Jackson Heights

Patrick starts a YouTube Channel, or, PREPARE FOR MAXIMUM VIDEO SILLINESS

Creatures of earth, hello and welcome. I know it’s been a while (Staind) since I’ve been over in this neck of the woods, but it’s been a busy couple of months!

Speaking of busy, I’ve had so many people tell me “Patrick, we need to see you!” Or “Patrick, your writing is so SEXY, we need to see you on camera,” or “Your writing sucks, you should probably just make videos.” 🤷🏻‍♂️

Ok, maybe none of those things were said, but I made a YouTube channel anyway!

You can find it HERE!

Here are the videos I’ve posted so far!

This one is about some beer I got from Mast Landing!

My first Shirts on Tap delivery!

Back Channel Brewing, or, a video about BOWLS.

Let me know what you think!

Until next time,

Cheers!

Industry Meet and Greet at Mikkeller NYC, or, Bulgogi Empanadas Are Life, Fam.

A few weeks ago, I got a Facebook Message from Matt Rowsell, a gentleman I’ve been Facebook Friends with for a while, also an Insurance Agent at James F. Sutton Insurance Agency, asking if I wanted to come to an Industry Meet and Greet at Mikkeller NYC (Y’all know my love for this brewery already, so there’s no need for me to gush again…) followed by a Mets game at Citifield (you know, that place that’s attached to Mikkeller NYC?). He said he had ONE TICKET free.

The Taproom at Mikkeller NYC

I messaged him back, saying I didn’t want to leave Holly Kay behind, but thanks anyway for the offer. He wrote back “I’ll let you know if another ticket shakes free.” Not thinking about it, I walked away from my momentary excitement and went back to work. About 30 minutes later, he messages again “Another ticket shook free!” Whoever was shaking all these Mets tickets free, thank you, Magical Ticket Shaker, for shaking your magical tickets upon my sweet Holly Kay and I.

I texted Holly, as we hadn’t yet made plans for the evening, and she of course said YES, she’d love to join me! The fun thing about impromptu date nights is it can break the monotony of the work week. Especially on Monday, arguably the worst day of the week.

How can we get rid of Mondays? Aside from a shrink-ray that will diminish Mondays until we can just step over them directly into Tuesday, the only other thing I can think of is to get offered tickets to a Mets game and an evening at Mikkeller NYC EVERY MONDAY. It’s foolproof.

Anyway, to make a long story short, the game got rained out. My Mets-loving coworker Justin sent me a tweet from the Mets, stating the game had been postponed to another day. “Manic Monday” by The Bangles slowly crept into my head, which, by the way, is literally a song about having a dream about making out with a hot Italian dude and then having to go about your regular Monday business. “Have to catch an early train / Got to be to work by nine.” That sounds more like a REGULAR MONDAY. There’s nothing manic about this! Come on, Angela Bangle, if that is your real name (it isn’t).

The line for the restroom at Mikkeller NYC

I messaged Matt again, who said that the Mikkeller Meet and Greet was still on! Hooray hoorah! Beer and Food! New friends! Food! Beer! Regular Monday faded out of my head, and some other song took its place (probably It’s a Small World or Tiki Room because I’ve got a Disney trip coming up).

Matt is awesome, by the way. If you’re a brewery, you should use him as your Insurance Agent. He explained that he grew up with Matt and Lauri Spitz, co-owners of Moustache Brewing Co. (who, as you already know, I collaborated with on You Lucky People, You, a Dole Whip inspired Double IPA, did I mention I have a Disney trio coming up?). And It’s a Small World crept into my head again. Shut up, head, I’m trying to talk!

We got to mingle with some of the co-sponsors of the event, Dave Oksenhorn and John Ahern, of @nybeercpas, who were all lovely, and about an hour in, Richie, Head Brewer at Mikkeller NYC, offered to give us a tour of their massive brewhouse.

It’s kind of like a beer nerd’s dream in there. As a non-brewer, it was cool to see the complex system of tanks and pipes to pump the beer from vessel to vessel. A ton of science goes into the beer that’s in that glass in front of you, Insert Your Name Here.

The brew house is absolutely gorgeous, the stainless steel shines like the top of the Chrysler Building (oh, a reference to the musical theater masterpiece Annie? Cool!)

Miss Hannigan. Cruel or just misunderstood?

