which is super cute), was head over to Centennial Park, in Downtown Nashville, to meet up with Sara and catch some free music. We found a parking spot, got out of the Truck (That’s what I’m gonna call it from now on, too) and were taken aback by this massive stone building in the middle of the park.

WHAT EVEN IS THIS THING???

I texted my coworker, David (who grew up in Nashville and had sent me a number of recommendations of things to do there). He said “The Parthenon! I love that place!” Living in Queens, we have a lot of old buildings/structures that have been abandoned since the World’s Fair, so I thought this was similar.

We walked up the large steps in the front of the building, and the large brass doors were locked, so we shrugged, and continued our walk around the park. It was beautiful from the outside, and Sara and Jenna (one of Holly’s classmates from AMDA, the American Musical and Dramatic Academy here in NYC) were meeting us shortly, so we decided to move on.

A smart man once said, “Good things are often stumbled upon, when in search of the nearest restroom…” And I am that smart man.

There were restrooms underneath The Parthenon, and nature was calling, so we both stepped inside, only to find that the restrooms were at the entrance to the MUSEUM(!!!)! We love museums! We answered nature’s call, paid our admission fee, and stepped into the museum. As it turns out, The Parthenon in Nashville is a full-scale replica of The Parthenon in Athens, and was built in 1897 as part of the Tennessee Centennial Exposition. Inside are paintings from 19th and 20th Century Artists, as well as photographs from the Exposition, the building of The Parthenon, etc. This is why Nashville is called “The Athens of The South”, but you probably already knew that.

Oh yeah, also inside the museum? AN UNBELIEVABLY HUGE REPLICA OF THE STATUE OF ATHENA HOLDING A TINY STATUE OF NIKE (god of Victory, also, I’m legally obliged to write “Just Do It” each time I write the word Nike “Just Do It”) AND HOLDING A GIANT SHIELD WITH A WACKY FACE ON IT AND ALSO A GIANT SERPENT. It’s WILD. And I’m sorry for all the caps. But just look at this thing.

Athena and Nike “Just Do It”
A massive shield with a wacky face

A normal-sized Holly for scale.

It was WILD.

After our walk through the park and the museum, we had built up a powerful thirst. And, this is a Beer Blog, lest ye forget (and by “lest ye forget” I mean “I should probably write about beer…”), so the only provision that could quench our thirst was a fine local ale! David had told me about Yazoo Brewery, located right in Downtown Nashville. They had a booth set up outside the free concert, so we grabbed two of their Hop Perfect IPAs, and sat down at a picnic table just off the side of the stage. A band called The Mowglis was playing (I think I had heard one or two of their songs), and we weren’t terribly interested in them, but wanted to just relax and enjoy the warm weather and cool beers.

Yazoo Brewing Hop Perfect IPA, 5.7% ABV, malt forward, with some citrus from the hops. I gave it 3.5/5 on Untapped. Totally refreshing!

We ended up meeting and chatting with a local retired couple who usually walk to Centennial Park for the music, beer and wine, and the food trucks. They were so excited to talk about their city, and find out where we were from and what we were doing. We chatted with them for about 15 minutes before Sara and Jenna joined us. We decided to drive over to The Pharmacy, a burger and craft beer bar in East Nashville (just a mile or 2 from our AirB&B). As we waited for our table, I enjoyed an Against The Grain 35k Milk Stout. At 7%, this is a higher ABV milk stout (they usually hit between 4 and 5%), and I got notes of chocolate and coffee, with a sweetness from the milk.

An artsy photograph of my Against The Grain 35k Milk Stout

Against the Grain is from Louisville, KY, but are distributed in New York, and I’d had their fantastic Citra Ass Down (amazing name) IPA. These guys are making great beer and don’t take themselves seriously. Check them out!

We met JP’s sister Emily and her daughter (and flower girl) Kayleigh, and sat down for dinner. This is what I ate.

Heart attack? More like fart attack! Holy moly, the bathroom didn’t know what it had coming! Gross.

