beer

New Years Eve, 2016, in Astoria, Or, How We Winced As We Crossed the Threshold Into Our Apartment to Make Sure Our Ceiling Hadn’t Collapsed Again…

Ok, so, December 31st, 2015, Holly Kay and I began our evening at Astoria Bier and Cheese on Ditmars Blvd., and walked over to Singlecut Beersmiths, and had an amazing evening with our dear friends, and fantastic beer.

Cheese.  Bread.  More cheese.  More bread.

Love.

My love, and a lovely stout!

Ryan and I in our Prom pose.

It was a fantastic evening.

At around 1am, January 1st, 2016, we walked into our apartment, and found our kitchen ceiling had an existential crisis and wanted to become one with the floor.

#partymode

We used an app to make this.  Also, Bowie, Prince, and Harambe were still alive when this picture was taken.

So, the hope for New Years Day, January 1st, 2017, was that we would come home, and our kitchen would be the way that we left it on December 31st, 2016.

So we decided to repeat our New Years Eve plans from the previous year.  Let’s call it a mulligan.

I had the day off, and Holly worked until 4pm, so we met at Astoria Bier and Cheese around 5.  I decided to try taking the bus(es), got on the wrong bus, got off a few stops later, and called a Lyft, like an adult.  I got into the cab, and immediately saw an LED sign on the dashboard that lit up with “HAPPY NEW YEAR, PATRICK!!”  What a time to be alive.  I knew I had made the right choice (aka I’m a dummy who can’t get on the right bus).  I was so excited.

I got to AB&C first, because the MTA is amazing and decided they weren’t going to run N trains between 42nd street and Queensboro Plaza.  So Holly ended up taking 3(?) different trains and eventually a cab (like an adult.)

A beautiful glass of Jack’s Abby Kiwi Rising

While I waited for my wonderful wife, I enjoyed a Kiwi Rising from Jack’s Abby, just outside of Boston.  Jack’s Abby only makes Lagers, something I haven’t seen in American craft brewing.

I LOVE IPLs.  America is obsessed with hops.  I’m obsessed with hops.  New Zealand is killing it with their hop production.  What I love about this beer is the sweetness of the malts balances out the bitter citrus from the massive hop presence in this beer.  The result is a delightful burst of citrus, rounded out with sweet strawberries.  Lovely.

Here’s what I did while I waited for Holly to get there…

If you like fun, and also my face, you should click on that link!  ?

ICONYC Hib Hop, Saison with Hibiscus

Holly had a beautiful, floral, lemon citrus Saison, clocking in at over 8% ABV, which is odd for a saison, but there’s not a hint of booze on this one.

We met Nigel, the beverage manager at Astoria Bier and Cheese Ditmars, and Sean, bartender and all around awesome dude from Singlecut Beersmiths.  Nigel immediately poured us a few small pours of Perennial Artisinal Ales Abraxas, a stout brewed with vanilla beans, cocoa nibs, cinnamon, and ancho chili peppers.  Mexican. Hot.  Chocolate.  Thanks, Nigel, for sharing!  Cheers!

Next up was a ginormous 10% coffee stout from Catskill Brewery.  This was a new beer from a new brewery for me, and only $5 for a 12oz pour.  This tasted like a coffee with sugar and cocoa!  It was creamy as hell and I loved every sip!

Onward, Holly and I walked with Nigel over to Singlecut.  We were meeting up with our friends Bradco and Alex, Kate and Mikayla, and Bryan!  (You’ll remember Brad and Bryan from THIS POST about our adventure in LIC). Nigel was stopping by to have a beer before he headed home for a quiet New Years Eve.  

Singlecut’s beautiful tasting room
I started out with a Jim is Workin’ Hard Session IPA, which bursted with stone fruit and citrus and had a creamy mouthfeel for such a low ABV beer.  They just canned this beer for the first time, and I’ll absolutely be coming back to pick some up next time they can or bottle it.

Next up, Kinky Boots of Lead!  This is Singlecut’s wonderful Heavy Boots of Lead Imperial Stout that they infected with Brettanomyces and Lactobacilus, and let rest for 18 months.  The result is dark cherries and berries, on top of the already creamy cocoa and coffee notes from the original stout.  Absolutely fantastic!

This was the Workers Are Going Home IIPA (YEEEEEAH YEEEEEAH YEEEEEEAH!), named after a lyric from one of my favorite Weezer tunes, explosions of stone fruit, pine, grapefruit.  Crisp and delicious!  Also, LOOK AT BRAD’S FACE!

We played some card games, Exploding Kittens and Cards Against Humanity, and Sean and the rest of the staff at Singlecut played some awesome Rock Concert DVDs (The Band, and The Rolling Stones’ Rock and Roll Circus), which was a lot of fun.  We even threw in a Turkey Dance for good measure, which you can check out HERE!  ??????????

Brad and Bryan looking so dang cute!  Cutiez ’16-’17

Three Bearded Beauties!

Here I was enjoying a Heavy Boots of Lead!  Chocolate and coffee dominate, with a little roast and vanilla.  Lovely, lovely imperial stout.

By 11pm, Holly and I were tuckered out.  Holly’d been up since four, and I was still getting over a cold, so we ended up leaving Singlecut before midnight…  Maybe that’s what broke the curse…

We arrived home, and our ceiling was in tact!  Everything was where it was supposed to be!  The ceiling was on the ceiling!  The floor was on the floor!  We celebrated for a moment, before putting on pajamas, collapsing into bed, watching Times Square’s sound engineers drop the ball on Mariah Carey before the ball actually dropped at midnight.

So let’s be good to each other this year, folks.  Love everyone as hard as you can, be nice to people, celebrate and enjoy your time with your friends, family and loved ones.  2016 was a year of loss, hate, and fear.  This year, let’s try and make the good times outweigh the bad.  Combat hate with love!  

Oh, and enjoy a beer or two along the way… 

??

Until next time!

Cheers!

