Parabola: the Darkness in the Glass

IN THE DARKNESS

In the darkness of my doubts

I know not what to say.

In the darkness of my jealousies

I know not what to feel.

In the darkness of my insecurities

I know not what to become.

-Sri Chinmoy

In the darkness of my glass I know not what I'll taste. The darkness in the glass is 2011 Firestone Walker Parabola. It's a high octane (13% abv) bourbon barrel aged imperial stout.  I had debated on whether or not to pull this from my cellar or to let it sit on the shelf, get dusty and age.  Originally I had only one bottle.  A HUGE thanks to Rich Isaacs (richonbeer.blogspot.com) who stepped up when I thought I missed my chance to find it in store. Then, not too long after, during a trip through South Jersey I got lucky and came across two bottles. Score! So quickly none turned to three. Now the best of both worlds: drink one and age two.

On the first pour of Parabola the bourbon shows big in the aroma. There is no denying its bourbon aged. Chocolate, hints of cherry/dark fruit, coffee and caramel all fall in line. The taste is sweet bourbon mixed with chocolate, vanilla and roasted malt flavors. With small sips it's perfectly smooth at first. However, the booziness catches up in the end and it becomes hot. Not horrible, but age should do good things to this beer. Even now it's still a pretty amazing.

If you're lucky enough to have a bottle or find it on draft two things are a must.  First, enjoy it in the proper glass. Get your nose into a snifter and have fun with the aroma while you drink. Yes it makes a difference! Second, taste it cool but wait to really enjoy it once it warms up. Well worth it.

I put it up there with The Abyss, Bourbon County Brand Stout and Black Magick. The curiosity of how this is going to taste in a year or two is the only thing that stops me from opening the remaining bottles and enjoying them now.

Thanks Big Dan for Bringing Us Beersgiving

Mr. Dan Bengel, aka Big Dan, has officially made the announcement of BEERSGIVING.  A grand beerfest to be held at Sunnybrook in Pottstown on Sat November 19th.  Yes, that's the Saturday before Thanksgiving. Hence the name of the fest.  Those of you who know Dan are probably aware that his first attempt at a beerfest unfortunately fizzled fast.  That's why this announcement is even sweeter.  I've known about it for awhile but was sworn to secrecy. A wise man, especially a beerwise man, knows it's best to follow Big Dan's wishes. You know he hangs with those TNSC hooligans. Anyway I kept quiet and now that the news is out we can all cheer for the big day.  If you haven't done so already click on the above link for more information and start counting the days until our first BEERSGIVING.

Traveling for Burgers and Beer



Craft Ale House Burger
w/ fried onions & blue cheese

Some of my recent posts have focused on food along with beer options around Philly.  This started me thinking about my favorite beer and food combo. What do I tend to order more than anything else?  Either locally or out on the road the burger is king.  For great beer and burgers around Philly Standard Tap, Craft Ale House , Monk's and Capone's get my nod.  Since my grand traveling days are on hold for awhile (little Miss. Iambeerwise is arriving soon) I'm depending on these local favorites for my fix. However, when I dream of sizzling ground beef away from Philly there are two places that satisfy my beer and burger fantasies. One is a plane ride west and the other is a simple day trip down 95.
 

Duffy's Cherry Cricket Burger
w/green chilies & cream cheese



First up is Duffy's Cherry Cricket in Denver Colorado. Their mouth watering Cricket Burger topped with mild Green Chilies and Cream Cheese is outrageously good. It may sound odd but it's an incredible mix of flavors that really work well together. The beer list is heavy on Colorodo breweries which should be no surprise. I wrote more about it here in my ramblings on last year's GABF.

RFD  Breakfast Burger



However as good as that burger and beer choices were at Cherry Cricket top spot goes to RFD in Washington D.C. This beer utopia is home to the appropriately named  Breakfast Burger. I discovered this miracle on a plate last year during D.C. Beer Week. It's a 1/2lb of ground beef marinated in Kostritzer Black Lager, cooked to order, topped with a fried egg, bacon, American cheese and a choice of toppings.  It's all served with a side of fries.  As good as that was what pushed it to number one was the accompanying glass of Founders Canadian Breakfast Stout.   A damn a finer meal has not been had in all the land! Although I enjoyed it for dinner it's easy to picture putting this away on a weekend morning or better yet after a night out with the clock striking 3am. All that breakfast goodness between two buns washed down with the maple, coffee, bourbon flavors of the palate bashing CBS. The bonus is RFD is one of the best beer bars anywhere. If a monstrous Imperial Stout doesn't work something from the impressive bottle selection or 35 taps is sure to please. The perfect gluttonous burger along with a bevy of beer choices is the reason RFD has my top spot.

