A one-track mind
Today's topic: Beer. Tomorrow: Dogs. Something for everybody!
My earliest memories of beer are not pleasant ones. No, not for those reasons (see video below). I just didn't like the taste. It didn't help that we were drinking some of the worst beer on planet Earth. What were we thinking? Simple. A keg of Worst Beer on Earth was $33. A keg of Miller Lite or Leinies was $38. That's five whole extra dollars you make at a college party — while charging $3 or $5 a cup. I was never an advocate of this business model, but I was outnumbered by about 1,000 to 1 in this belief.
Then, around the age of 27, I discovered craft beer. Specifically, Dogfish Head 90 Minute IPA. Then I bought a house down the street from a decent craft brewer in Utah. Then I lived near the Beerhive, my favorite in Salt Lake. They have a freaking ice rail in the middle of their bar. A literal sheet of ice to you can put your drink down on to keep it cold. Awesome.
To clarify, I drink between six and eight beers in a typical week. No more than two in a day. I'm just saying.
Then, I moved to a state where people other than me drink beer. It's Beervannah. So, for those readers that weren't titillated by a photo of a lighthouse, I present a drinking guide to my adopted home state. Maybe now you'll want to come visit.
A DRINKING GUIDE TO MY ADOPTED HOME STATE (in brief)
Best Beer Bar: Great Lost Bear
Website: http://bearsgrowl.wordpress.com/
This is a controversial choice. I'm expecting hate mail. There's a new, cooler bar in town, but it skews toward Belgian beers. The Bear is a classic. It's a bar out of a movie about cool bars. It's got around 70 beers on tap. The taps are *constantly* changing. And they have Dogfish Head on tap. Usually. Plus, they have 9 kinds of nachos and full-sized buffalo wings (including both the small drumstick and the gross part in one, giant, super wing).
Best brewpub: Portsmouth Brewery
Website: http://www.portsmouthbrewery.com/
A 45-minute drive from our house, it's considered a roadtrip by the locals. Little do they know I used to drive 35 minutes every day to go to college. They rotate through several dozen kinds of beers (check their blog to see what's on tap and what's cooking). And it's reasonably priced. Sold.
Best fancy beer: Allagash
Website: http://www.allagash.com/home.htm
The magnums of this Belgian-mainly brewer run about $8. Well worth it. As previously mentioned, I'm not a big Belgian fan. But their Tripel and Curieux (ranked in the top 10 Belgians in America) are well worth the price of admission, and perfect if you want to have just one (one being 25 ounces and 7-9 percent alcohol). There's also a line of excellent micro-releases, where if you know somebody who knows somebody, you can feel special. And I won't argue with that.
Best scenery: Run of the Mill
Website: http://therunofthemill.net/
I mean the actual scenery. Get your mind out of the collegiate gutter. This place is located along the Saco River in ... wait for it ... Saco! I just like saying Saco (pronounced: Sock-O, with emphasis on the Sock). More than that, it's located in an old warehouse/mill complex along the river. It's perfect in the summer. And the beer is quite good. But you knew that.
Runner-up in many respects: Bray's
Website: http://www.braysbrewpub.com/index1.html
The food isn't spectacular, but they rotate a nice bunch of beers in. It's really on here for the horseshoe pit out in the biergarden, where they are also known to have live music. I'm not sure if the two (horseshoes and concerts) interact. I'll investigate that for you.
Best brewery I've never visited: Redhook
Mildly criminal. I know. But there's this to contend with:
http://beermapping.com/a/14578#lat=43.77109381775651&lng=-70.30975341796875&z=8
It's a good thing I didn't like beer in college. I couldn't have afforded it. Actually, I can't now. But I digress. Into the end of this uber-long post. Right. Here.
My earliest memories of beer are not pleasant ones. No, not for those reasons (see video below). I just didn't like the taste. It didn't help that we were drinking some of the worst beer on planet Earth. What were we thinking? Simple. A keg of Worst Beer on Earth was $33. A keg of Miller Lite or Leinies was $38. That's five whole extra dollars you make at a college party — while charging $3 or $5 a cup. I was never an advocate of this business model, but I was outnumbered by about 1,000 to 1 in this belief.