2016, The Year In Beer Pt. II, Or, Hey!  Come Salivate Over These Pictures Before We Set This Past Year On Fire!!

A generic complaint about how terrible 2016 was.

This year had some pretty terrible moments.

But guess what?  Holly Kay and I also had so many wonderful, positive, beautiful experiences in 2016.  I started THIS BLOG (which I couldn’t have done without the support of my wonderful, loving wife, Holly Kay!!!), traveled for the first time to Houston, and to Ireland (see HERE and HERE and HERE and HERE), visited some amazing Breweries, and took fantastic beer adventures with Holly.

I also drank some beer.  Weird, right?

Let’s get to them pictures, shall we?

August 7th: I will drink Bourbon Barrel Aged Stout no matter what time of year it is.  The barrel gives it wonderful vanilla and caramel notes to compliment the smooth chocolate from the malts.  Don’t stare at this too long, you might start drooling…

August 11th: I found Jesus in my fridge…  And he tasted like chocolate fudge!  Sorry, that’s blasphemous, but it’s ok, the J-Man and I are cool like that.  Also, Hi, Matt and Lauri from Moustache Brewing Co.!

August 19th: Holly Kay found a mysterious source to get me Other Half beer without having to wait in line at the brewery…  So this won’t be the last OH you’ll see here.  I drank this while watching Money Monster, so I thought it was appropriate.  This ish was LIQUID PINEAPPLE. ???

August 29th: We met up with our dear friends Rafa and Stefanie at Bondurants on the Upper East Side.  It was wonderful to catch up with them, and have some tasty food and bevvies as well!  Highlights: Sloop Brewing Simcoe Bomb, a citrusy, juicy, hazy wonderland, and Olé Molé from Knee Deep, chocolate with just a hint of chili on the end to keep you interested.

September 4th: A gorgeous poolside Beverage, Almanac Beer Co. Saison Dolores, clocks in at 5.5%, floral, spice, citrus, and a clean finish.  Dive in!

September 10th: Holly Kay and I won tickets to see Holiday Inn on Broadway (which was absolutely spectacular), and had dinner at Bareburger!  I drank a Billy 18-Watt IPA from Singlecut Beersmiths, a sessionable, hazy, hoppy beauty that, even with a low ABV, packs in a ton of flavor.

September 15th: I know I have a whole post dedicated to this beer, but it was so incredible and Lauri and Matt worked so hard to can it, and now they’re cranking out cans like crazy.  I’m just so full of love for them and for Moustache!  MANGOOOOOOO!! (There’s no mango emoji or that would go right here.

September 16th: Citra Ass Down from Against the Grain Brewery in Lexington, KY.  I love citra hops, and this is a superbly balanced IPA, with lovely sweetness from the malt and juicy orange and bitter orange zest from the hop.  Nice stuff.  Also, these dudes can’t be beat with their labeling (see the can art for The Brown Note, but not while you’re eating.)

September 16th: Samson and “his” beers at our bottle share.  Two Roads Brewing Workers Comp. Saison, and Perennial Suburban Beverage, a beautiful, tart Gose.

September 20th: My first visit to LIC Beer Project.  I picked up a 4 pack of cans of their Backjump IPA, and had to try it on draft!  Beautiful citrus, melon, a little pine.  The hops shine.  Never had a bad beer from these guys.

October 5th: Holly Kay and I had the day off together, did some shopping at the Danbury Fair Mall for waterproof boots for our upcoming Ireland trip, and headed down through Connecticut, first to New England Brewing, then to Two Roads, where they have these awesome flight paddles!  Holly got a tee shirt and I got a hoodie from these guys, and the highlights of this flight were the Espressway Stout, brewed with Espresso beans, and the Jalapeño Pils, a refreshing pilsner, clean, with grass, hay, and a little sweetness, and a jalapeño bite to make it extra caliente, baby!

October 10th: Happy Birthday Holly Kay!!  This Kolsch was an amazing way to start off the evening, low ABV, with bready and cracker malts, some spice and citrus from the Bavarian hops, and the addition of Mosaic hops (oh myyyy) gave this a floral, crisp citrus kick.  Loved loved loved this beer!  Thanks to our friend Joe for giving me this!

October 12: Hoppy Halloween!  I’d heard amazing things about Other Half Brewing Mylar Bags, and it did not disappoint.  Deep orange in color, with bursting with citrus (orange, mango, grapefruit).  IF A MYLAR BAG WAS FILLED WITH HOPS I WOULD WANT IT TO BE MY HOME.  SHRINK ME DOWN AND PUT ME INSIDE DAT BAG, BABY!

October 21st: WELCOME MOUSTACHE BREWING TO NYC!  Bradco, Holly Kay and I finished off our evening at Alewife NYC with some Everyman’s Porter.  A toasty, roasty, dark as night porter with notes of roasted coffee and chocolate.  Delicious, and another win for Lauri and Matt!

October 24th: Beer share with Will and Sarah!  We shared a wide array of delightful brews, including Barrier Daddy Warbucks ? IPA, Stone Xocoveza (pronounced Shock-oh-veza, because when you drink it you get a shock to your veza ?), Stillwater Artisinal Whole-icious Sour Mango IPA (yowza!), a Whole Foods exclusive beer, and a few Other Half brews, including the lovely Mosaic single hop IPA.

November 1st: Time to open Moustache Brewing Co. Seasonal Creep!  This beer is the definition of fall.  On a crisp evening, the pumpkin, spice, and notes of caramel with some boozy heat, warm your mind, body, and soul.  This helped Holly and I ease our travel stress while we packed for IRELAND!!!

November 1st: One of the best beers of the year.  From Peak Organic Brewing Company, The Juice is a superb hoppy Pale Ale, with zesty citrus hops accentuated by a cracker-like malt, with a dry finish that leaves you wanting another sip.  Seriously, stop drooling! ? 

