Well, not actually DC proper, otherwise I'd be writing about The Brickskeller and Capital City Brewing. No, this "One Night Only" trip to the DC metro area found me in Falls Church, VA around Seven Corners which is officially (IMO) the worst intersection in the US. But I digress, we're all here for the food and beer.
So where did I hit tonight? Well, after battling rush hour traffic and checking into my hotel, I headed over to Sweetwater Tavern to meet an old college buddy (a current theme on TravelBLOG) for dinner. The brewpub was warehouse-esque, one large dining room with a horseshoe bar in the center. They offered 5 taps (sparse for a brewpub) and an moderate upscale menu. I ordered a sampler of the brews to rate along with an appetizer of seared ahi tuna and the jambalaya pasta for my meal. The food was great, service was a bit slow (the place was slammed), but the beers lacked anything standout. They were solid offerings, but nothing about them put them much above par for the course. The Pale Ale was pretty standard, but the Oatmeal Stout and the Vienna were tasty, but not mind blowing. I guess I could have expected worse from a chain.
For a night cap, I ended up at the Dogfish Alehouse near my hotel. This was a converted Uno's Pizzeria (I had been there a couple years prior), and offered all the DFH standards and seasonals. I thoroughly enjoyed the Festina Peche on draft, and was quite intrigued by the Alehouse 75 (combo of 90 min and 60 min). There was also live music by a local band, Brother Shamus, a sextet that had some serious musical chops and only added to the ambiance, even if they were a bit loud playing to an almost empty house.
A pretty laid back night overall. If you find yourself in this area, definitely check out DFH, but don't go out of your way for Sweetwater. It was pretty standard.
That is all.
Cheers,
Dave
Friday, May 30, 2008
Wednesday, May 28, 2008
New Jersey, Part II
Ah, New Jersey and your lax liquor laws (as compared to Pennsylvania). It's great to spend time in a state that has independently run liquor stores, especially the kind that can sell all types of alcoholic beverages. It is in one of these little gems I found myself on Thursday night (on my way to meet said college buddy). I guess it's the fact that there's not a store on this level within 30 miles of my home that I still get all giddy walking through the doors. At this moment the true name of the store escapes me, but I'm sure "Discount" and "Wines" were in there somewhere.
At any rate, somehow I curtailed my wanton desire to spend a small fortune and left only with a bottle of Flying Dog Barrel Aged Gonzo Imperial Porter. Quite a find, IMO, among a solid selection of sixers, bombers, and 750s. The only thing that go me was the complete disorganization of the aisles. This did, though, make it more like a treasure hunt than shopping.
That evening, we grabbed dinner at Old Man Rafferty's in South Hillsborough. This place has a great atmosphere, sort of up scale American pub. The menu offers normal pub fare with some house offerings. Definitely get the chili (ether a bowl or on the Nachos) and I would recommend the Reuben, which was probably one of the best I've ever had, and that's saying a lot. On the beer front, they have the usual craft beer suspects such as Hoegaarden and Sam Adams. I had a draft of the only offering that I'd never head of, Acme California IPA. This was a hop-centric offering with a modest malt backbone. Unfortunately I didn't take notes, so we're going from memory, but if it serves me well, it was a solid offering. All in all, this place, be it off the beaten path, is definitely worth the stop.
Friday was a travel day, so after a quick meeting first thing in the morning, I was on my way. Now being the Friday of Memorial Day Weekend, I decided to take the "back way" across the Commonwealth, steering clear of any major interstate. That, and it just so happened that this way took me past Selin's Grove Brewing Co. in (where else) Selinsgrove, PA. Now I had heard a lot of positive feedback on this place, and it didn't disappoint. Set in historic Selinsgrove, PA, this brewpub is in the basement of an old house that has been turned into a commercial office building. Coming off the main drag, you wind down a stone staircase to a small patio surrounded by a garden. The interior is a rather "rustic colonial" motif, dark with low ceilings. It's a very comfortable atmosphere with a small bar. About 10 taps and two beer engines dispense a rotating cast of brews, the latest of which is the acclaimed The Phoenix Kriek. This alone was the reason I stopped. I needed to pick up a growler to share with my tasting club. While I was waiting on it to be filled, though, I did have a pint of SNAFU IPA on cask. This was absolutely incredible. It was a roasty, well hopped IPA weighing in at 7.2% that reminded me of Stone XI and my home brewed Batch XI. This would be a staple if I could get it bottled. Just fantastic.
