Beer Obsessed: Beer and Brewing Journal

If you are in Boston, you need to get your brewpub hit by taking the T (Boston subway) over to Cambridge and making the quick walk to Cambridge Brewing Co.
Butted up against M.I.T., you get a younger but respectful crowd in there. On this Thursday it was quite crowded but once again, since I was solo, I was able to sneak a seat up at the bar. The first thing that caught me off guard was the beer tube. Not sure what they actually call it there but is a clear tube that holds 100oz of beer. You order it and you receive this tall tube at your table with a tap at the bottom. It clearly makes sense as there were several groups that were six plus people and I don’t think that sized group is unusual here.
I wanted to cross the beer menu and I started with the Pale which was very good. I mean real good. Could have stuck with it the rest of the night. Amber was next and that was good too but the pale is still the stand out. With dinner, I had the IPA not bad but the p-a-l-e a-l-e was still on my mind. Dessert was a barrel aged porter that had Brett in it. That was a real sipper.  Interesting beer and would love to try it again in a few months to see how it evolves.
Food is standard pub fare and I went for the fish and chips, heavy on the vinegar to help work with the IPA.
Again, a very worthy pub to hit while in Boston.

Earlier in the day during the Boston trip, I thought it appropriate to swing by Cheers. I caught a photo of the exterior, which was used for the TV show. There were a few groups there getting pics of themselves next to the sign so catching a good angle was tough (see my photo at bottom of this post). I took a look inside but there isn’t much there to go with the TV show that many love. Just some memoribilia and a very crowded bar with a lot of Sam Adams on tap.

Other:
Other than that, the family and I are off to family camp this weekend for our traditional outing. I am packing some Odonata Saison, Nostrodamus Begian Brown, and some Racer 5. Funny enough, the Safeway in the nearest town has a pretty good beer selection so I won’t be hurting.
Cheers. Oh and more shots below. Clicky any pic for a full size view.

The Publick House was probably one of the first beer places to get jotted down on my “things to do in Boston” list. I believe it was about 2 years ago some important media thing listed this place as one of the top 5 beer bars in the country. Funny enough, while cruising around on yelp, many folks listed Publick House’s mac and cheese as the thing that can’t be missed. Besides loving beer, I love mac and cheese so off I went.
The Publick House if very accessible from the T (Boston’s “subway”). You get off at Washington Square and walk all of about a block. Its location in the Brookline area seems mellow in a Portland Oregon kind of way but that’s just a generalization for a guy who was there for all of one evening. At 7pm on a Tueday, the place was already filling up. It was just me so I was able to easily able to slot myself into a place.
My focus for the beer part of my trip was on local/regional beers so I ordered a bottle of Pretty Things Field Mouse’s Farewell. A “rustic golden ale” brewed with barley, wheat, rye, and oats. Of the Pretty Things I have tried in the past, I discovered they don’t worry much about keeping to style (not a bad thing). This beer was bright with orange and spice. A clean beer and interesting. Somewhere in here I put in my order for the mac and cheese. The beauty of the dish is you can customize it…so I added broccoli and bacon. The dish soon showed up in all of its steaming glory. They use eggshell pasta and they had put it in the oven to get that nice baked on surface. While I was waiting for it to cool down, I ordered a Brooklyn Brewing Brown Ale to go with my meal. The beer was a clean and classic brown. It supported the mac and cheese nicely but ultimately a brown’s roastiness is probably a hard too much for this dish. The mac and cheese? Wow! Completely worth the trip on that meal alone. Here I am in a “top beer bar” and I’m going on about the mac and cheese. That is the beauty of travel I guess.
For my final beer, I broke my own rules and I ordered a North Coast Old Rasputin on nitro. I couldn’t pass this up as I kept seeing this setup around Boston. Man, why haven’t I seen this on the west coast? Old Rasputin + nitro = brilliant. It smoothed out any high octane edginess that the standard version has and envelopes you in a bed of lush creaminess. Fantastic.
You can’t go to The Publick House without walking up the street to their bottle shop. The Publick House Provisions. A nice bottle shop with an incredible selection of glassware on top of it. After making a few laps, I purchased a bottle of Brooklyn Brewing Local 1 and DIPA that was under the Publick House name. Helping me with the latter beer was Josh, who was working the store that night. A very cool guy and we talked East coast beers and West coast beers and a few other beer things.

Worth the trip? Absolutely but if you are a beer person, you don’t need me to tell you that. What I can tell you is that you should definitely check out the mac and cheese!