November 6th: I had to throw some pictures in here from Ireland!  I enjoyed a Franciscan Well IPA with Holly Kay at P-Mac’s Bar at the Bunratty Castle and Folk Park.  This location was absolutely gorgeous, and we sat next to a fireplace and chatted about our favorite parts of the Ireland trip so far, and looked at pictures from the Dingle Peninsula.  One of the highlights of our trip, and one of my favorite moments spent with Holly Kay this year.

November 20th: Happy Birthday, Patrick!  I celebrated with a Singlecut Bon Bon 2x TNT IPA, which, as expected, was Dy-no-MITE!!

November 23rd:  Unfortunately, my Grandfather passed away the day after my birthday.  Thanks to our work benefits, Holly and I were able to take time off and spend a week on Long Island with my family, celebrating my Grandfather, Deacon William J. Powers, the only way we knew how.  We ate, drank, cried, laughed, sang, and celebrated.  His light shone in each and every one of us that week, and it was as joyful a celebration as it could have been.  We miss you, Gramp!

November 23rd: My brother Chris found a taste for Sours (yahoo!), and this Grimm Cube Cuveé #2 was tart, with orange citrus flavors from its time spent in Orange Bitters Barrels.  This was superb.

November 24th: Thanksgiving Day!  A new Moustache Brewing Co. can!  A beautifully balanced 6.0% ABV IPA.  Nice, crisp citrus, balanced with a nice bready malt backbone.  They’re just cranking out the hits.  ??

November 24th: Half Acre Goneaway IPA.  Bright, floral, citrus, with beautiful colorful 8-bit looking can art.  I love when a gorgeous beer comes in a beautiful can!

November 25th-26th: Sand City Brewing Co. Mofosaic and Even Mo Mofo.  Both are hopped only with Mosaic.  Mofosaic bursts with grapefruit, mango, floral notes, and caramel, the Even Mo dominates with liquid pineapple ? and beautiful sweetness.  I like to CHEW on my IPAs, and the mouthfeel on both of these was incredible.
November 29th: Dinner at Kelsey and Pete’s, drinking Holly Kay’s favorite, Anchor Brewing Merry Christmas and Happy New Year 2016.  Notes of caramel, plum, and spice, makes for a wonderful little Christmas treat!
December 2nd: Other Half Mosaic Dream IIPA at As Is, NYC.  Everybody Loves Raym…  errr…  Mosaic!  Juicy, juicy, juicy Lucy!  Passionfruit, mango, grapefruit, creamy mouthfeel!
December 9th: Singlecut Beersmith’s first can release!  Softly Spoken Magic Spells, a world class IIPA bursting with citrus and pine, and Workers Are Going Home, IIPA with flavors of stone fruit and lovely sweetness.  I also got some tastes while at the brewery, and the highlight was Kinky Boots of Lead, a sour version of their Heavy Boots of Lead Imperial Stout.  

December 11th: Sand City Brewing Co. Oops!  I Mangoed My Pants IIPA!  They took the recipe from their Oops!  I Hopped My Pants IPA, and added 450 pounds of mangoes to it, because why wouldn’t you?  These are the guys to watch for in 2017.

December 22nd: Back out on Long Island for Christmas!  If you thought Oskar Blues Ten Fidy was amazing, the Barrel brought out some boozy vanilla, and caramel to this already heavy hitter.  My Dad, the Stout Monster, certainly approved!
December 23rd: Awkward Conversations.  Appropriate for the Holidays, eh?  Another amazing IIPA from our dear friends at Moustache Brewing Co., pours a clear, amber color, and bursts with melon and citrus!  Keep it up, friends!!

December 24th: As Chris put it, “Benedict Beer Bloods.  I’m drinking an Awkward Conversations and Chris is drinking an Anderson Valley Briney Melon Gose.  (Autocorrect always tries to change Briney to Britney, maybe next time I’ll leave it.)
December 25th: Christmas!  Drinking a budweiser.  It’s the king of beers, I’ve heard.  Actually, it’s just a lil’ Goose Island Bourbon County for fun for your mouth.
That’s a lot of pictures.  

This year has had its ups and downs, for certain, but let’s celebrate the ups, let’s all be kind and caring and love one another, let’s get together, let’s spend time with those we love. 
Keep loving, keep living!
Cheers!

Long Island City Brewery Tour, or “A Stranger’s Just a Friend You Haven’t Met.”

A rare Saturday afternoon off…  It’s 2pm.  I was sitting in my pajamas on my couch watching Captain America: The Winter Soldier.  (I wasn’t in my underwear, you sickos!  Stop thinking about me in my underwear!  Wink!). I get a text from Bradco asking if I had any plans for the evening…

Holly and I were going to a pizza party (with SANTA I KNOW HIM)  later in the evening, but my afternoon was free (see earlier comment about me not sitting around in my underwear YOU THOUGHT ABOUT IT AGAIN!  Sickos!) and Brad said he was wandering around Astoria aimlessly…

So I gave him some aim.  I hopped on Transmitter Brewing’s website, and just a second later, Brad texted asking if I’d ever been. We think alike, Brad and I… (read: We think about beer a lot, Brad and I…)

We decided that, since there are 4 breweries in walking distance of each other in Long Island City (Transmitter, Rockaway Brewing Co., Big Alice Brewing, and LIC Beer Project), we would hit all four!

CUT TO: Transmitter Brewing.  I arrived first, and was greeted by Lexi, who was running the tasting room.  She had a few large (750 mL) bottles in front of her (they don’t have draft lines at the brewery), so I asked how it works, and she told me I could taste from the three bottles they were offering that day, and order any of the 750 mL bottles they had for sale for consumption on premesis, or to take away.  Brad arrived mere seconds after Lexi handed me my first sample and told me, “Your friend can catch up.”  Brad also had two large (750 mL) slices of pizza with him, and asked if I could help him eat them.  Yes.  Yes I could.

Ok.  The beer!  Brad and I sampled their three tasting room offerings that day.