I didn't get to eat at the brewpub, only the pint and growler and I was on my way. I'll be sure to post my thoughts on the kriek, which I sampled while there, but didn't get the full effect since it was intermingled with the hoptasticness of the SNAFU. Selin's Grove Brewing is a definite "must see". I will be returning to this establishment.
As for future travel, I will be heading to DC tomorrow, and luckily staying next to a brewpub. Stay tuned.
Cheers,
Dave
At any rate, somehow I curtailed my wanton desire to spend a small fortune and left only with a bottle of Flying Dog Barrel Aged Gonzo Imperial Porter. Quite a find, IMO, among a solid selection of sixers, bombers, and 750s. The only thing that go me was the complete disorganization of the aisles. This did, though, make it more like a treasure hunt than shopping.
That evening, we grabbed dinner at Old Man Rafferty's in South Hillsborough. This place has a great atmosphere, sort of up scale American pub. The menu offers normal pub fare with some house offerings. Definitely get the chili (ether a bowl or on the Nachos) and I would recommend the Reuben, which was probably one of the best I've ever had, and that's saying a lot. On the beer front, they have the usual craft beer suspects such as Hoegaarden and Sam Adams. I had a draft of the only offering that I'd never head of, Acme California IPA. This was a hop-centric offering with a modest malt backbone. Unfortunately I didn't take notes, so we're going from memory, but if it serves me well, it was a solid offering. All in all, this place, be it off the beaten path, is definitely worth the stop.
Friday was a travel day, so after a quick meeting first thing in the morning, I was on my way. Now being the Friday of Memorial Day Weekend, I decided to take the "back way" across the Commonwealth, steering clear of any major interstate. That, and it just so happened that this way took me past Selin's Grove Brewing Co. in (where else) Selinsgrove, PA. Now I had heard a lot of positive feedback on this place, and it didn't disappoint. Set in historic Selinsgrove, PA, this brewpub is in the basement of an old house that has been turned into a commercial office building. Coming off the main drag, you wind down a stone staircase to a small patio surrounded by a garden. The interior is a rather "rustic colonial" motif, dark with low ceilings. It's a very comfortable atmosphere with a small bar. About 10 taps and two beer engines dispense a rotating cast of brews, the latest of which is the acclaimed The Phoenix Kriek. This alone was the reason I stopped. I needed to pick up a growler to share with my tasting club. While I was waiting on it to be filled, though, I did have a pint of SNAFU IPA on cask. This was absolutely incredible. It was a roasty, well hopped IPA weighing in at 7.2% that reminded me of Stone XI and my home brewed Batch XI. This would be a staple if I could get it bottled. Just fantastic.
I didn't get to eat at the brewpub, only the pint and growler and I was on my way. I'll be sure to post my thoughts on the kriek, which I sampled while there, but didn't get the full effect since it was intermingled with the hoptasticness of the SNAFU. Selin's Grove Brewing is a definite "must see". I will be returning to this establishment.
As for future travel, I will be heading to DC tomorrow, and luckily staying next to a brewpub. Stay tuned.
Cheers,
Dave
Wednesday, May 21, 2008
North Jersey, Part I
So It's Wednesday, and I'm playing catch from earlier in the week. Here we go.
I hit up Harvest Moon Brew Pub in New Brunswick right off the bat Monday evening for a sampler and an appetizer before meeting an old college buddy. I had seven of their offerings and a bowl of their French Onion Ale Soup (which was fantastic). The beer was hit or miss with some of the best offerings being their Elmes' Mild Manor (great stylistic example, IMO), Helles Bock Lager, (a clean example of a helles bock - very tasty), and their Full Moon Pale Ale (tops, IMO - a very tasty pale ale without being overpowering).
The Hops(squared) IIPA was the most interesting offering that they had. From reading the reviews, I expected a big American DIPA. It was far from it. Now I don't know if I should attribute this to the hop shortage, but the brewer used American, English, and German hops to make this intriguing ale. The hop flavor came from all of the varietals, causing them to compete with each other on the palate, giving this a peculiar character. It was just odd. Now, it did grow on me, but where I expected a big grapefruit/citrus nose and taste, I got a combative earthy/floral/semi-resiny citrus treat that really made my tongue go crazy. Good try, but I wouldn't recommend trying it again. There was just too much going on, and without a very solid backbone to balance it out, it really didn't work. But Kudos on trying.