 

TJ's "The Scraps"

The notion of getting scraps isn't typically anything to write home about.  That's unless those scraps come from Philly Beer Week 2011. Today (7/16) TJ Restaurant and Drinkery breaks out a full lineup the good stuff for a PBW flashback.  Sure it wasn't that long ago but I'm sure no one will complain about an early nod to this years mondo event.  The official start time is 4pm PAYG.

TheScraps on Tap

Ballast Point Navigator

Ballast Point Tongue Buckler

Ballast Point Sculpin

Boulder Bourbon Barrel Aged Mojo Risin

Bruery Mischief

Cigar City Hillsborough Dry Stout

Central Waters Illumination DIPA

Coronado Hoppy Lager

Coronado Black Pearle

Dark Horse Raspberry Black Ice

Dark Horse Shake Mocha Porter

Evil Twin Yang

Hill Farmstead Double Citra

Hill Farmstead Abner

Hill Farmstead Edward

Sixpoint Bill's Burger Bar Beer

Stillwater/Brewer's Art Debutante

Stillwater Existent

Stillwater Jaded

St. Somewhere Lectio Davina

Sprecher Black IPA

't Gaverhopke Extra

Voodoo Bitchin' Camaro

Voodoo Pilzilla

Voodoo Black Strap (FIRKIN)

Williamsburg Bourbon Barrel Porter

Get Your Saison On @ Capone's

Need a lesson on Saisons/Farmhouse ale?  Then Capone's is the place to go and get schooled.  Matt has gathered 14 Saisons and is making this a three day event 7/14-7/16. For those who need more styles no worries the other taps are always flowing.

The Saisons are on
Voodoo Bitchin' Camaro Saison

Bullfrog Saison Nouveau
Bullfrog Somnus Viduata Saison
Southampton Cuvee Des Fleurs "Brewed at The Publick House"
De Proef Sly Fox Collaboration Broederlijke Liefde ( Brotherly Love) "Sour"
KleinBrouwerij De Glazen Toren Saison D'Erpe-Mere
Stillwater Stateside Saison
Cigar City Table Saison
Victory CBC Saison
Lost Abbey Carnevale Saison
Dock Street Erbe Saison
Dock Street Brun Saison
New Holland Golden Cap Saison
McKenzie's Saison Vatour-Gold Medal Winner at The Great American Beer Fest

The other stuff
Jolly Pumpkin Luciernaga w/Brett

Firestone Walker Double Jack Double IPA
East End Firkin of Obsticle Delusion FIRKIN
Port Brewing Mongo DIPA
Great Lakes Erie Monster DIPA
Ithaca Flower Power IPA
Weyerbacher Steel IPA Project #4 A West Coast Style IPA
Bear Republic APEX DOUBLE IPA
Ithaca Dark Humor Sour Porter
Lagunitas LUCKY 13
Fruli Strawberry
North Coast Old Rasputin on Nitrogen
Geants Goliath Tripel
Urban Chestnut Winged Nut
Koning Ludwig Weissbier

Night of the Hatters @ Craft Ale House

The ever wise Dr. Joel (New Holland Beer Ambassador and Grain Bill blogger) slows his traveling ways for an evening close to home at the Craft Ale House. Never one to show empty handed he brings along 5 special Mad Hatters surely to bring joy and wonderment to all those in attendance. Start time is 5pm. Let the madness ensue.

All the Hatter Goodness

Black Hatter

Farmhouse Hatter

Oak Aged Hatter

Rye Hatter

Plus a special Hatter firkin??????

Blue Route Tacos: Love for Tacos and Beer

Recently after exploring the chilly beer room at Cold Point Pub in the Plymouth Meeting Whole Foods I trekked up to the rooftop of  for some south of the boarder grub.  If you're unfamiliar with Whole Foods the roof is home to the Blue Route Taco Truck. Yes a revamped food truck sits on the roof and it's putting out some serious soft shell tacos for the lunch and dinner crowd.