First was G2 Golden Ale.  This is a Belgian style Golden Ale, with aromas of citrus (it’s hopped with Azacca), and spice and bubble gum from the Belgian yeast.  

Next up was IB1 Citrus and Elder Flower Saison (a collaboration with Interboro Spirits and Ales).  This had less hop citrus, and had herbal notes from the elderflower and citrus on the backend. 

The Third taste was A4 Belgian Quad, brewed with Star Anise, Black Pepper, and Grains Of Paradise.  A classic Belgian Quad, with candied sugar sweetness, caramel, dark fruits, and a bit of citrus.  It hid the 10% ABV very well.  We would have gotten a full bottle of that, but opted for something lower in alcohol, as we were just starting our day.


We shared a bottle of S8, a Rice Saison.  The rice added some really interesting sweetness (think Sake), and dried out this delicious saison, with spice and citrus notes, leaving you wanting more.  This was a perfect table beer to compliment the pizza.  

The tasting room is right inside the brew house, which I assume would make it impossible to brew on days they’re open.  It’s small, but industrial, with tall ceilings and big barrels (a theme you’ll see in the pictures from the rest of the breweries).

Something is hibernating in here…

Gorgeous stainless steel tanks!

Bradco posing seriously with S8 Rice Saison in Transmitter’s brew house/tasting room.

LOL OUTTAKES FROM OUR MAN PHOTO SHOOT!

We left, and walked the 10 minutes north to Rockaway Brewing Co., which I had never visited before.  My favorite thing about this place was that they were rocking some magical Christmas songs, and one of the bartenders was belting them out from behind the bar, which only spread Christmas cheer throughout the tasting room and made the (already amazing) beer taste better.

Being my first time here, I ordered “The Other Flight”.

First off was Hawaiian Pizza IPA.  At 6.5%, this had a really nice body and awesome pineapple hop profile, and I will absolutely come back and grab a growler of this stuff.

My second in the flight was the Hüllified Gangsta Lean, a 3.9%, summery, wheat ale with notes of melon and peach.  Super interesting beer to drink as it’s getting colder, but it was a nice reminder of summer in NYC.

Third was Black Gold, a lovely, lower ABV, toasty roasty Stout.

Last but not least was El Cuco, a Milk Stout, with bitter chocolate, coffee, and some milky sweetness.  Awesome stuff. 

Brad and I did the free tour, with an enthusiastic host, who told us about the brewery history (Why is it called Rockaway Brewing if it’s not in the Rockaways?  Well, it used to be!  And soon, they’ll have a brewery/tasting room there again!), let us smell some whole cone and hop pellets, and taste barley.  I LOVE TOURS.

Hops!  Barley!  Barrels!

We moved on up to Big Alice Brewing!  You remember my last post about them, right?  If not, here’s a refresher!

Brad and I sat down, and Annie and Cory were behind the bar (you’ll remember Annie from the previous blog post!), and we chatted with them for a bit, although they were quite busy on a Saturday night (Drink local!!). 

Holly joined us here as she got out of work, and we all had multiple tastes from their extensive (12 beers and 1 cider) tap list.  We each had two small pours of our favorite, Jalapeño Rye IPA, with just enough heat from the peppers to balance out the citrus from the hops and spicy sweetness of the rye malt.  It’s unreal stuff.  

Another favorite of ours was the Date Night, Bro?  This is a stout with coffee (OK) and DONUTS (OK!!!)!!!  Dessert.  Plain and simple.

Another highlight?  Sour One with Cranberries.  Super tart, with a lovely cranberry sweetness.  Could drink this stuff all day!

I.  Love.  Big Alice.

As we waited for our Uber to arrive, we each drank another taster of Jalapeño Rye, because that’s what ya do when your driver won’t arrive for 7 minutes.  Ya get spicy.

I don’t like walking out this door…

We could have walked to LIC Beer Project, but, it was cold, and, we were lazy.  And it got us there in like 4 minutes.  And then we were…

Here.

Brad and I ordered the Modern Aberration Double IPA with Brettanomyces (see my post on Sour Beer here!!), which was dank, tart, citrusy and amazing…

I forgot to take a picture of mine.  This one is Brad’s, and is half gone.  I’m so sorry.

Holly ordered the Gal Friday, a delightfully light, crisp, sour.  Pucker up!

Holly Kay (in her Big Alice SWAG) and Bradco!

Another beautiful, spacious, industrial space with barrels!!

So, as I was checking into my Modern Aberration on Untappd, I noticed that one of my Untappd friends had checked in moments earlier to the same beer AT LIC BEER PROJECT.  I swore aloud (I’m sorry) to Holly and Bradco, and said “HOLY SH**!  ONE OF MY UNTAPPD FRIENDS IS HERE AND I’VE NEVER MET HIM!!”  The internet is weird.  

So I walked around the bar, calling his name (BECAUSE I AM A TOTAL WEIRDO!). “JASON S.?  JASON S.?”  Eventually, I found him, and we laughed, along with his friends he had brought to the brewery, about how funny the internet is.  I told them about the blog, and asked for a selfie with him because, you know, Pics or It Didn’t Happen, right?  We became Facebook friends, and actual real life friends (or, he thinks that I’m a maniac, I hope not.)

Untappd, bringing Internet Friends together in actual real life.

So yeah, we hit all 4 LIC Breweries in one night, and then we met up with our friend Bryan and my wonderful family (Uncle Bill and Aunt Dolores, and my cousins Billy, Andrew, James, Aidan and Thomas) at Sokol, the gym where Holly does gymnastics, which just so happens to be attached to the Bohemian Beer Garden in Astoria.  We ate pizza, we drank a pitcher of Oktoberfest, we got our picture taken with Santa, and we did The Turkey Dance.
A Bunch of Turkeys!!
Brad with his empty glass of Spaten Oktoberfest!
James!
Bryan!
I love when an unexpected Saturday off leads to some amazing beer adventures with my sweet Holly Kay, my wonderful friends, and family.  2016 keeps throwing flaming tires at all of us, and all we can do is keep on dodging ’em.  Be kind to everyone.  Have fun.  Spread joy, spread love.  It’s not profound.  It’s just beer.

