SCOTLAND?

Sorry got this one a little late.  Mahar's Public House

Maybe Landman has a comment

YUP - WELCOME TO FRUGAL TUESDAY

THIS TUESDAY-OCTOBER 13

WE ARE OFFERING THE FOLLOWING TRADITIONAL SCOTTISH ALES AT SPECIAL PRICES

ALBA SCOTS PINE ALE

A TAWNEY BROWN STRONG ALE WITH SPRUCE AROMA, RICH MALT

TEXTURE, COMPLEX WOOD FLAVOR AND LINGERING FINISH.  7.5% ABV

NORMALLY $10.00 - SPECIAL PRICE $6.00

EBULUM ELDERBERRY BLACK ALE

A RICH BLACK ALE WITH FRUIT AROMA, A SILKY SOFT

TEXTURE, SOFT TOASTED FLAVOR AND GENTLE FINISH 6.5% ABV

NORMALLY $10.00 - SPECIAL PRICE $6.00

FRAOCH HEATHER ALE

A LIGHT AMBER ALE WITH FLORAL PEATY AROMA,

 FULL MALT CHARACTER, A SPICY HERBAL

FLAVOR AND DRY WINE FINISH  5% ABV

NORMALLY $10.00 - SPECIAL PRICE $6.00

GROZET GOOSEBERRY ALE

A PALE GOLDEN BEER WITH A REFRESHING FRUIT

 AROMA, CLEAN PALATE, FRUITY WHEAT

FLAVOR AND CRISP FINISH  5% ABV

NORMALLY 10.00 - SPECIAL PRICE $6.00

KELPIE SEAWEED ALE

RICH CHOCOLATE ALE WITH AN AROMA OF SEA BREEZE,

A DISTICTIVE ROAST FLAVOR AND A CRISP SALTY FINISH 4.4% ABV

NORMALLY $12.00 - SPECIAL PRICE $8.00

SKULLSPLITTER STRONG ALE

DARK RED-AMBER HUE, SMOKY MALT CHARACTER, FULL BODIED

PALATE WITH SHERRIED BURNT FLAVORS, LINGERING EARTH

HOP FLAVORS COME OUT IN THE FINISH  8.5%ABV

NORMALLY $10.00 - SPECIAL PRICE $6.00

AND FOR OUR DOMESTIC BEER LOVERS

PENICHUCK BAGPIPER'S SCOTCH ALE

DARK BREW WITH THICK FLUFFY HEAD, SWEET SMOKEY PEATY

AROMA, RICH SWEET SMOKINESS OVER A RICH TOFFEE BASE.  LIGHTLY

FRUITY WITH LIGHT MOLASSES SWEETNESS.  ONE LITER FLIP TOP BOTTLE 9%ABV

NORMALLY $20.00 - SPECIAL PRICE $14.00  

Glen Beck WTF

The Beer Club is  generally a non-partisan organization, united across bounds of race, creed, style and various disorientations in a love of beer and a quest for hops-related truth. So perhaps I should commerce this short diatribe by stating that my comments are my own opinion (and those of El Presidente, if I may speak for him), and not those of the membership as a whole, though I would hope that the vast majority would concur.

 

El Presidente and Counsel were engaged in a  nefarious, beer-related reconnoiter in the environs of Balston Spa (the other Spa City) NY, this past Monday, and felt the need for a quick refreshment. A Sierra Nevada sign in the window of the Sunset Cafe on Front Street was like a beacon from the beer gods, and we leapt to answer the call.

 

At first blush It looked like an ok place, nothing special, but all we wanted was a quick pint of Chico's finest. Instead, we were treated to the ugly mug of Glenn Beck leering down at us from the prominently displayed idiot box over the bar. His mouth drooled as he spouted his obscenities:  this was not to our taste.  Jerks like Beck and others of his ilk go against everything the Beer Club (in a bipartisan way) holds dear: truth, decency and the American Way. That sort of crap has no place in any decent bar.

 

So the Sunset Cafe lost 2 potential customers: stand up, my friends, in support of  a comfortable and welcoming drinking environment. Fight mediocrity and propaganda wherever it rears its ugly head.

 

Down in One

Counsel

Hunter Mountain

Boulder City NV pub alert Boulder City Brew Pub

Believe it, a nice little brew pub about 25 mi outside of Las Vegas on the way to the Hoover Dam. Could there be a better way to work of that Dam thirst? I think not. Jackie the waitress was from Albany....can you believe that and the beer makes you younger (see my picture). Pardon the photo's, my phone can only do so much. http://www.boulderdambrewing.com/

Check it out it is worth the detour.

Clarke 

Hop along with Counsel.

A weekend trip to Cambridge, Mass took Counsel  hither and yon, beer-wise.