Tuesday found me at Wegman's Wine and Spirits. Living in PA, anytime I can buy liquor/beer at a grocer, I'm happy. This place didn't dissapoint. It had a great bottle selection, both cold and shelf-temp, ranging from craft and import sixers to 750s and bombers from all over. The Belgian selection was pretty solid - nothing exotic, but it had the usual suspects for decent prices. I picked up a couple 750s from Ommegang, (Three Philosophers for $6.69 = awesome) and a bomber of Mikkeller. Not a huge haul, but I could have spent a lot more. Oh, and I did. Later in the evening, with the aforementioned college buddy, we returned to said grocer to pick up a couple sixers. My choice - Southern Tier IPA (very solid - I enjoyed it).
Today, said college buddy and I hit up The Office Beer Bar for a late dinner and a few pints. I stuck with a favorite, Stone IPA. The selection was pretty lacking for being called a "beer bar" with the usual craft suspects. The beer list was only about 45-60 offerings, and lacked a solid Belgian section, which IMO, makes a bar a "beer bar". Food wise, this place is solid, though. I had the Philly Steak and Cheese which was money, while the chicken sandwich my friend had looked tasty as well.
That's pretty much the week so far. I'm planning on hitting a few fun joints on the trip home, so there will be more to come.
Cheers,
Dave
I hit up Harvest Moon Brew Pub in New Brunswick right off the bat Monday evening for a sampler and an appetizer before meeting an old college buddy. I had seven of their offerings and a bowl of their French Onion Ale Soup (which was fantastic). The beer was hit or miss with some of the best offerings being their Elmes' Mild Manor (great stylistic example, IMO), Helles Bock Lager, (a clean example of a helles bock - very tasty), and their Full Moon Pale Ale (tops, IMO - a very tasty pale ale without being overpowering).
The Hops(squared) IIPA was the most interesting offering that they had. From reading the reviews, I expected a big American DIPA. It was far from it. Now I don't know if I should attribute this to the hop shortage, but the brewer used American, English, and German hops to make this intriguing ale. The hop flavor came from all of the varietals, causing them to compete with each other on the palate, giving this a peculiar character. It was just odd. Now, it did grow on me, but where I expected a big grapefruit/citrus nose and taste, I got a combative earthy/floral/semi-resiny citrus treat that really made my tongue go crazy. Good try, but I wouldn't recommend trying it again. There was just too much going on, and without a very solid backbone to balance it out, it really didn't work. But Kudos on trying.
Tuesday found me at Wegman's Wine and Spirits. Living in PA, anytime I can buy liquor/beer at a grocer, I'm happy. This place didn't dissapoint. It had a great bottle selection, both cold and shelf-temp, ranging from craft and import sixers to 750s and bombers from all over. The Belgian selection was pretty solid - nothing exotic, but it had the usual suspects for decent prices. I picked up a couple 750s from Ommegang, (Three Philosophers for $6.69 = awesome) and a bomber of Mikkeller. Not a huge haul, but I could have spent a lot more. Oh, and I did. Later in the evening, with the aforementioned college buddy, we returned to said grocer to pick up a couple sixers. My choice - Southern Tier IPA (very solid - I enjoyed it).
Today, said college buddy and I hit up The Office Beer Bar for a late dinner and a few pints. I stuck with a favorite, Stone IPA. The selection was pretty lacking for being called a "beer bar" with the usual craft suspects. The beer list was only about 45-60 offerings, and lacked a solid Belgian section, which IMO, makes a bar a "beer bar". Food wise, this place is solid, though. I had the Philly Steak and Cheese which was money, while the chicken sandwich my friend had looked tasty as well.
That's pretty much the week so far. I'm planning on hitting a few fun joints on the trip home, so there will be more to come.
Cheers,
Dave
Monday, May 19, 2008
First Day!! First Post!!
Yeah, so I'm not excited as the multiple exclamation points say that I am. But I am rather excited. So here's the extention of the Muckney Brewing blog on my end. This is my "travel-log". Now that I'm back on the road for work, I'll be able to put down my impression on an area, their local food, and of course, their local beer. I'm sure it will be focused more on the beer/food angle than the actual "touristy" angle, only due to my lack of time to run around and my abundance of time to be in the pub.
Hopefully, I'll be able to shed some light on some lesser known food/beer gems throughout my travels. Stay tuned to find out.
We're starting with Northern New Jersy this week. A bunch more to come tomorrow. Notes and such. Enjoy the evening, and hopefully the blog.
Cheers,
Dave
Hopefully, I'll be able to shed some light on some lesser known food/beer gems throughout my travels. Stay tuned to find out.
We're starting with Northern New Jersy this week. A bunch more to come tomorrow. Notes and such. Enjoy the evening, and hopefully the blog.
Cheers,
Dave
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