Let’s do it!

Until next time.

Cheers!

​

Galway Pt. II, or, I’m Not a Creep But I Did Facebook Friend Our Waiter at Blakes Because He Was Awesome…

**HELLO!  Before we begin, you can still donate to Galway Hospice HERE (We talked about it last week), Alan and the Galway Bay Brewery boys have raised nearly 10,000 Euro total!!  Click the link and donate!**

When last we left you, dear, sweet readers, Holly Kay and I had just tapped out after our ___th Murphy’s Irish Stout, and headed back to our B&B for a long winter’s nap…  (See Galway Bay Brewery Pt. I if you haven’t read it, then head on back here!)

Our next morning, we had our full Irish Breakfast and drove into Galway on our quest for Irish Sweaters!  We’d been looking in each town for the perfect sweaters (because ya have to!!) and we stumbled upon the Galway Woollen Market, a quaint little shop with two floors of many different styles of Aran Islands Knitwear.  Holly ended up with two sweaters, one purple, and one green, which make her look really cute and Irish, and I ended up with a lovely navy blue sweater with big brown wooden buttons that, in my humble opinion, makes me look like Paddington Bear, which is also cute (but not Irish) (but still cute.  I’m cute.)img_2379This picture also made it into last week’s blog, but Holly’s too cute for me to just post it once, and also, it’s right in front of the Galway Woollen Market!!

img_2381HK Drinking a Latte at Coffeewerk + Press in Galway City!

img_2396Coffeewerk was such a cool space!

After our morning shopping in Galway, and because we were spending two nights, we planned an afternoon SPA DAY (!!!) at the Shore Island Spa at the Loughrea Hotel and Spa, just outside of Galway City.  We decided on a Couples Afternoon package, which included a massage, facial, the Rasul Mud Chamber (which is something I never need to do, ever again), and 90 minutes in the Thermal Relaxation Suite, which had saunas, steam rooms, a jacuzzi, and two relaxation rooms, one dark, with color lights all over the ceiling, and one light, overlooking the gorgeous Lough Rea.

It was a wonderful few hours, and a nice period where we could stop, breathe, and reflect on our beautiful vacation.

When we got back to Galway, we parked our car back at the B&B and walked the 10 minutes into Galway City.  Our new friend Darren (the Irish Whiskey aficionado) recommended we visit Garavan’s, the bar he manages.  We ran into our OTHER new friend Sjef, behind the bar, who recommended a few places to eat.  Both Sjef and the other bartender recommended a pub called Blakes Bar, a lovely little pub attached to a restaurant called Brasserie on the Corner, with a small, artisanal menu.  Holly and I shared everything, Chili and Sesame chicken wings (which came in a giant bowl and the wings were covered in the sweet, spicy chili and sesame sauce), an Irish Cheese Board (BECAUSE WHY NOT?) and a Beef Burger.  We figured if our night was going to be anything like the night before (beer emoji beer emoji beer emoji winking face emoji) we wanted to make sure our bellies were full.

The food was great, but our experience was made perfect by our server, James.  He was just as knowledgeable as Darren (and had been to some whiskey conferences with him) and well versed in all the Irish Whiskeys on the menu.  He made some suggestions, and we ordered the Powers John’s Lane, a 12 year old Single Pot Still, aged in both bourbon and sherry casks which is named after the address of the original Powers distillery.  It was smooth, with dark fruits, caramel, vanilla and toffee.  Here’s how it went down…  Holly Kay: “I’d like that on the rocks.”  James: “Nooooooooo…”  So he brought them out neat, and we enjoyed them neat, and it was an absolutely lovely accompaniment to our full meal.

Our expectations on this trip were to experience some of the quintessential Irish hospitality, and James at Blake’s Bar went above and beyond our expectations, chatting with us about whiskey (as Darren had the night before), and what we’d done on our trip so far.  He turned what was an already good meal into a wonderful experience.  And now we’re friends on Facebook (I’m not creepy!!)  Cheers, James!

We then headed back to Garavan’s, and went with one of Darren and Alan’s suggestions from the night before, Green Spot, another Single Pot Still, with flavors of vanilla, citrus, and mint.  We caught the end of some live music, which was great Craic!

Live Music at Garavans! (apologies for the vertical video, it was a Facebook Live)

img_2385Christmas came early in Galway!

img_2384It was cold outside, but it was Nut Hot in here!

After Garavans, we went to the Salt House, Galway Bay Brewery‘s other pub in Galway City, and met up again with Alan…img_2394You all remember Alan from last week’s post…  This no-longer-bearded beauty and his GBB family raised nearly 10,000 Euro for Galway Hospice, and you can still donate HERE!

We met up with Alan and his wife Danielle, and Laurien (whose husband Will is the head brewer for GBB)…  Laurien and Will are transplants from Georgia, and it was fun that my Mississippi gal got to hang out with another southerner!

img_2393‘Allo Harvey!  This little gal belongs to Alan and Danielle!  What a face!!

Wait, so, this is a blog about beer?

Alright, let’s get to it…

As soon as we arrived, Alan greeted us, and said to Holly Kay, “I know more than anybody when you hit that wall…  And last night, at around 11pm, I noticed that you’d hit that wall.  And when I woke up this morning, I felt kind of bad for ya…”  Holly said “Don’t feel bad!  We had an amazing time!”  Apparently, Alan, Darren, and Sjef left Lonergan’s and headed to…  Where else?  The Casino!  These guys are professionals, and have way more stamina than I do…

I was handed a glass of Galway Bay Brewery’s Full Sail IPA (which I spoke about in last week’s post), which is a balanced, citrusy wonderland of Irish fun…

img_2387I drank x2 of these…  Trolltunga by Buxton Brewing from England, in collaboration with Lervig Brewery in Norway.  This was a sour IPA, with tart, tropical peach, grapefruit, and pine.  Absolutely unreal stuff.  Alan was so excited about it (he was drinking it when we got there) and it was wonderful.

img_2386My Dad’s favorite beer!  So nice to see some US craft on draught!

img_2388Holly ordered the Buxton Brewery Extra Porter, brewed with Guatemalan Coffee…  Super bitter, roasty chocolate, coffee, dark cherries, floral, smokey.  Another fantastic brew.  We’ve got to find our way to England to try more of their beer!