The concept is simple, fill out an order form, pay, wait for your name to be called, pick-up your meal and munch. There's a choice of 5 tacos: Carne Asada w/Quesso Fresco, Tecate Fish (fried) w/Chipotle Mayo, Spiced Chicken w/Pico de Gallo, Grilled Veggie w/Black Beans and Jicama and Pork Carnits w/Tomatillo. A single taco is $2.50 or 3 for $6.00. Out of the three tacos I ordered: pork, carne asada and chicken, the pork was the most flavorful and spicy. Chips and  drinks are also available including a selection of canned beer.  Since I stopped in for lunch I opted for a water but the craft selection fit well with the food offered.

At the time six, beers all in cans, were available: Breckenridge Avalanche, Avery White Rascal, Lancaster Rumspringa, Caldera IPA, Dave's Brewfarm Select and Sly Fox Phoenix Plae Ale. At only $2.99 each not a bad way to counter the spicy ride.  With creative taco options and an affordable menu the Blue Route Taco Truck gives Whole Foods patrons yet another great choice when it comes to finding a quick bite to eat.

PYT ASAP with PBR & Lobster

The down fall of living in the land beyond the Blue Route is that quick trips to the city seem to come around less often. Thus it takes me forever to get to a new restuarant or bar in Philly.  Thats why when I managed to score a recent Friday off I picked up the mysterious Kelleigh and headed to Northern Liberties for lunch at PYT.

Located at The Piazza PYT has become the go to place for burgers.  A quick look at the menu and you realize everything isn't just mayo, ketchup, lettuce, pickle and tomato.  Yes, the basics are available but there is some serious food creativity happening here.

As much as I wanted to follow my adventerous side and take on the Krispy Kreme Sliders (a mini glazed KK donut for a bun, cheese and chocolate covered bacon perched on a ground beef pattie) I opted for the Truffle Lobster Burger.  The surf n turf treat came out with lobster piled high on a thick ground beef pattie, all covered with a truffle aioli and served with Old Bay fries. So as not to seem too pretentious I paired the highend burger with a humble Pabst Blue Ribbon.  Surprise, surprise the PBR and lobster got along quite well. The slight macro sweetness played off the sweetness in the lobster and worked as a good refresher. The PBR drank far better than I remembered and the burger was a juicy masterpiece. For those who don't flow with the Pabst old school vibe there were a few craft beer options, as well as other alcoholic goodies from the bar

PYT has everything you want in a cool hangout. A fantastic location on the Piazza, hip atmosphere, solid food choices and good selections from the bar. A couple years ago Kelleigh and I may have hung around to have a couple adult milkshakes or take in happy hour. Instead this old head followed lunch with a little shoppping on the Piazza and a drive back to the burbs on a full stomach. I'll make it a point not to wait too long before venturing back. The Krispy Kreme burger is still calling me. PYT definitely knows how to put togther a tasty, creative burger.

Sweet Action with True Blood

 Sweet Action refers to the beer not what's happening on screen

Sunday was the premiere of season 4 of True Blood.  While all the vamps, werewolves and other supernatural critters rose to the occasion I poured a Sixpoint Brewing Sweet Action and kicked back in my leather chair for the Sunday night freak fest. Both the show and the beer impressed.

Sweet Action is listed as a cream ale which means nothing to me as a style.  The only cream ale I've ever had is Genesee Cream Ale and that was at least 20 years ago.  Doing some research on Wikipedia and Beer Advocate quickly brought me up to speed. The descriptions are fairly vague but basically it's a top fermenting ale, sometimes finished with lager yeast.  Typically lower in hops, light in color and body. Thankfully Sweet Action breaks from those overly bland guidelines.

Sweet Action pours a hazy deep gold with a thin white head that quickly fades. Flavors of citrus, vanilla and mango all come out. However this seems like one of those beers that if a 100 different people tried it you'd get a 100 different flavor descriptions. The hops that show in the aroma stay fairly mellow in the taste. It's all very well balanced. This is a summer comfort beer in a good way. No hop assault here.  At 5.2% abv session purist will hate that I call this a session beer.  However as smooth and easy drinking as it is it's nothing but sessionable. Sweet Action delivers balanced flavors, a touch of sweet and enough bitter to let you know there is nothing macro about it. The 16 ounce can makes it great for around the pool or as the perfect accessory to the mower when working on the lawn.

As for True Blood if your unaware of the whole series you have a little catching up to do (click on the link above).  For those in the know the premiere offered a few surprises and laid the ground work for what should be a good season. There is no question what I'll be watching on Sunday night.