 I spent a week in Boston and the first place I hit was Redbones BBQ since I was on my way north of Boston proper. Redbones is in Somerville which is an easy drive from Boston and it is also accessable via the T (subway). This place first popped onto my radar after reading about it in the All About Beer magazine travel issue. This place made the top 150 world beer destinations. Works for me.
It was a warm and muggy June night and the place was crowded on a Sunday. Fortunately it was just me and I was able to get a spot at the bar after a few minutes.
While I knew I wanted ribs and some side dishes, I was a bit daunted by the beer board. Part of my mission in Boston was to stick with local/regional beers and I didn’t know where to start. I ended up grabbing a Chester Street Amber and I quite enjoyed it. First success.
Tip #1
I think next time I do a trip like this, I’m going to order a half pint of a calibration beer. I think a Sierra Nevada Pale sitting there would have helped me quite a bit as I really didn’t have much to go on after being a bit dazed and hungry from traveling all afternoon.  
Sometime during the course of my meal, I also tried both the Harpoon IPA and the Ipswitch IPA. They definitely weren’t left coast IPAs but I expected that. This would take some getting used to. Maybe I was just tired. I hit the road about 10pm in order to get farther up north and I needed rest.
I would hit Redbones again later in the week and try the hushpuppies which were fantastic. A couple more beers….one IPA that was quite bitter. Don’t remember the name.
Regardless of the ramblings above. Redbones should be on your to do list if you are beer traveling around Boston. I even got the thumbs up on this place from Lew Bryson who commented back to me via facebook during the week. Screw me, if Lew likes it then you go!
Pics below…click for bigger versions:

The cornbread was awesome. The beer is the Chester Street Amber. I enjoyed both.

Ribs were Memphis dry rub. Very very tasty and the sauce (mild) worked well.

Dave was the bartender for the night. I was tricked as I thought he had the classic Boston guy Irish look about him but he is an original west coaster who arrived in Boston via some time in Honolulu. Go figure.

At the National Homebrewing Conference Awards dinner, I had the pleasure of shooting some pics of Homebrew Chef Sean Paxton in the kitchen preparing the dinner. The idea to do this all started with the question, “how do you feed 1000 people? and how do you do it as well as Sean Paxton?”. Technically it was 930ish people but if you look at the shot of the tables below, it doesn’t matter. This is a daunting task.
When I met Sean in the kitchen he was his relaxed, jovial self as usual. Much of the hard work was done and it was a matter of watching the staff, offering any sought after advice, and consults with Marriot Executive Chef Chad and others. You can tell it takes a tight, well coordinated team to do this and it started with mutual respect for each other. Everyone definitely got along well in the kitchen.
Thank you to Sean for the opportunity to shot some photos of you in action!
Check the photos below and don’t forget to click on them for a higher res version:

A lot of work ahead of them but the staff at the Marriott filled and emptied tables of food quite smoothly.

The one and only Sean Paxton.

Fresh walleye caught by John Maier, Brewmaster for Rogue Brewing Co. He snagged the fish while he was out in Minnesota for the convention.

Marriot Executive Chef Chad has a quick discussion about one of the dishes.

Veggies!

Examining the temperature of one of the dishes.

Executive Chef Chad overseeing some of the food plating

Probably a sign that I need to get out of the kitchen.

Sean Paxton and Marriot Executive Chef Chad……the job is done. Time to eat. Nice work!

Last Friday night was club night at the NHC convention in Minnesota. The event featured over 40 different homebrew clubs that spanned the 48 states. The majority were clubs in and around the midwest and none of these people dissappointed. From the great themes, to the jovial crowd, the food that was available, and to the massive amount of homebrew. One club in particular, correct me if I’m wrong, but I believe it was the Iowa’s Hombrewers Union, brought over 60 kegs to this event. Even if you averaged 10 kegs per club, you are still talking hundreds of kegs. I would love to hear the actual final numbers on this as I’m sure they are impressive.
With all of that, club night is a bit daunting but his year I did multiple laps around the room, trying to pick up what I missed on the last lap. I was constantly entertained from start till finish. The photo above is a basic idea of what you are up against, a decent size list of brews cross quite a range of styles. Let’s check out the pics (click on them for bigger versions):

The crowed near the beginning of the event. There usually a nice amount of room to move around.

Food options at one booth…making sure that your stomach stays topped off.

Most clubs had very professional taps, again showing the quality that everyone puts into the event.

More food. This time it was chili dogs.

Of course the Brewing Network was there doing what they do best: entertaining, building community, and getting the word out.

Self serve jockey boxes at the Iowa Brewers Union area.