We were so happy to be able to spend time with our new friend, Alan, and to have met Danielle and Laurien.  Galway is a magical city, and that was only emphasized by all the hospitality we experienced while we were there.  We’ll absolutely be back (Alan, you got a spare room?)

Until next time!

Cheers!

Galway Bay Brewery and the Beard Off Fundraiser, or, How We Made New Beer Friends Across the Atlantic Sea!!

Hello, friends!

***I wanted to FIRST start off this post by saying, Thursday, December 1st, Galway Bay Brewery in association with The Oslo, Salthouse and Gallagher Galway are hosting a BEARD-OFF Fundraiser to raise money for Galway Hospice.  If your means allow, please donate HERE and we will watch all of these grown men’s glorious beards be shaved off for an amazing cause.  Head to the Galway Beard-Off Fundraiser Facebook Page to see videos of the boys talking about how life will be without beards… Now, back to your regularly scheduled Blog Post….***

We have a very special post today, as I will recant the tale of how Holly Kay and I met some of the coolest people in Ireland…  WITH BEER!

The last post I wrote about Ireland left off with us getting a great night’s sleep after a wonderful night out in Killarney.  From there, we drove the unbelievably GORGEOUS Dingle Peninsula, whose vistas are stunning, every way you turn.

img_2298 Come on!img_2263 Come on!img_2314I mean, COME ON!!

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From there, we drove and stayed in Gallow’s View Bed & Breakfast in Bunratty, where we were warmly welcomed by our host.  I’ll write about this part of our trip in a later blog post, so stay tuned.

Our next B&B was St. Judes, in Upper Salthill, just across the river from Galway City.  St. Judes was a lovely, French-style home just about a 10 minute walk into Galway proper, and, if you walk in the opposite direction, about 10 minutes from Lower Salthill, with bars, restaurants, an aquarium, and some casinos.

img_2378Galway City

img_2379Holly Kay in the Latin Quarter, Galway.

Before we left the US, I posted a message on a beer group that I’m a part of on Facebook, asking for recommendations for awesome craft beer in Ireland.  I received a response from Alan O’Reilly, manager of Oslo Bar in Lower Salthill, which is the flagship pub of the Galway Bay Brewery.

Alan wrote, “If you bring me American Craft Beer, I will give you beer.  Galway Bay Brewery beer!”  Holly immediately bought two large wine bottle sized ziplock bags on Amazon (which triple zip, so if anything breaks or leaks, it won’t get all over your clothes), and we brought 4 different American beers over with us.

We arrived at Oslo Bar around 6:30pm, and were on the lookout for Alan, who we found out back, inside what seemed to be Galway Bay Brewery’s brew house.  We soon discovered that GBB had expanded, and the brew house in the back of Oslo Bar is now used as a Distillery for Micil Poitín, an Irish sprit (think of it as Irish moonshine), made from Irish Grain and bogbean, a plant that grows in bogs throughout Europe.  We met Padraic O’Griallais, who quit his job as an Irish Speaking Schoolteacher, to take over his family’s business.  Micil is named after his Great-Great-Great Grandfather, Micil Mac Chearra.  Of course, Holly Kay and I were poured a sample, and it was spicy, herbal, and warmed our hearts and souls with the spirit of Ireland.  Man, it was so cool.

After that amazing introduction, it was time to show Alan the beers we brought!

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We brought two Gose-style sours, Westbrook Brewing Gose, and Stillwater Artisinal Gose Gone Wild, an IPA that our buddy Nathan had brought us from Georgia, Orpheus Brewing Life.Death.Life.Truth, and Peak Organic The Juice, an amazing new beer from this brewery, a hoppy pale ale.

To say Alan was thrilled would be an understatement.  I mean, just look at our faces in the photo above.  It was so cool to make new friends halfway across the world, simply with craft beer!  Alan was giddily showing his coworkers the beer we brought him, and told us to follow him back down to the bar.

img_2368Alan giving us his best smile, and showing some bar patrons some amazing stouts that are NOT Guinness.  (I sent this to my Dad, of course, please refer to my blog post about the Stout Monster)

We sat down at the bar and Alan poured me one of GBB’s newest beers, a collaboration with Cigar City Brewing (!!!), Ceasefire Rhubarb Sloe Sour.  Some lemon and lime pucker, with nice bitterness from the rhubarb.  These guys aren’t messing around with their beers.  They recently hired Will Avery, all the way from Georgia (the United State, not the country) to be their Brewmaster, and expanded their brew house to a location just outside of Galway City.

We were going to visit the brew house itself, but the timing didn’t work out, so that just means we’ll have to go back to Galway soon so I can write another blog post!  Ok, Holly?  😉

Alan poured Holly a Harvest Altar, a delightful brown ale with sweet, nutty caramel from the malts, with some nice hop spice and bitterness.

Next up for me was Full Sail, GBB’s flagship IPA, really well balanced, with some juicy hops (El Dorado and Cascade) and a sweet malt backbone.  This guy clocks in at 5.8%, so, it would be cool to have a few of these and see how the flavors develop.  Again, that’ll be another trip back to Galway!