This was a beef stroganoff burger with tots. It was out of control. David had warned me that he didn’t like the bun, as it is doughy, and it didn’t bother me much, but it was quite soggy from all the juice and the sour cream. Real messy, but real good. The tots were ok, I’m totally spoiled with the amazing Tetris Tots at Barcade in Chelsea, NYC, so these don’t compare. The beer! Founders Brewing Company Rubaeus, a tart, sweet, low ABV raspberry ale, which was a lovely complement to the heavy, creamy, meatburger. We definitely didn’t starve.

We headed over to 3 Crow Bar, one of the 3 bars in Nashville that still allow smoking indoors. I had a Coffee IPA from New Heights Brewing Company, which was tasty (like an espresso with lemon peel twist), but it was really hard to enjoy in a cloud of cigarette smoke. On a side note, the bouncer looked like a young Marc Maron, so it had that going for it!

After an amazing night’s sleep on the soft AirB&B bed, Holly and I decided on Breakfast at Barista Parlor! This is a small coffee chain around Nashville that David touted as having one of the best biscuit sandwiches in Nashville, also amazing coffee! I had El Eden, which had flavors of dried pineapple and plums. It was fantastic. The biscuit sandwiches were absolutely unreal (we didn’t starve), and Holly said it was the best biscuit sandwich she’s ever eaten.

Dat biscuit tho.
Gorgeous, warehouse-like open space with cool table markers!
Delicious coffee.

After breakfast, it was off to Broadway, which, as my Mom described it, consists of bar, bar, boot store. Bar, bar, boot store. She wasn’t kidding.

Bar, bar, boot store!

It was time to get Holly some boots! As some of you know, Holly Kay used to be a DJ on a Country Music Radio Station on Long Island. She was laid off, as they told her the station was moving in a different direction. (They now have all male DJs.). Holly was 100% the best thing about that radio station. She had a huge following of listeners who would come to her live events just to spend time with her. (You should see her line dance!). Anyway, Holly had a few pairs of boots, and threw them away out of spite (which she regrets now, and I regret not stopping her), but if there’s any place to get boots, it’s gotta be in Nashville! (See above picture of those cute boots!)

We stopped at a bar (because bar, bar, boot store!) called Rippy’s for some live country music, and a beer, before heading back to get ready for the wedding.

I drank a Falls City Beer Hipster Repellant IPA, outta Louisville, KY. Another easy drinking, malt forward IPA. I’m spoiled with the hop forward IPAs from New York and New England, but it says something about your beer if you can make a nicely balanced IPA, because not everyone loves being punched in the face with every sip.

Holly had a Yazoo Brewing Hefeweizen, which was outrageously refreshing, with flavors of citrus, banana, and clove, and went down “smooth as Tennessee Whiskey”, which, coincidentally, was being sung as she drank it.

Tennessee Whiskey…

We headed back to the AirB&B, got ready, and headed to Sara and JP’s wedding, at the Buchanan Log House, a gorgeous, outdoor location just a few miles from the airport. It was an absolutely gorgeous, intimate, celebration of their love for one another. We had a great time seeing Raj again (after about 7 years), and meeting Glenna, Tripp and Amy, and Alan and Jolinda. It was a small wedding, so to be able to meet and share stories about Sara and JP, how everybody knew each other, made the evening even more special.

And the icing on the cake? JP’s Groomsman Nate works for Fanatic Brewing Company, in Knoxville, TN. He provided the beer for the reception! The first I tried was the Tennessee Blonde.

Definitely a warm weather brew, 5% ABV, light, with grassy and citrus hops with a sugary sweet malt backbone. You got a lawn to mow? Peep this ish.
I also got to try the Fanatic Pale Ale. This was a classic pale, malt forward with some orange citrus from the hops, another crushable, outdoor drinking brew, that paired perfectly with the food, provided by Edley’s BBQ, and the dance floor grooves from Sara and JP’s wedding playlist (Which ranged from Queen Bey to Luke Bryan).

If you ever find yourself in Knoxville (and we certainly will now that Sara and JP are moving there!), stop by Fanatic Brewing Company!