More snacks….

Iowa Homebrewers Union taking the prize (the urinal tap) for bringing the most kegs to the event….over 60 kegs. A new record I believe.

The victory parade and of course you should hook it up and put a beer on! (below).

With what was really quite a smooth trip from San Francisco to Minneapolis, I have now landed in the middle of the National Homebrew Conference.
I’ve hooked up with a few friends that I have met over time and I have tried some really tasty beers. The Brewing Network put on a show from the hospitality suite and I attended the meadmaker of the Year Seminar.
The one thing I was really looking forward to in a Homebrew Conference in this area is mead, and I have not been dissapointed. The mead panel had what is probably the 5 most knowledgable meadmakers on the planet. The meads poured during the seminar were great and the standouts have been the chipotle meads. I have tried a couple and being fruit meads (melomels) they have fruit on the top with a very gentle heat on the finish from the chipotle. Absolutely fantastic.
The seminar was very well attended which shows how much mead is appreciated in this area. The atmosphere was relaxed and light hearted as the panel pretty much just took questions from the audience. The entire time, delicious meads were being poured that the panel had produced earlier in the year.
I’m writing this up prior to club night which starts at 8pm tonight. Clubs from throughout the midwest and beyond will be represented. This is basically the largest homebrew party in the world.
I need a little rest before I go but please enjoy the photos (clicky for a higher res version)

The meadmaker of the year panel.

Mead being served thorughout the panel discussion

The panel was well attended showing the interest in mead in this part of the country.

The Brewing Network doing their thing up in the hospitality suite. The forum was “can you brew it” and it was basically an open mic for questions with plenty of entertaining stories between, Jamil and Tasty style.

This Friday, early, I leave for the National Homebrewers Conference. The convention actually starts on Thursday but I’m happy I can get out there at all. I expect the Twin cities to host one heck of an event since many of the best homebrewers in the country come from this area. I’ll post (hopefully) compelling stories with pics and possibly audio to this blog, when I can. For more brief updates on current location and quick review/thoughts, I’ll post to facebook (Beer Obsessed).
After NHC, I’m off to Boston for a week of work. Of course Boston has plenty to check out beer-wise so I’ll have some posting to do there as well.

Here’s what I’m doing and posting on:

Minneapolis - 
National Homebrew Conference 
Happy Gnome gastropub (on Sunday before flying out).

Boston-
Sam Adams Brewery Tour
Harpoon Brewery Tasting
Cambridge Alehouse
Redbones BBQ
Publick House
One of the Boston Beer Works locations
Bottleshop – Downtown Wines and Spirits

Stay tuned!

Admittedly, I am biased towards Odonata. The reason why I even “beer blog” is because of Rick Sellers and his show/blog, Pacific Brew News. The other half of Odonata, brewmaster Peter Hoey, is widely known as a great brewer who has a particular love of Saison ales. Their beers so far have become local legend: Water Witch, Rorie’s Ale, and La Rosa. The partnership looks great: great brewer, great beer writer. How could any of this be bad? …none of it is.
By the time I picked up my couple of bottles of Saison, there was already great feedback on the beer over the web. I agree with them. From its stylistically correct color to a head of foam that isn’t over the top huge, you proceed to aromas of spice and juicy fruit. Not over the top but just right. The beer on first sip has a very smooth taste with the right amount of carbonation. The mouthfeel is rich and you are exposed to more spice and citrus fruit. The lingering spicey/fruity aftertaste trails off to an acidic bite.
Very well done Odonata and now one of my favorite Saisons. You hit this one out of the park.
Highly recommended.

Shot way too early in the morning before work….please clicky the pic for a higher res version.
This is a fantastic example of a Belgian golden strong ale. It has a nice white pepper finish which lets it pair with a wide variety of foods.
The bottle is the new 375ml version that Russian River started putting out. I heard that they were going to stop producing 750ml bottles entirely. I hope that isn’t the case!
Cheers and have a good weekend. Perhaps enjoy a Damnation.

While on vacation with the family this past week I had the opportunity to quickly hit the only two breweries on the big island: Kona Brewing Co. and Mehana Brewing co.

Kona Brewing Co.