While at Oslo Bar, we also met Darren Green, Alan’s dear friend, whiskey expert, and manager of Garavan’s in Galway, which won Whiskey Bar of the Year in 2014 and 2015.  As soon as he heard Holly Kay mention the word whiskey, he perked up, and immediately rattled off nearly the entire history of Irish Whiskey, to our surprise, and also to our DELIGHT

Alan was finishing work at 7pm, and told us to meet he and Darren later at Lonergan’s Bar, just a short walk from Oslo Bar, which, as he described it, is unlike any other bar we’d see in Ireland…  “We’re the youngest people there by 50 YEARS…)  But first, we asked for dinner recommendations, and Alan suggested Dough Bros, in Galway City.  We had to go, because you can’t just have one pizza in Ireland…

img_2371It’s Dough Bros, Bro!

img_2372Holly and I shared a Limeburner Pale Ale from Kinnegar Brewing in Donegal.  As Alan put it, these guys don’t make a bad beer.  This bottle was about 6 months from its bottling date, but the citrus of the hops stuck around just enough to balance the malts.  Crisp, and super refreshing, this was a perfect pairing to our pizza…  Bros.

Alright, so…  Lonergan’s.  We took a cab back down to Salthill, and walked into the pub, and, as Alan had described, the place was full of elderly Irish men (and one dog).  The only other lady in the pub was our sweet Barmaid.  She poured us two pints of Murphy’s Irish Stout, and we sipped them as we waited for our new friends to join us…

img_2375Proper Glassware…  Also, can you call this a perfect pour?  Or is that trademarked?

A few minutes later, Alan, Darren, and Sjef (a bartender and another whiskey connoisseur from Garavan’s) came in.  Suffice to say, Alan made good on his promise, (but not before signing up for, and encouraging Holly Kay and I, to donate funds to Galway Hospice for GBB’s BEARD-OFF Fundraiser), as we were chatting with the fellas about The Circus American Politics, Irish television show Father Ted, Craft Beer, Whiskey, and everything else under the sun, every few minutes, another pint of Murphy’s would magically appear in our hands.  By about 11pm, Holly Kay and I looked at each other, and said “We’ve GOT to go.”  We’d been up since around 7am, and had driven several hours that day, and although Murphy’s is less than 5% ABV, when you’ve drank 6 or 7 of them, you start to get a little bit of the jelly leg, if ya know what I mean.  So we drank what we could of that last pint, bid our goodnights, and went back to St. Jude for a gooooood night’s sleep.

I’m going to stop here, and will continue our Galway tale in my next blog post.

I’ll finish by reiterating that TOMORROW NIGHT is Galway Bay Brewery’s BEARD-OFF Fundraiser to raise money for Galway Hospice, and you can donate HERE if your means allow!

Thanks for reading, and until next time!

Cheers!

Irish Whiskey Experience, or The Events That Lead Patrick and Holly Kay to a Denjoe’s at Nearly Midnight

Another from my Sexy Posing in Front of Breweries, Pubs, and Historic Sites series…  Kilkenny Castle.

After spending our afternoon exploring Kilkenny and Kilkenny Castle, we drove nearly 3 hours to check into our first B&B in Killarney, the quaint Windway House.

It was a 7 minute walk to the Downtown area of Killarney, which, even when not decorated for Christmas, looks and feels like it.  We were exhausted, and starving, but we wanted to relax for a few minutes, and had a cup of tea in the shared lobby area, and our host Frank greeted us warmly and recanted stories about his daughter who had moved to New York.  He was the sweetest man, and had exactly the Irish hospitality we were hoping for when we chose to do a B&B heavy vacation.

We took the quick walk into the city, and had read about a restaurant called the Irish Whiskey Experience and Celtic Whiskey Bar and Larder in our research on Trip Advisor.

The entryway to Irish Whiskey Experience, adorned with barrel bottoms!

Irish Whiskey Experience has 5 stars on Trip Advisor, and all the reviews we read said that even without the whiskey, the food is incredible.  So…  Good food?  Check.  Good Whiskey?  Check.  And oh yeah, this is a blog about Beer.  Good craft beer.  Check.

My dear sweet Lord…  Am I in heaven?

We sat at a table for two, with a large collection of Irish Whiskeys behind a glass partition lining one side of the restaurant, across from the bar.  We were told by our server that the Whiskey behind that glass wasn’t for sale, but more of a collection, and there were some pretty rare bottles.  We were handed menus, and greeted by some delicious looking Gastropub style food, and an extensive drinks list.

Holly Kay in front of a drinkable (well, not for us) museum!

Holly had the Dubliner Cocktail, with Powers Three Swallow Whiskey, Carpano Antica, Thyme-infused Grand Marnier (holy lord) and Orange Bitters.  It was out of this world!

I knew that Holly would be ordering Whiskey (because she’s amazing) so I ordered a fantastic India Pale Lager (a massively hopped lager) called Remix, from Trouble Brewing in Kill (yup, real place), Ireland.

India Pale Lagers are growing in popularity here in the US, so I was surprised to see one in Ireland, and this stands up to some of the Northeast style, hopped up beers I’m so lucky to have here in NY (I compared it to an IPL I had recently tried from Singlecut Beersmiths in Astoria).  The fact that it’s a lager makes it a bit smoother around the edges, the sweetness from the malt balances out the amazing citrus (grapefruit, mango, pineapple) from the hops.

Let’s talk food.  First, we shared the Artisinal Cheese Board (because OF COURSE WE DID!).  Didn’t get a picture of this.  We’d been driving for several hours before this and basically inhaled it.

You’re not seeing things.  Pork Belly, garlic-roasted spinach, baked potatoes, apple sauce, and brown gravy.

Holly had an 8oz Fillet Steak (because, I failed to mention, I married a beautiful, female version of Ron Swanson, and I couldn’t be happier), with green beans in a whiskey cream sauce, and frites (that’s french fries.  Eat ’em.)

I was too busy inhaling my pork belly to get a picture of the steak, but it melted in my mouth when I bit into it.  We were told by several people before we left that the food isn’t great in Ireland.  Restaurants like the Celtic Whiskey Bar and Larder are changing this stereotype.  So, get here.