We stayed until the bitter end of the wedding, chatting with our new friends and helping with clean-up, and we decided to join Raj and Glenna at The Basement East, a music venue in East Nashville (read: Brooklyn) where Raj’s friend Emma was hanging out after performing. We walked into the venue to the sweet, sweet sounds of a drone metal band, so we ordered our beer and headed outside. Both Raj and I had let our bow ties down (as one does not have a full range of dance moves if one’s bow tie is still tied), and Holly and Glenna wanted to wear them, so Emma snapped this amazing shot…

Those damn hipsters.

I enjoyed a Mayday Brewery Old Salem, a kettle sour. 5.4% ABV, made with rye, which gave it a sweet, spicy flavor in addition to the tart sour. Hopped with Falconer’s Flight. Funky as hell, and I loved it!

We had all decided on Brunch the next morning at AMOT – A Matter of Taste, a completely gluten free spot that had KILLER food, and a great, local beer list, and also, our new friend Tripp works there! I had chicken with cornbread waffles, and a jalapeño maple syrup (you heard that right).

We didn’t starve.
I paired this amazing brunch with Southern Prohibition Brewing Co. Soul Glo Saison, fresh on draft from their brewery in Hattiesburg, MS. This is a delicious, 8.4%ABV (well masked), saison, with notes of fresh squeezed lemon and orange juice, banana, and spices. Great substitute for a Mimosa! (Although, they did have 3 dollar Mimosas… You should go there.)

From there, we walked around some shops with Sara and JP, and Raj and Glenna, and headed back to the airport.

I would love to come back to this city and explore some more, and I used that Johnny Cash quote in the beginning of this post, because, like Country music, I felt that Nashville also covers a lot of territory, and we only just scratched the surface. This city had such personality, and the folks we met (or reconnected with) treated us with such love and hospitality, I won’t think twice before going back. Thanks so much to Sara and JP for allowing us the opportunity to share in your love, we truly appreciated it.

Until next time!

Cheers!

Our Quick Trip to Boston, or I’m So Glad I Locked That Down…

The other day, Holly said to me, “We need to do more Beer Adventures so you have more fodder for your Blog!” I told this to my coworker Kevin, and he said “Did you look down at your wedding ring and say ‘I made the right decision?'” I responded, “Yeah, I’m so glad I locked that down…”

Holly and I are continuing our 2016 by finding more opportunities to do something different. We live in the greatest, worst, dirtiest, prettiest, smelliest, most expensive city in the world. This year started off with a bang (literally) when our ceiling collapsed, at 12:01am on January 1st. (Ok, I don’t know exactly when it collapsed, as we were out at Singlecut Brewery with Alex, Shelbie, Ryan, Erica, and Rafa for the quietest, most amazing New Years celebration we’ve ever had. So it may have happened in 2015. We’ll never know.). Things could definitely be worse, so we’ve been making a conscious effort to be present in the moment, and venture out and explore as much as possible.

“Hi.” -2016

I got a text from Holly the other day, as we had the next day off together. “Wanna drive to Vermont tonight and crash at a B&B and spend all day touring breweries? Or we could do Upstate NY.” I thought that Vermont was a bit far for an overnight, so I did a little research, and we decided on Boston! We left right after work, and as I got onto the Whitestone Bridge, Holly asks, “Can I make us a playlist for our ride?” I said “Of course!” She responds “THIS IS GOING TO BE LIKE JOCK JAMS.” And like Jock Jams, it was. We got to hear a freaking non-radio edit of Chumbawumba’s Tub Thumping. Absolutely not-to-be-missed. Also, it made the nearly 4 hour drive go by in a flash.

We had gift certificates for bedandbreakfast.com, so we booked a quaint little, definitely not haunted, Bed & Breakfast in Brookline, MA, called Coolidge Corner.

Sitting room on the second floor of our (DEFINITELY NOT HAUNTED) Bed & Breakfast

Room 16. That bed was amazingly comfortable!!

A tiny iron burn on the hardwood that definitely wasn’t left there by a tiny ghost boy trying to iron his ghost clothing.