We spent the rest of the evening enjoying some fantastic Mikkeller Brews with the crew from Big aLICe Brewing, Allie Breitfeller from Pratt Industries, who provide all the cardboard boxes for Mikkeller NYC, and other NYC Breweries. The menu at Mikkeller NYC is extensive, featuring local restaurants like our neighborhood favorite Unidentified Flying Chickens. The beef bulgogi empanadas are a must. You like buttery, flaky crust surrounding salty meat with Korean spices? Welp, this is right up your alley, and you should probably eat it NOW.

All in all, it was an evening of community, friendship, and beer! I love being a part of the NYC Craft Beer community! Come hang out with us BECAUSE WE’RE FUN!

See? We’re fun!

Make sure you follow me over on Instagram for more silliness!

Until next time!

Cheers!

I’m Still Here, I’m Just Over There… Or, “Hey Everyone, Come and See How Good I Look!”

As Aaron Lewis from Staind once said, “It’s been awhile…”

You don’t even know how many hours and how many cigarettes it took this dude to come up with the title of this song…

Fret not, dear reader! I’m still here, I’m just… over there?

“But where is there?” You ask yourself.

Over there?

“Where is anywhere?” I respond to your question with another question. It gets really existential. We both stare into each other’s eyes. We cry, we both cry, we all cry, there is nothing but tears… And laughter. All is fun and happiness. And sadness. Life is beautiful!

Confused yet? Me too! Hello!

Anyway, I’ve been busy! If you’re not yet, head over to my Instagram Page for daily doses of Craft Beer fun!

Like this! HK Benny with a collab between The Bruery and NOLA Brewing!

Last month, I was a guest star with my friends over at Black & Tan TV, so if you wanna see my pretty lil’ face, you can see my episodes HERE and HERE!

You’ll get to see tender moments like this…

Also, I’ve written a few articles over at Tigerlyfe Times, you can check those out HERE, HERE, and HERE!

You can view my archive of articles on TigerLyfe Times HERE! (I love that they refer to me as AUTHOR! Hey Mom, I’m an author!!

I was also featured as a guest blogger for Beer Today, Beer Tomorrow, you can check out my blog post for them right over HERE! Please also be on the lookout for an interview I did with them, coming soon!

I’ve got some cool beer-related stuff coming soon! Keep an eye on Instagram next week for more info! I’m very excited!

See you soon! Very soon!

Until next time…

Cheers!

What’s in Your Fridge? Or, How to Squeeze Your Groceries, Tetris-Like, Around Your Beer

Hello, Fair Readers!

I’ve been told recently by Jordan, a friend of the blog, “You know what you should do? You should do a ‘What’s in my fridge?’ post.” And considering that I’ve had a few awesome hauls over the past couple of weeks, my fridge was literally bursting at the seams with beer.

But like, seriously.

I’m not kidding…

Did you think I was kidding? I wasn’t kidding.

Also, one FAT bottle of VEUVE, baby. Because you know We classy, and we gotta let ‘em know.

So what an appropriate time to do a post about what happens to be in my fridge, because what happens to be in my fridge is a metric ton of beer.

So let’s take a look, shall we?

Jordan, you’re welcome!

I’ve been jiving on this Destihl Brewery Wild Sour Series, and this Blueberry Gose is a tart, easy drinking sour beer, whose addition of blueberries balances it with a lovely bit of sweetness that will please anyone.

Holly Kay and I had dinner last night at Astoria Bier and Cheese, where I picked up this newest Grimm Artisanal Ales IIPA, Striking. I haven’t had this, as it’s brand new, but it’s brewed with Motueka, Azacca, and Ekuanot cryo. I did not know what Cryo Hops were, but check it out here. Some insane(ly brilliant) person decided to use science to separate all the different parts of the hop. SCIENCE!

Holly Kay being cheeky at Astoria Bier and Cheese

Bolero Snort Moountie, an Smoked Imperial Brown Ale with Coffee and (!!!) Maple Syrup (!!!). This right here, folks, is a Holly Kay Beer. HK loves Brown Ales, and Coffee, and who doesn’t like maple syrup? I will report back on this, but I’ve liked the three other Beers I had from Bolero Snort!

You all know this one! A classic Northeast Style IPA, and another Holly Kay favorite!

Singlecut Beersmiths DDH (double dry-Hopped, and I would still love an explanation from ANYONE about what this means, because it could mean any number of things…) Is This The Real Life? Pineapple like whoa, juicy, tropical citrus, balanced by that very uniquely Singlecut malty sweetness, and their own house yeast shines through as well.