And that was Philly Beer Week

Another successful Philly Beer Week came to a close yesterday. I managed to make it out to several events, however falling well short of my goal.  A quick photo rundown of the week's activities is soon to follow.  Thanks again to everyone who made Philly Beer Week a huge success. Cheers!!!

A special thanks to Don Russell who gave me the opportunity to contribute to this years PBW guide. It's the article on West Philly/University City (page 33). If you haven't done so already check it out.

IAMBEERWISE.com is IAMBEERWISE.net for now

With Philly Beer Week in full swing and so much good happening in the world of beer I'm not looking to bring down the positive vibe with my personal domain battle.  There's plenty of time for that.  This post is just another attempt to get the word out about the current switch over. 

For those following the situation no new updates and for now IAMBEERWSE.net rolls on. 

Now time get back to PBW.....cheers!

Domain Pain the Continuation

If you're reading this you have obviously managed to find the new/current home of IAMBEERWISE.  Unfortunately the former IAMBEERWISE.COM is no longer (for now).  Through a series of mishaps the domain I started with has slipped from my possession and into the hands of another.  Basically it's in domain name limbo. I'm currently going through steps to regain it but as I figured it's a slow and arduous process.  With Philly Beer Week upon us I need to move on with the blog and hope for the best.  Does using IAMBEERWISE.NET make a huge difference?  No.  I've never pretend this blog is anything more than what it is.  I'm not changing the world, hopefully just what goes in your glass. It's inconvenient and annoying more than anything.  Tons of broken links and searches and some readers who certainly think the site is dead.  Those who know me realize this stupid mishap would never deter my craft beer passion. So for now the switch is on to IAMBEERWISE.NET and we'll see if the .COM is meant to be again.

The saga continues...............

Night of the Bastards @ Craft Ale House

For any major event it's always good to prepare.  It's key for survival. With Philly Beer Week only a couple days away what better way to gear up than to shock the system with a few heavy hitting bastards?  Tonight (6/1) Craft Ale House in Limerick (or is it Royersford?) unleashes Night of the Bastards.  All things bastard from Stone Brewing and others. Let the prep work begin!  Start time is 6pm.

Draft List

Stone Arrogant Bastard

Stone Oaked Arrogant Bastard

Stone Lukcy Basartd (yes, that's how you spell it)

Stone Double Bastard

With a few special guest Bastards.

Founders Dirty Bastard

Founders Backwoods Bastard (yum)

Blue Point Old Howling Bastard

Get Bastardized!!!

Breckenridge Brewery Beervertising

If you are a craft beer drinker guaranteed you have laughed at the multi million dollar ads for Bud, Miller, and Coors that use every gimmick possible to convince us that their products are worth drinking.  Of course we know better.  Well, Breckenridge Brewery in Denver has launched a series of ads that parody Big Beer. This is definitely something we need more of.

Here are the videos and an article from Ad Age  that details the topic.

To convince drinkers it's the coldest beer in town, Coors Light has for a while made a big fuss over its "cold-activated" cans and bottles on which special thermochromatic ink turns the mountains blue when the beer is sufficiently chilled. Anheuser-Busch followed up recently with its new "ice-cold easy indicator" for Busch Light. And then, this yearMillerCoors upped the ante with its new "super-cold" indicator, in which a bar on Coors Light turns blue when the beer reaches a near-frozen state.

Whatever happened to just touching the damn beer?

This novel concept is put forth in a new ad campaign by a small brewer in Colorado. In one spot, Breckenridge Brewery reveals its "proprietary cold test," which consists of head brewer Bob Harrington touching a bottle of Summerbright Ale and deadpanning: "It's cold." Another spot plugs Avalanche Ale's "gravity activated pouring" bottles: "When you tip it, beer goes straight in your mouth. When you tip it back, the beer stops flowing." Without saying it by name, another ad clearly makes a dig at "triple hops brewed" Miller Lite, by declaring that Breckenridge's Lucky U IPA is "seven-druple hopped."

The brewer, which makes just 40,000 barrels a year, spent a measly $10,000 producing the parody campaign, called "Truth in Beervertising," which includes four ads that will air on Denver Fox affiliate KDVR during local news and Broncos football games. The agency is Cultivator Advertising & Design, Denver.

Domain Name Pain

(Yes it's wine but I like the picture)

Congratulations to all who have made it here.  To quote Mark Twain, "The reports of my death are greatly exaggerated."  Iambeerwise is still kicking.  However, I'm sure you have noticed that a domain name incident has occurred.  It's a headache but not an end to this friendly neighborhood beer blog?  Ultimately I'm not sure how it's all going to play out.  I apologize for the inconvenience and will keep all posted on the not so dramatic outcome.