Cool old dresses, that way the ghosts have something to wear as they galavant the hallways whilst we’re asleep. (Because who wants to see a naked ghost?)

A Nest thermostat to cover up the fact that the temperature changes are actually caused by the ghost of this Cherub Boy.

In actuality, I didn’t see one ghost (not even a naked one), and frankly, I’m disappointed. Minus one star on Trip Advisor.

We absolutely loved this place, and would definitely stay there again. The staff is wonderful, and the bed was really comfy!

Boston is home to a ton of breweries, but the ones we decided we would try to hit in our limited time were: Sam Adams Brewing, and Trillium Brewing, which are inside the city, and Night Shift Brewing, and Lord Hobo Brewing Co., which are just North of the city. The long shot, though, was Tree House Brewing. Their brewery is in Monson, in Western Massachusetts. I wasn’t sure we’d be able to make that one, as it was an hour and a half from Boston, but it was a possibility, as (I thought) they were (sort of) on the way home. More on that later.

So basically, we tore through Boston. We got up early and had an amazing Breakfast spread (because what’s a Bed & Breakfast without Breakfast? I’ll tell you what. It’s Just Bed.). We headed out to Sam Adams Brewery to catch one of their first tours of the day. Holly and I agreed this tour was our favorite part of the trip. Sam Adams is the second largest Craft Brewery in the United States (Yuengling Brewery is the largest). They make a delicious lager, but you know that. Their other offerings are hit or miss, but they’ve been around for 32 years, and are still 100% privately owned and going strong.

A goober in front of Sam Adams Brewery. Photo Credit to Holly Kay!

The facility is absolutely gorgeous. The exterior of their buildings is a dark, reddish brown brick, combined with the cobblestone streets on their property, evoked a feeling of Old-World Germany. We got our tickets for the tour, and wandered around the lobby, waiting for the tour to start. (BTW, Tours are free! They ask for a $2 donation, all of which goes to local Boston Charities!). Our tour guide was named Tom, and he was so passionate about the brand, and about beer in general! Super well spoken and articulate about the ingredients that go into beer and the brewing process in general.

Tom, mid sentence. Photo Credit to Holly Kay!

We got to taste different types of barley (they get darker as they roast them for longer, and the more they’re roasted, the darker your beer is! SCIENCE!!).

We also got to do a HOP APPRAISAL!! (How do I get a job where all I do are hop appraisals??). A hop appraisal is where you take a handful of hops (in this case, Hallertau), rub your hands together to release the hop oils and aromas, and then smell your hands!! This is one of the only acceptable time smelling your hands in public is appropriate (in addition to, say, Lush or Bath & Body Works, where smelling your hands is absolutely acceptable, and in fact, encouraged!). I sniffed the hop flowers before grinding them up, and they smelled like sweetened iced tea, as I rubbed my hands together, and smelled again, they released flavors of lemon citrus, dank pine, and grapefruit. If I could put this scent in one of those little tree air fresheners, I would. (Is this a thing already? If not, I’m going to be a millionaire.)

Photo Credit to Holly Kay!

Holly Holding Hops! Photo Credit to Holly Kay!

“Quit smelling your hand, ya weirdo!” -Someone, probably. Photo Credit to Holly Kay!

After tasting the malt and appraising the hops, we got to see the brew house itself. Tom articulated the brewing process, from mashing in, which is where you add water to the grain to suck up all that sweet, biscuity sugar to make wort, which is non-fermented beer, to boiling and adding the hops, to adding yeast for the fermentation process. Yeast are really cool, you guys. They’re alive! And they take a dive into the beer, chow down on sugar and oxygen, and they fart out carbon dioxide and alcohol. It’s amazing. So next time you take a sip of that delicious craft beverage, remember, you’re drinking yeast farts. Malty, hoppy, yeasty fart water. (SCIENCE!!) But, I digress…

The Brewhouse! Photo Credit to Holly Kay!

After chatting about the brewing process, we went into the tasting room, and learned how to professionally taste a beer. When you’re doing a professional tasting, you use 3 out of 5 senses:

Sight: observe the color of the beer. Is it filtered, or unfiltered? How much/what color is the foam head?