Located in Kailua, which is probably the main destination town for most who come to the big island. Kailua has the cheaper hotels and the cruise ship port so this is the place where you will find the cheesy gift  shops and  companies that can sign you up for a wide range of outdoor activities. Fortunately, Kona Brewing is located on the north side of town where it is quieter. You can come into town, do some grocery shopping (we were staying in a house up north island), and enjoy a lunch and beer at the brewery without any distractions.
There is no doubt Kona knows what they are doing with beer. Their bottled selections, which are prevalent in stores all over the island, are clean, easy drinking, and nicely balanced. The brewpub has a variety of specialty beers on tap throughout the year. They currently had a couple of barleywines and a coconut brown that was fantastic (great balance of coconut and roasted malt). As you can see from the pic of the bottle (below), they also do Belgian style beers which they unfortunately didn’t have any on tap while we were there. The Castaway IPA is a regular on tap on the brewhouse and it hit the spot. Nice citrus hop notes that cut through the heat and quenched your thirst (generally speaking, malty does not work in the hot weather of the islands….why people brew porters in this climate is beyond me but I suppose if you live here you would need some variety after a while).
The one elephant out there about Kona is that they contract brew their bottled beer and then re-import it to Hawaii. I don’t have any problems with contract brewing in general but Hawaii (especially the big island) is a place that could use a few more jobs. With all of Kona brew’s efforts to “go green” and other things, wouldn’t it be a great story if they opened a small production brewery and canned their beer for the islands only. It seems like a reachable goal. Canning lines and lots of cans are more affordable these days and generally you can’t take glass to the beach anyway. As successful as Kona Brewing is, this could be the icing on the cake for them.
Since the brewery sees a lot of tourists come through, it seems to show on the staff. It took a while for our waitress to come back and ask if we wanted another beer to replace our long since empty glasses. We were more working on her schedule as opposed to where the beer line was in our glasses (a particular pet peeve of mine). I supposed you get a bit jaded dealing with tourists whom may have more laid back expectations in general or maybe our particular waitress was not about the beer. Anyway, moving on:

Mehana Brewing Co./Hawai’I Nui Brewing Co.

Located on the rainy side of the island in the city of Hilo, a beautiful area that is extremely lush and tropical. It also happens to be the wettest city in the U.s. We were rained on (dumped on!) at least four times during our visit around town.
Mehana is located in a warehouse area of Hilo (as warehousy as this town can get anyway). Mehana is a much smaller operation than Kona but I like the laid back vibe as opposed to the masses of tourists that hit Kona Brewing. They have a small parking lot on the side of the warehouse with a little sign that said they were open for tastings and tours. The big rollup door exposed their operation inside. Many fermenters, a brew system, bottling line, stacks of bottled product. Lots of kegs stacked up outside. I figured out later that Mehana had “joined forces” with Hawai’I Nui Brewing Co. and as far as I can tell they share the space and the equipment together.
I made my way inside following the direction of the sign that pointed to a small room that had merchandise for sale and about six taps. The lady there was very pleasant and asked if I wanted to taste anything. I was on very limited time but of course I said yes. She was quite knowledgeable about the beers that they had and that is great to see!  I tried their Humpback Blue which was fermented with a Belgian yeast strain. A light and drinkable beer with a nice subtle Duvel like tone to it. My other favorite was their brown ale brewed by Hawai’I Nui Brewing. Nice level of roast that complemented the malt profile quite well. This beer also just won silver at the World Beer Cup.
Ideally, I would have hung out here longer and taken the tour (of which I may have been the only one) but alas the kids were stirring. I’m sure I would have been able to talk to a brewer and perhaps share a beer. Again, I like the vibe of the place and it is a worth it destination if you are a beer lover on the big island.

Beer on the shelves.

For craft beer, all stores carry Kona Brewing beers and it was my main beer since they are so prevalent. I particularly enjoyed the Big Wave Golden Ale.  It has a nice level of malt balanced with subtle fruity esters and very drinkable in the heat. I love the Kona Fire Rock Pale as it is an extra malty beer, which is right up my alley. However, it isn’t that drinkable for me in the heat of Hawaii. I’ll still drink it at home though.
A couple of the more expensive/exlusive grocery stores, usually within the resort areas, carried the Mehana beer but it was quite pricey (up to 15 dollars a six pack!). It really is best to go to the brewery and buy it there for 9 a six pack…plus you can mix and match. These stores also have the Maui Brewing Company canned beers. Other than that, there was a little more variety to mainland beers you can buy (SN Torpedo, Newcastle, etc) but that’s it.

In the end, I really enjoyed experiencing the beers of Kona and Mehana/Hawai’I Nui. I was certainly happy to get back home a drink an uber hoppy beer that my palate had been missing. It is similar to vacation itself: there is a certain sweet spot of time for me where too much time there and you risk growing tired of the place.  Too little and you don’t fully get to enjoy what an area has to offer. I look forward to going back though for sure.
Cheers.