Whatever the result Iambeerwise lives.

Cheers!

Introducing Bex on Beer

A couple weeks ago I dropped a hint about a feminine twist being added to the oh so masculine I Am Beer Wise. Well the time has come.  For awhile I've tossed around the idea of having another beer obsessed individual occasionally post articles, reviews and beer thought.  Where the idea hit a wall was on the who and the how.  Then I received grand inspiration from beer mastermind Sam Calagione.  Actually it came from his book, He Said Beer She Said Wine. The male and female play is perfect. The twist to Sam's great read?  Ditch the wine (sorry Marnie) and only focus on the beer. Next, get someone who is fairly new to drinking the good stuff so that there is a fresh perspective.  The person must be intelligent, witty, have an appreciation for good food and drink (Duh! Must like beer) and demonstrate the ability to form an interesting sentence or two.  All qualifiers I easily fall short on from time to time. Of course, most important, the contributor needed to be of the female persuasion. From all of that I introduce the other beer soaked mind contributing to this blog, Rebecca T with "Bex on Beer".

And yes that is her sampler!
Reviews and more on the way.

American Craft Beer Week May 16-22

List of Beer Weeks

Racing Goats and Other Beer Madness

"Ah, there is nothing like the smell of goats and beer in the morning." 

The annual Sly Fox Bock Fest and Goat Race kicks off Sunday (5/1) at 11:00 in Phoenixville. Expect goats (many/48), people (bunches-o-bunches/2,500 plus) and beer (several bocks-a-flowin').   The snippet from Sly Fox's website explains it best.

The Sly Fox Bock Festival & Goat Race is held on the first Sunday of May every year, rain or shine. It has become one of the Philadelphia region’s favorite beer-focused celebrations, drawing crowds estimated in the 2,500 to 3,000 range to the Sly Fox Brewhouse & Eatery in Phoenixville in recent years.



BOCK FEST: Goat Races,

German Food & Fun!

A German menu is offered to complement what might be the largest offering of bock-style beers by any brewery in the United States at one time. Brewmaster Brian O’Reilly and his crew produce a mouth-watering lineup: Slacker Bock, Helles Bock, Instigator Doppelbock, two Eisbocks (usually Slacker and Instigator) and a Maibock. The day marks the release of the Maibock which is tapped immediately after the race and named in honor of the winner.

The festival takes place in front of the pub with a huge tent helping provide shade on what is usually a perfect spring day. The running of the ruminants is held from the rear of the building in which the pub sits down along a roadway to a finish line near the back of festival area, in front of a grassy hillside where early arrivals have staked out their place. Afterwards, some of the goats and their owners mingle with the crowd, delighting the many children in attendance with their families.

Goats not your thing?  Then check out some other happenings.

Firkins For Our Furry Friends @ Kyber Pass Pub

The second annual fundraiser, Firkins For Our Furry Friends, commences at Noon on Saturday, April 30th. This event features an array of cask conditioned bartop kegs of quality craft brews. $20 at the door gets you a bottomless cup of delicious beers donated by our friends at Yards, Philadelphia Brewing, Sly Fox, Sixpoint and more. Last year we raised over $700 - during the worst blizzard Philly has seen in a decade.

All proceeds go to P.A.W.S. (Philadelphia Animal Welfare Society) to help them in their efforts to save Philadelphia’s homeless, abandoned, and unwanted animals. So come in, have some brews, & help us help P.A.W.S.!
Khyber Pass Pub is located at 56 S. 2nd St.
Phone 215.238.5888

 

 

BATTLE OF THE BANDS April 30th - 6pm to 10pm

 

Stoudt's Brewing Company is proud to host our 4th Annual Battle of the Brewery Bands. This event is all about giving back to our community, uniting breweries, and having a great time. Last year, we raised over $7,000 with more than 400 people attending. This year we are hoping to exceed last year's goal. This year's participants include Lancaster Brewing, Lancaster Homebrew, Victory, Union Barrel Works, and Stoudt's. Some of the charities are: The Wounded Warrior Project, Leukemia and Lymphoma Society, Relay for Life, and Schreiber Pediatric.

The tickets are $30 which includes food, great beer, and music from our talented breweries. We will also have a cash bar for wine and mixed drinks. You must be 21 to attend. Call 717.484.4386 x 204 to or click below icon to purchase tickets.