Smell: Swirl the beer around in the glass. What do you smell? Malt will smell like bread, or biscuits, or sugary sweetness. Hops will smell like pine, or citrus, or grass, or tea, depending on the type of hop. Yeast, we learned from Tom, will give a beer like a Hefeweizen (a German Wheat Beer) aromas and flavors of Banana or bubble gum.

Taste: Take a sip of the beer, and keep it on the front of your tongue for two seconds. Swish it around and swallow. Then, take another sip and swallow it like a shot, straight down the gullet. You should get different flavors on the front and back of the palate. (SCIENCE!!)

As I’ve said in previous blogs, if you don’t do this, that’s ok! You shouldn’t have to put that much thought into each time you gather for a drink with friends, but sometimes it’s fun to sit and appreciate the hard work these Brewers go through to make good beer. At Sam Adams, almost the entire brewing process is automated, but all small Craft Brewers, like my friends Matt and Lauri at Moustache Brewing Company, have to sit, wait, stir, and watch their beer for hours. So much hard work and dedication goes into it.

In the tasting room, we got to sample Boston Lager (you all know how this tastes), Summer Ale (ehhhh…) and Oat Stout (YUM!). The Oat Stout was an 8% ABV Oatmeal Stout that has not been released to the public. It was roasty from the malts, with flavors of chocolate and coffee. We chatted with Tom for a few minutes, and Holly asked if she could take a picture of the two of us, so, here ya go!

Just two guys, with some beer! Photo Credit to Holly Kay!

And, like any good theme park, you exit through the Gift Shop! Holly bought a Sam Adams tee, and asked that I take her picture in front of this Rebel Raw sign (she was feeling reaaaaal good after a few tasting glasses of that Oatmeal Stout)

What a cutie! Hot cha cha!

Next, it was off to Congress Street, home of Trillium Brewing Company.

This is a quick, grab-your-bottles-and-go, shop. No tasting room at this location(which is sad), but they do have a location just outside the city that has a small tasting room, and there are bars and restaurants throughout Boston that get their beer on tap, including The Publick House (which, coincidentally is about a mile from our B&B). There, I drank the Double Dry Hopped Scaled IPA, which poured like hazy pineapple juice and tasted like a pineapple dream. (What is a pineapple dream? I don’t know, I just made that up. What does a pineapple dream taste like? Let’s just say it was like melted Dole Whip). Holly and I picked out a few bottles (Artaic, a double IPA brewed with honey, Upper Case, a double IPA with Mosaic, Galaxy, Citra, and Columbus hops, and Free Rise, a saison dry-hopped with mosaic) grabbed them, and went! We stopped next door at Row 34 (their slogan is “If we could eat oysters and drink beer for every meal period, we probably would. Professionals Only.” I’d like to say that we’re professionals.) We wanted a bite to eat and a half pint of Night Shift Whirlpool Pale Ale. This is a low ABV Pale Ale that is pure golden in color, unfiltered, and tastes like crisp, citrusy pineapple and grapefruit. This comes in cans, and is available around Boston. Pick up a 4 pack of you have the opportunity. Also, we had some unbelievable seafood; half of a giant lobster and some amazingly fresh oysters.

Aerial view of the GINORMOUS Half Lobster

The lobster was HUGE.

Small haul from Trillium!

Night Shift Whirlpool Pale Ale!

With that quick taste of Whirlpool, it was time to head up to Night Shift Brewery! While the tour of Sam Adams was amazing, this was our favorite overall brewery. It’s in a giant warehouse, with a beautiful, industrial looking tasting room, with the coolest looking flights we’ve ever seen.

Tasting room!

Really awesome wooden flight holder!

We were just north of Boston, right across the street from Teddie Peanut Butter Factory, which was wild, because the smell of freshly roasted peanuts wafted in from one side of the street, while the smell of the bready, malted barley wafted from the other.