I DID take a picture of the beer I had with my meal…  So, hold up whilst I insert this amazingness into your mind grapes…

img_2236Brouwerij Boon Oude Geuze Boon (2013-2014).  See here for the description, but this is a blend of young and aged sour ales, creating a funky, tart, sour with notes of red wine, citrus, and wood.  This is the closest I’ve ever been to Belgium (hopefully not for long), but it was a perfect compliment to the salty pork belly.  (And you can see Holly’s steak!)

Also, please refer to my post about Sour Beers and pucker up for more fun!

After dinner, we decided to explore more of Killarney, and ended up in a Dunnes, which is like a hybrid Target and Macy’s, with a grocery store.  And, surprise, surprise, Patrick found the beer section!

img_2238Ireland is stepping up its craft beer game!

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After galavanting around Dunnes, we went to Sheehan’s Bar, on the recommendation from Frank, as they have live traditional Irish Music, followed by Danny Mann’s, which had modern Folk music playing.

img_2242Because we couldn’t stay away, we finished off our evening in gorgeous Killarney with a nightcap back at the Irish Whiskey Experience!

Our legs were jelly at this point (you know, Irish Whiskey….), and we hadn’t eaten in a few hours, so, like real adults, we found ourselves at a DenJoes, which is a hybrid pizza and fried chicken joint, and ordered a two piece fried chicken meal with chips, and enjoyed seeing all the late-night locals who had probably more than we’d had to drink, especially the one lad who was sitting at a table and kept gesturing to us and saying “These are reservvvvvved,” and giggling.  He must have said it five times.  When his friends joined him, one of them took one bite of chicken and promptly fell asleep.  We walked the short block back to our awesome B&B and had one hell of a night’s sleep.

YO, IRELAND IS AMAZING.  IF YOU HAVEN’T, Y’ALL SHOULD GO.

And if you go, go to Killarney, and go to Irish Whiskey Experience and Celtic Whiskey Bar and Larder.

Christmas in Killarney.  Irish Whiskey.  Craft Beer.  AMAZING Food.  Adventure.  Love.  This was absolutely the trip of a lifetime.

Until next time, I love you all!

Cheers!

 

 

Guinness Storehouse, or, How Holly Kay and Patrick Showed Off Their Former Bartending Skills (And Received the Certificates to Prove It!)

From my Sexy Posing in Front of Breweries series…

Hi all!  Update #1 from beautiful, sunny then suddenly rainy Ireland!  We are safely in Kilkenny, about to have our second breakfast on this unbelievably green island, and today, we’re going Full Irish (get your mind outta the gutter…)!  I wanted to share some photos from our trip to the Guinness Storehouse yesterday!  

Holly and I opted to pour our own Perfect Pints, as the Gravity Bar (with a 360 degree view of the city of Dublin) was filled with loud, obnoxious Americans, “I’M FINE ON THE STAIAHS (stairs)!  I DON’T NEED TO WAIT FAH (for) YEW (you)!!”  A grandmother yelled to her family members.  

This was the only photo I could get without a bunch of strangers in it.  But check out the top of that guy’s head!

There’s a lot of money in the Guinness Storehouse, its kind of like Walt Disney World, (it’s even got a whole section dedicated to how important water is to beer, and the waterfall smells like Disney water!).

  Don’t go chasing waterfalls, please stick to the barley and hops that you’re used to…

A lot of the different videos were outdated, and whatever was supposed to be projected inside the simulated mash tun wasn’t working.  

We saw some great exhibits, though, specifically the advertising section, and the shop was beautifully decorated for Christmas (WE LOVE CHRISTMAS, FA LA LA LA LA, LA LA LA LA!)
Anyway, I won’t blather on.  Here’s some pictures from our experience!  Enjoy!

My gorgeous wife!

Here’s a normal pose!

My lovely!

2 Zombies in Dublin!  (I slept a total of 2.32 hours on the overnight flight…)

Looking up into the barrel!

God’s flower…
For the love of barrels!

Someone left the remains of their Perfect Pint in the bathroom!

My Goodness!

My Guinness!

Holly’s feeling Hoppy!

🙂

This guy looks like all the exit signs in Ireland…

Hiding…

Sipping off the shell of a turtle!

Holly Kay befriending a horse!

The store!  All decorated for Christmas! (FA LA LA LA LA…)

Our Perfect Pints!  Poured ourselves, and with the Certificates to prove it!

No New Blog Post This Week, Or, Actually, There Might Be Several!

Seasonal Creep

Hello, faithful Readers! Usually I put out a new post every Monday or Tuesday.

WELL, NOT THIS WEEK!  OK, BYE!

…

…

…

……

Are you still there?

Cool. There will be posts coming up, probably multiple posts, because PATRICK AND HOLLY KAY ARE TAKING A WING-ED TRAIN, HURTLING THROUGH THE SKY AT SEVERAL HUNDRED MILES AN HOUR, TO THE LAND OF THE EMERALD ISLE, JOLLY OL’ IRELAND!!

So I’ll be posting from time to time as Holly Kay and I discover some new (to us) Irish Craft Beer along our adventures!

I look forward to sharing with you all!

Until next time!

Cheers!

Oh, but this is a blog about Beer. Last night, on All Hallows’ Eve (said in a spooky voice) Holly and I opened our bottle of Moustache Brewing Co. Seasonal Creep!

This is a pumpkin ale that Matt and Lauri released in July (as big distributors are doing with pumpkin ales now) that is designed to be aged 3 months (or more) so the flavors develop and it still tastes amazing even if you open it (as we did) in October or November!

I picked flavors of caramel, cinnamon, clove, cinnamon, and (of course) pumpkin! This beer is super boozy at 10.3% ABV, so it’s a sipper. We enjoyed it while we packed for our trip, which made a usually daunting task, less daunting.


Grim Grinning Ghosts and Seasonal Creep!

See you all very soon!

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….