Amongst the eggplants, garlic, and chicken stock, LIC Beer Project Cannons. Picked this up at their can release two weekends ago. Citrus, ripe melon, with a smooth, creamy mouthfeel. So dang good, this beer is!

Brad and I visited Other Half Brewing on Saturday evening, and discovered that their expansion means… More beer! Pictured above are their collaboration with Amager Bryghus from Denmark, Heavy Mentals IIPA, and their collaboration with Stigbergets Bryggeri from Sweden, Chimera Imperial Oat Cream IPA. They both sound incredible, and I’ve heard great things about both.

Dogfish Head Oak Aged Vanilla World Wide Stout. 18%. Vanilla. Oak. That’s all you need to know.

This one I’m super excited about. River Horse Brewing Craic! You could take anything, age it in Jameson barrels, and feed it to me, and I’d be alright with it.

Speaking of Irish Whiskey barrels, I’ve still got a bottle of Galway Bay Brewery’s Two Hundred Fathoms, aged In Teelings Whiskey Barrels. This is velvety smooth, with chocolate, coffee, caramel, and oak. Sweetness isn’t overpowering, but compliments the bitter chocolate and coffee. It’s unreal.

And a bonus! One of Holly’s coworkers brought a jar of his homebrew, Ice Ice Baby, a 7% vanilla stout! Don’t worry, we made room for this one… ?

So… What’s in YOUR fridge? Let us know in the comments below. We’d love to hear from you!

Hey Y’all, Check Out These Pictures, Or, Please Don’t Try to Drink This Blog Post…

It’s picture time! I realize I haven’t put up a picture-heavy blog post in a bit, so here’s one coming at’cha!

ALSO: I wrote an article for TigerLyfe Times about Sand City Brewing’s recent Oops! I _____ed My Pants! triple can release! Check that article out over HERE! Thanks for reading!

Radical One from the aforementioned Sand City Brewing. The hop hits keep coming and coming with these guys outta Northport!

#LGM! LIC Beer Project Dutch Kills Kölsch at Citifield! This is my kind of baseball beer! Crisp, malty, fruity and super refreshing!

From Salt House Bar in Galway Ireland! Brouwerij Boon Geuze Mariage Parfait, all the way from Belgium! This beer brought the house down. Tart, funky, dry, and delicious. Absolutely nothing wrong here!

Greenpoint Beer & Ale Co. Particle Pilsner. One of the more hoppy pils’ I’ve had. Bright, crisp citrus is balanced by sweet, cracker like malt. Love it!

A “candid” photograph at Samson’s Birthday party at Greenpoint! Cheers!

Greenpoint Beer & Ale Tremendous. Paired with an, *ahem*, appropriate movie (on VHS, no less!)

My favorite beer of summer, 2017. Carton Brewing Beach, a session Ale with (I believe) Citra hops and orange zest. Bright, beautiful grapefruit and bitter orange, a bit of dankness, but still clean and dry enough and low enough ABV to keep on drinkin’. So, keep on drinkin’!

Also, I’m getting a foot massage whilst I took this photo. So, your opinion is invalid.

Finback x Jacks Abby Spill The Tea IPL. The green tea is a cool addition to the citrus hops and citrus peel, adding a clean, grassy note that’s intriguing. And no need to boil water and risk burning your precious, precious skin. ?

Singlecut Beersmiths strikes again! Some Cat From Japan Session IPA, and Charlie’s Good Tonight IPA. Both phenomenal beers, and I’m hoping they’ll release them again in the future.

I know, I know, this isn’t beer. But when Holly Kay and I found the Dingle Whiskey Bar tucked away inside Fraunces Tavern down in the Financial District of NYC, we had to stop in and have some Irish Whiskey (at triple the price we paid for it on the Emerald Isle, of course). And it was worth every penny.

Bradco brought this beer back from Michigan. Old Nation Brewing Co. M-43 New England Style IPA. These cats from Williamston, MI have nailed this style, which surprised me. Watch out, New England, Michigan’s coming for you. HARD.

Enjoyed this collaboration by Other Half Brewing and Cloudwater Brewing, Tremendous Ideas. The simple can design also lends this can to take beautiful pictures even when an amateur photographer (me) is behind the camera (iPhone). Also my bed looks super comfy and as I’m writing this, I’m minutes away from hopping into it and drifting into a blissful slumber so, that’s also cool.