Then, around the age of 27, I discovered craft beer. Specifically, Dogfish Head 90 Minute IPA. Then I bought a house down the street from a decent craft brewer in Utah. Then I lived near the Beerhive, my favorite in Salt Lake. They have a freaking ice rail in the middle of their bar. A literal sheet of ice to you can put your drink down on to keep it cold. Awesome.
To clarify, I drink between six and eight beers in a typical week. No more than two in a day. I'm just saying.
Then, I moved to a state where people other than me drink beer. It's Beervannah. So, for those readers that weren't titillated by a photo of a lighthouse, I present a drinking guide to my adopted home state. Maybe now you'll want to come visit.
 |
| That really is one heck of a long arm for such a short photographer. |
Best Beer Bar: Great Lost Bear
Website: http://bearsgrowl.wordpress.com/
This is a controversial choice. I'm expecting hate mail. There's a new, cooler bar in town, but it skews toward Belgian beers. The Bear is a classic. It's a bar out of a movie about cool bars. It's got around 70 beers on tap. The taps are *constantly* changing. And they have Dogfish Head on tap. Usually. Plus, they have 9 kinds of nachos and full-sized buffalo wings (including both the small drumstick and the gross part in one, giant, super wing).
Best brewpub: Portsmouth Brewery
Website: http://www.portsmouthbrewery.com/
A 45-minute drive from our house, it's considered a roadtrip by the locals. Little do they know I used to drive 35 minutes every day to go to college. They rotate through several dozen kinds of beers (check their blog to see what's on tap and what's cooking). And it's reasonably priced. Sold.
Best fancy beer: Allagash
Website: http://www.allagash.com/home.htm
The magnums of this Belgian-mainly brewer run about $8. Well worth it. As previously mentioned, I'm not a big Belgian fan. But their Tripel and Curieux (ranked in the top 10 Belgians in America) are well worth the price of admission, and perfect if you want to have just one (one being 25 ounces and 7-9 percent alcohol). There's also a line of excellent micro-releases, where if you know somebody who knows somebody, you can feel special. And I won't argue with that.
Best scenery: Run of the Mill
Website: http://therunofthemill.net/
I mean the actual scenery. Get your mind out of the collegiate gutter. This place is located along the Saco River in ... wait for it ... Saco! I just like saying Saco (pronounced: Sock-O, with emphasis on the Sock). More than that, it's located in an old warehouse/mill complex along the river. It's perfect in the summer. And the beer is quite good. But you knew that.
Runner-up in many respects: Bray's
Website: http://www.braysbrewpub.com/index1.html
The food isn't spectacular, but they rotate a nice bunch of beers in. It's really on here for the horseshoe pit out in the biergarden, where they are also known to have live music. I'm not sure if the two (horseshoes and concerts) interact. I'll investigate that for you.
Best brewery I've never visited: Redhook
Mildly criminal. I know. But there's this to contend with:
http://beermapping.com/a/14578#lat=43.77109381775651&lng=-70.30975341796875&z=8
It's a good thing I didn't like beer in college. I couldn't have afforded it. Actually, I can't now. But I digress. Into the end of this uber-long post. Right. Here.
 |
| Do these each one count as a beer? My math might have been a bit off. |
No, those are samplers, and secondly the Redhook brewery is fantastic. Did I tour there myself. Picked up the t-shirt with the line by Mr. Ben Franklin, "Beer is proof that God loves us and wants us to be Happy."
ReplyDeleteThis is a tough one for me. I don't like beer, but I'm not offended by it. But, this blog has nothing to offer me. I do like The Hangover though. Do I do 6-1 or 5-1-1?
ReplyDeleteI always count samplers as 1 and a half beers. Unless you go somewhere like New Belgium where they force you to try 10+ varieties.
ReplyDeleteThe flight definitely doesn't count as individual beers. There's what, ten samples? I'm going with three beers.
ReplyDeleteWould LOVE a beer, or a beer sampler for that matter, however, I have given up alcoholic beverages for Lent. Poor me right. 1 week into it and I am doing better than I expected. Keep posting JP and I will keep reading =)
ReplyDelete