There was a separate area in the brew house with free arcade games and cornhole! (WE LOVE CORNHOLE!). It doesn’t really matter who won cornhole (it was me) because one of the brewers walked past us and said “You guys are amazing at this. I’ve never seen anyone play this game so well.” And our hearts grew three sizes that day!!

Free arcade games!

Cornhole!!!

Kegs on Kegs on Kegs.
Holly and I were growing tired, but we are intrepid travelers (I was trying to find a witty way to combine “Beer” and “Travelers” into something like “Beerelers”, or how ’bout “Beervelers”? Neither of those really roll off the tongue, do they?), and we still had places to go!

Our next stop was Lord Hobo Brewing Co., about 20 minutes west of Night Shift. We arrived at the brewery, whose building looks like a giant castle, with a grey brick facade and a large gate at the entrance. I couldn’t take a good photo, as the sun was directly behind the building, but it was absolutely massive.

This was an odd tasting room, because they had so much space, but you were unable to buy pints or flights. They offered free samples, and cans and growlers to-go of their three IPAs, Hobo Life Session IPA, Steal This Can IPA, and BOOM SAUCE (which is an amazing name) double IPA. I’m not sure if they couldn’t get a license to sell pints on-premises, and don’t get me wrong, the beer is great, all three were classic New England-style juicy hop bombs, and the staff is very friendly, and they have a dog, but the fact that we couldn’t really enjoy the large tasting room made it a bit disappointing.

Delicious IPAs in a MASSIVE, underutilized, space.

So, that’s a lot of breweries, right? But, like I said before, Holly and I are Beervelers! (That definitely doesn’t work.). So we looked at the map, and saw that it was about an hour and 30 minutes to Tree House Brewing, and then about 2 hours and 30 minutes from there to our apartment in Jackson Heights.

As it turns out, Tree House wasn’t really “on the way home” as much as it was “in the middle of nowhere”. It was an absolutely gorgeous drive through the hills of Massachusetts (is that a thing?). Tree House is a Mecca for Beer Geeks who love hops (I fall into both those categories). But again, overall, Holly and I were a bit disappointed. We thought it would be a nice way to break up the trip back to New York, stop in and have a taste of some of the best IPAs in the country, maybe have a bite to eat, chat for a little bit, then head home.

I was reading Tree House’s Twitter page to see what beers they were releasing (they release their hoppy IPAs the day they come off the canning line, as hops begin to fade the longer the beer sits in the bottle or can). So I knew there was going to be a line. We arrived at the sprawling, farmhouse style building in the middle of nowhere, and were directed to park by employees in red Tree House tee shirts. We hopped on line with about 100 other people, waiting to purchase their cans and fill their growlers. We waited in line for about 30 minutes, soaking up the rays of the setting Massachusetts sun, and entered the tasting room. They weren’t pouring any tastes, only distributing cans for purchase, and filling growlers. Those who wanted growlers filled had to wait an additional 45 minutes to an hour. Once we got our cans, we packed them up in the car and headed back to New York. Yes, these guys make unbelievable beer, but we were disappointed in our experience at the brewery, as you couldn’t even enjoy the cans you purchased on property. They have a beautiful space outdoors with picnic tables and cornhole (CORNHOLE!) but, it appears it’s just for those waiting to get their growlers filled.

Tasting Room and Merchandise at Tree House!

Fermenters!

Three Can Release!
Photo Credit to Holly Kay!

Photo Credit to Holly Kay!

Our disappointmentcertainly won’t stop Beer Lovers from lining up for these liquid masterpieces of beer. (The beer is worth the wait.) The facility was beautiful, I only wish we could have spent more time there. I understand they are opening a new facility, and I hope that they are able to keep up with demand, and create a better on-site beer experience for their customers.

We got home around 10pm, travel weary and with a trunk full of beer!

Absolutely insane.

Our year of adventures continue, and I’m so thankful Holly Kay and I were able to share the experience together on a whim! Go out and adventure! Stay in a quaint Bed & Breakfast with ghosts! Go to a brewery! Or a vineyard! Or a museum! Enjoy the moment, and share your experiences with those around you! It feels amazing.

Thanks again for reading.

Cheers!