 

Is there such a thing as perfect pub?  I pondered this as we visited a few of the beerhalls of Cambridge this past weekend. All had their good points and not so good. Having recently visited Armsby Abbey in Worcester, which i would consider for my local if it wasn't a two-hour drive away, i had high hopes, visions really,  of a comfortable, broken-in, not overly snobbish spot where the beer is transcendent, the food local and easy to like, and the staff friendly and knowledgeable  without being snooty about it.  Yes, Armsby is  a bit fern-bar-ish in decor, and it is in Worcester, but the food and the incredible beer list, not to mention the excellent staff, tip the goblet in its favor. 

 

First off, we visited Bukowski's in Inman Square. Initial vibe-- not so good.  Trying way too hard to be a dive. Low aspirations, and anyway, dive status is earned, not fabricated.  Expensive as hell-- pretty good list, though were the misspellings intentional? Too many IPA's among the 15 or so beers on tap.  No. 6 Son and I enjoyed the excellent Sierra Fresh Hop Ale (2009); Bim Skala Jim and the Real Blade delved into a Stone Levitation, also an excellent quaff and hard to come by on the east coast.  But... maybe it was the tattooed scenesters at the end of the bar, slugging 40-ouncers straight out of the bottle, that turned me off. Maybe it was the studiously bored bartender, who obviously thought we didn't meet the hipness quotient and didn't give us the time of day. Or maybe it was the smell of sewage drifting in off the street. In any event, we left after one beer with a bad taste in our mouths.

 

Across the street is the Druid, long-time Irish pub. Great-looking, quiet spot at 3 PM on a sunny Saturday in early fall.  Instantly comfortable. The beer list was uninspired-- featuring the Boston Irish standard pairing of Harpoon IPA and Guinness.  Decent but not overwhelming, thought the Guinness was really good, properly poured by the young Irish lad who paused from his texting just long enough to mumble a few words and take our cash. So much for the gift of gab. Is there such a catchphrase yet to cover fluency on a inch-square keyboard? Jaysus I hope not.

 

The next day, BSJ and I snuck out for a cheeky one at the Plough and Stars, a venerable spot on Mass Ave in Central Square.  A solid local, with a decent but not overly adventurish list.  We each had a Chimay, lovely and Belgian and not a typical offering, judging from my previous visits. An excellent band in the back, a few hipsters, a few professorial types. I'd drink there..

 

In their defense, the Druid and Plough are not trying to be beer meccas, just good solid pubs. Both succeed at this not so lofty, but nonetheless noble, goal. Bukowski's misses on both fronts.

If you did find the perfect pub, wouldn't  it be a letdown? Would the quest be complete? Would a burgeoning beer belly and the complacency of old age steal away the adventure of entering a new place,taking in its smells, its vibe, its chalk-scrawled runes-- the hope that there is always someplace better, a road trip away? I for one am enjoying the hunt.

 

Down in One.

 Emerging from the depths of hop-induced hysteria, this has been--

Counsel.

 

GABF 2009

Denver, Colorado - The Great American Beer Festival (GABF) Competition continued its record setting ways, crushing last year's entries by 16%. GABF remains the largest commercial beer competition in the world with 3,308 entries.

View the 2009 Winners List

The GABF competition attracted 132 international beer judges from ten countries. Award-winning brewers received prestigious gold, silver and bronze medals in 78 beer categories, establishing the best examples of each style in the U.S.

The most competitive category was American Style India Pale Ale with 134 entries. The gold medal went to Firestone Walker Brewing Co., Paso Robles, CA for Union Jack for the second straight year. The second most hotly contested category was Wood- and Barrel-Aged Strong Beer with 110 entries (up from 79 in 2008). The gold medal went to Arcadia Brewing Co., Battle Creek, MI for Cereal Killer Barleywine.

Great American Beer Festival 2009 Statistics

• 457 breweries in the festival hall
• 2,100 beers served at the festival
• 49,000 attendees (includes brewers, volunteers and ticket holders)
• 3,000 volunteers
• 495 breweries in the competition
• 3,308 beers judged in the competition
• 78 categories judged + Pro-Am category
• 132 judges from ten countries
• Average number of competition beers entered in each category: 42
• Category with highest number of entries: 134, American Style India Pale Ale

2009 Great American Beer Festival Official Sponsors

The Simpsons	DRAFT Magazine	Anheuser-Busch
Coors Light	Miller Lite	Microstar Keg Management
AM 760	KBCO 97.3 FM	103.5 The Fox

La Barberie

In Quebec City, a trip slightly off the tourist's beaten path will take you to La Barberie. La Barberie is a microbrewery on rue Saint Roch, not far from the train station. The name comes from the long beard of one of the owners. While the accommodations are minimal, the beer is top notch. We tried the Double Chocolate Stout and the English pale ale. It was the best beer of the trip. At $5 a pint, the price was unbeatable as well.

La Barberie serves no food. You can order (via telephone) from any of the nearby food establishments and have it delivered. There is a binder on the bar that lists many of the more commonly used places.

http://www.labarberie.com/