This was at Paulie Gee’s in Greenpoint. The Hellboy pizza with soppressata picante and Mike’s Hot Honey (yo, MIKE’S HOT HONEY. Who’s this Mike guy? I want to raid his house and take all of his hot honey for my own.). This hot-ass pizza was paired with a Greenpoint Beer & Ale Milk & Honey, a sweet, creamy ale that paired perfectly with the spicy ‘zza, bro.

Threes Brewing SFY (the artist formerly known as SuperF*ckingYawn) IPA, as we prepared for the magical wonder that is the Binky Griptite Orchestra at Threes Greenpoint Location. Binky plays guitar with the Dap Kings, and brought his musician friends to play some amazing 1940s Jazz and R&B and it was absolutely incredible. It was the opposite of SuperF*ckingYawn, but so was this beer, so…

Sometimes, it’s nice to go back to basics. Allagash White, my first Belgian white beer I fell in love with. Simple, refreshing, with notes of orange peel, clove, banana. Sometimes simple is beautiful.

Again, let the hate flow through you. I will combat that hate with Polar Seltzer’s Unicorn Kisses Seltzer. Is it Strawberry Kiwi? We’ll never know. Polar’s been keeping these flavors as mysterious as the mythical beasts on the cans. Damn you, Polar.

Fan favorites Moustache Brewing Co. made this delightful Saison brewed with Lavender, Honey, and Lemon Verbena. They knocked it out of the park, with floral, sweet, banana, and citrus dancing mischievously around the palate, this beer is simply a delight. Love you, Moustache Gang!

Thanks to my dear friend Will Russell, for asking me to be a part of his wedding party. As part of our Groomsmen’s gift, he got us these HEAVY DUTY USS Enterprise Bottle Openers. This is insanely dope and I will use it always. Make it so.

Treehouse Brewing Company, if you don’t know, now you know. Christopher Benedict, if you don’t know, now you know. Get with the times, y’all.

Interboro Spirits & Ales x Pipeworks Brewing Mad Fat! Unicorn. Thanks Bradco for sharing!! Mad Fat! Fluid plus Ninja Vs. Unicorn equals an amazing liquid combo. New York x Chicago, taking over the world.

If you’re not salivating by now, you need to let me know, and I’ll take you out and buy you a beer. So, if you’ve made it this far, and it’s had no effect on you, let me know. The next one’s on me.

Until next time!

Cheers!

KCBC Tiger Thunder, or, Benedict Beer Blog’s Beer of the Week #2!

“Such a blunder sometimes, it makes me wonder why I even bring the Thunder (Why he even brings the Thunder)…”

Daveed Diggs, as Thomas Jefferson, paying homage to Grandmaster Flash, in the hit Broadway smash musical Hamilton, invokes the essence of this beer…

Pow! Bam! Zap! Zing! Kings County Brewers Collective (KCBC) Tiger Thunder IIPA!

Thanks to Rick (check out his amazing food blog, Rickommended, right HERE!), for picking this up for me from Carmine Street Beers!

The smell is super dank, earthy, herbal with some citrus notes hiding behind. The first sip lowers the electric BOOM! A blast of pineapple ? (ooh Mama!) , lemon ? (hey now!), juicy melon ? (watch out!), with bursts of strawberry ? (hello!), bready ? malt sweetness (sweet!) and sticky, oily resinous character (sticky!). This beer is all about balance. It clocks in at 8% ABV, so it’s a nice sipping beer while relaxing on our beautiful, comfy couch.

It pours a beautiful amber, with a pillowy, off-white foam. It’s gorgeous to look at in between sips.

The can art is dope. The bright, almost neon yellows, greens, blues, and reds in the folk-art inspired tiger mask are a nice compliment to the crisp, citrus hops in the beer. It seems like a lot of care and consideration went into not only the beer itself, but also the art. It’s amazing.

Beautifully balanced from start to finish, this beer’s great and you should definitely pick it up if you find it (aka those who live in the tri-state area).

Also, I can’t wait to open the other KCBC can that Rick picked up for me, Look Ma, No Hands, a gose with pineapple and lemon zest, to share with the lovely Holly Kay! Look on our Instagram soon for that beautiful can art as well!

Thanks for checking us out! You like beer? Share this with all those you love!

Until next time!

Cheers!

Business Cards Are Here! Or, I’m Officially Official!

These came out absolutely SEXY! And YOU ALREADY KNOOOOOW I went glossy, because you want that amazing looking brew to “Shine like the top o’ tha Chryslaah Building!” (Yup, I just referenced Ms. Hannigan from Broadway’s Annie in a Blog Post.)