13TH ANNUAL BREW FEST EXTRAVAGANZA:

Saturday, April 30th, 2011 1-5pm

Back for the 13th year in a row, the MANAYUNK BREW FEST EXTRAVAGANZA is a craft beer tasting event featuring two dozen breweries and over 50 craft beers all outside on the banks of the Schuylkill River (weather permitting)! Live music by Plan B.

Tickets are $45 person and include:
•4-hour long tasting session
•2011 event sampling glass
•2011 event t-shirt
•food voucher
•event program
Tickets are on sale now only through our Online Store.

Hopfest @ UJ's and a Haiku

A Hoppy Haiku

Easter's on the way

Searching for a big hop fix

UJ's is heaven

The day before Easter means Hopfest at Union Jack's on the Manatawny.  20 tongue twisting, mouth numbing, brilliantly bitter hop forward beers are on tap along with a few notable non-hop monsters. 12:15 is go time and it goes all day. 

Draft list

Ballast Point Sculpin

Russian River Pliny the Elder

Russian River Blind Pig

Bells Hopslam

Founders Double Trouble

New Holland Imperial Hatter
Green Flash Imperial

Avery Maharajah

Port Hop 15

Port Mongo

Troegs Nugget Nectar

Boulder Mojo Risin'

Mission Shipwrecked

Brew Works Hop'solutely

Ithaca Flower Power

Rogue I2PA
Ottos Double D
Moylans Hopsickle
Southern Tier Gemini
Firestone Walker Double Jack

For the non hop-heads:

Founders KBS
Russian River Supplication
Firestone Walkers Reserve Porter

Restaurant Drama: The Good, the Bad and the Tasty

The Bad

The words are flying fast and furious and the s**t is piling higher and deeper. Foobooz has an update to the update on The Bookstore,  Fork & Barrel, Tap & Table soap opera.  The spicy part of all this drama are the comments following the post.  Hmmm, so how do you really feel about this restaurateur?  I see lawyers in someones future.  I guess he can always concentrate on his more positive endeavour at 1113 Walnut Street.

The Good and Tasty

The Mysterious Kelleigh and Ms. Bex accompanied me to the Evil Twin Brewing launch at The Farmers' Cabinet (1113 Walnut Street) on Tuesday night. The ladies arrived first and I drifted in around half an hour before the official start time.  Perfect time to get settled, check the surroundings and peruse the menu.

Stepping into the place is like stepping back in time.  The whole speakeasy vibe is 100% in effect.  Thankfully not in a corny Disney way. Instead the rustic interior is a hip nod to the past. First, the place is dark. There's recessed lighting but most of the illumination is from oil lamps and candles. Not a problem once your eyes adjust. If you need it small flashlights are available to make menu reading easier. Dark wood, long communal tables, ceiling height curtains, live jazz, barrel tables, hidden rooms and vintage furniture all create a proper hideaway.

As wonderful as the surroundings were it was the beer that coaxed us out of the burbs on a week night.  After some words from Brian Ewing owner of 12% Imports and Brewer Jeppe Jarnit-Bjergso (pictured above) of Evil Twin Brewing, we were served a flight of five beers. All were impressive (full review on the way) however,  Yin a 10% Imperial Stout and Disco Beer a 10.5% IPA/Chardonnay blend were standouts.

Of the five beers Disco Beer (above, 1st from the left) offered the most unique ride. The hop bitterness and grape sweetness created a complimenting well balanced blend. The fruit factor was big in the aroma, while the hops popped more during the first sip.  That hoppiness then tones down at the midway point allowing the sweetness to come in.  It all finished with a wine like dryness and more hop bite. Very well done.

I could easily get more into the beer and the food, especially the Bourbon Braised Escargot, but if all goes as planned those details will come from a new contributor. Lets just say I Am Beer Wise is seeking a more feminine voice. Someone to balance my rough and cynical side. Interesting changes are on the horizon.

Meantime seek out Evil Twin and slip into The Farmers' Cabinet. Both should impress.  Rumor has it that a certain Thursday night crew straight outta 422 way will be paying the place a visit at the end of the week. I certainly have no problem going another round at The Farmers' Cabinet.

Update

Over at Beer Advocate there's a thread about brewer Terry Hawbaker and what he has planned for The Farmers' Cabinet. Sounds like the first beer to come out of the two-barrel system will be an, "uber-hoppy IPA". More on this here.