So, now YOU can spread the word as well! If you read this and want some to distribute, send me an email at patrickbenedict@benedictbeerblog.com and I can give you a stack for your business, home, or just to give out to friends, etc. Let me know! Thank you all for your support!

And as always, thanks to Holly Kay for motivating, encouraging, and inspiring me! These wouldn’t be here if it weren’t for her!

😉

Until next time!

Cheers!

A Love Letter to Holly Kay, My Sweet Partner in Adventure, or, Here’s a Bunch of Gorgeous Pictures of my Wife!

This is a blog about beer…

But first, Birthday!

My dear sweet Holly Kay celebrated her birthday yesterday, so I figured this would be an appropriate place to gush and fawn over how special she is to me.

Without her, I never would have started this blog, and, since starting this blog, we’ve gone on so many different adventures and short trips, which provide some much needed relaxation and a chance to get away and simply be together and enjoy our time together.

We’re heading to Ireland in 3 weeks to celebrate our 5th (and a half-ish) Anniversary, and each getaway we’ve taken since staring this blog in April, and since booking our trip in late June, has only emphasized how amazing our 8-day, 6-night vacation will be.

So, I would like to celebrate my love, Holly Kay, by showing off how stunningly beautiful she is, with a ton of pictures, some from our adventures, some from our nights out on the town here in NYC. She’s a special gal, y’all, and you all should let her know how beautiful she is! I don’t know where I’d be without here!

So, without further ado, let’s get to some pictures…

Holly won this pint glass from Long Ireland Beer Company at a meeting for the Long Island Beer and Malt Enthusiasts, and, why yes, that is Matthew Spitz from Moustache Brewing Co. lurking behind her… Spooky.

When one flies on a plane, one drinks Woodford Reserve… It’s just plane delicious! This is Holly’s go to drink when we’re 30,000 feet in the air.

This is from one of our first visits to Moustache Brewing Co., on July 4th, 2014, before we went to Chris and Caroline’s Wedding!

Our favorite neighborhood sushi restaurant, Happy Kitchen, has hot sake. In tiny cups. Who wouldn’t want to drink out of a tiny cup?

I’m so sorry for the flash on this picture. But HK looks super cute, and we’re at another neighborhood favorite, Unidentified Flying Chickens, a wonderful Korean Fried Chicken and Craft Beer Bar in gorgeous Jackson Heights.

If you’re in Midtown Manhattan for a show, and you’re in a rush, don’t go to Bareburger on Restaurant Row. If you’re not in a rush, go to Bareburger on Restaurant Row. Have a mimosa.

Holly loves drinking things out of tiny glassware (see: earlier picture of Holly drinking Sake at Happy Kitchen)… Anyway, here’s a full sized beer mug and a giant.

Sometimes, in the dead of winter, you take a date night to Il Bambino in Astoria, and enjoy paninis, crostinis, beer and wine, and bask in the glow of Holly Kay’s smile.

My stunning wife with a slightly less stunning nitro pour of Keith SW4 Pale Ale from Singlecut Beersmiths… Go to this brewery!!

Butterbeer! Frozen is far superior to non-frozen. Universal Studios, August 2015.

Dogfish Head 120 Minute IPA at Pony Bar in Hell’s Kitchen. This is one of Holly’s favorite beers.

Black and White, because we’re artsy. We began our New Year (’15-’16) at Astoria Bier and Cheese on Ditmars.

Black & Tan, Singlecut 19-33 Pilsner and Singlecut Heavy Boots of Lead Imperial Stout. Also, ;-).

Love, Love, Love (Love, Love)

Knee Deep Brewing Ole Molé Stout at Bondurants, NYC. Sweet chocolate with some dry and spicy pepper notes. Awesome!

Holly Kay rocking a Boat Beer by Carton Brewing Company in Atlantic Highlands, NJ. That hair!!!

Tommy’s Tap and Tavern, Sea Bright, NJ.
Bahr’s Landing, Highlands, NJ

Two Roads Brewing, Stamford, CT.

Fat 10-er #37 at New England Brewing Co., a delicious, floral saison from this hop-forward brewery.

Two Roads Brewing Co. was the most massive brewery we’ve ever seen. HK took home a growler of Espressway Stout and a sweet bandana.

Super cool VW Bus decked out in front of Two Roads! A fantastic way to begin Autumn 2016!
Share the love, y’all! Let Holly Kay know how beautiful she is! Happy Birthday Holly!

Cheers!