FROBlog's on Facebook!! (wow, JFro, welcome to five years ago...mazel tov.). Check out the new page HERE.
LIKE IT....it'll be your good deed for the day. And you'll be a better person. And I'll buy you a beer.*
*all beers will be bought at Kate's Place in Wilkes-Barre, PA when they're serving dollar Labatts. Which, to my knowledge, is every night. But I'm only buying when I'm there.
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Showing posts with label beer. Show all posts
Showing posts with label beer. Show all posts
Monday, August 22, 2011
Monday, August 1, 2011
Dogfish Head 120 Min IPA Review (from TheFullPint.com)
This beer punches you in the face. And then steps on your soul. In an awesome way.
http://thefullpint.com/beer-reviews/dogfish-head-120-minute-ipa
http://thefullpint.com/beer-reviews/dogfish-head-120-minute-ipa
Sunday, July 24, 2011
Catoctin Creek Distillery/DC Brau Review
(Lil' overdue, but better late than never, right?)
The Wife and I, passports in tow, drove out to Purcellville, VA to visit the Catoctin Creek Distillery a few weeks ago. We'd heard it was Kosher-certified; that, alone, was enough to warrant a detour on our trip out to Harper's Ferry (where, btw, one should NOT camp in the RiverRiders campsite...unless you like the experience of camping while an earthquake-inducing train choochoos by 13-15 times in a 24-hour period). When we arrived, we were a little wary by it's rather nondescript storefront in an industrial park...however, our skepticism was soon put at ease when the co-owner, Scott, invited us in and gave us a great tour of his very charming lil' distillery.
Founded in 2009, this young distillery regularly cranks out three different spirits (Roundstone Rye, Watershed Gin, and Mosby's Spirit) along with the occasional brandy and liqueur. After our tour (which, alone, was worth the drive, folks...Scott is very knowledgeable about the distillation process, keeps your interest, and is an all-around nice guy), we drove 5 minutes down the road to Magnolia's At The Mill for a tasting. We started with Mosby's Spirit, a "white whiskey" (i.e. legal moonshine). Great fruity nose with a nice bready balance on the tongue and a surprisingly smooth finish as to what we anticipated. Next in line was the Watershed Gin which, imbibed neat, had a bit more bite than we expected but would undoubtedly make for a great Tonic Engine, as I like to call it (thanks, Billy Joel), with it's well-balanced Juniper notes and other organic botanicals. The Roundstone Rye was our third and final dram and went down nice and smooth, with the biggest rye taste of any whiskey I've ever had--in a good way. Would REALLY like to try it in a Manhattan, which the folks at Magnolia's highly recommend. But, since it was 1130am and we had a bit of a drive ahead, I decided to keep it "to the sips," as it were.
All in all, a great experience with the Catoctin Creek Distilling Company...and, btw, they have their own APP...how sweet is that?
Now, skipping forward a week, we heard about a new craft brewery in DC called DC Brau...naturally, we had to visit. This proved to be quite a difficult endeavor, as this north-east DC brewery is harder to find than a pro-choice Republican in Mississippi. There are no signs as you approach its location 'round back of a big post office building. But, we managed to navigate our way to the entrance and were pleasantly surprised when we entered the building to find a legit brewery, replete with DC Brau signage, paraphernalia, and best of all, FREE TASTES! Offered for sampling were two of their big brews, The Corruption (American IPA) and The Public Ale (American Pale Ale).
If you are a serious hophead, The Corruption is right up your alley, with a big citrusy, piney hop factor and the expected, lingering, bitter finish. The Public was a bit more relaxed, retaining a very present hop character but smoothed over with caramel notes and an overall medium body. Definitely two big contenders in the local craft brew scene.
We took a quick tour of the site, led by bearded DC Brau co-owner, Brandon, and were surprised when we saw two Catoctin Creek Distillery barrels sitting against a wall. Brandon informed us--if memory serves--that they were being prepped for later reintroduction to one of their brews. Excitedly, I blurted out, "Catoctin Creek?? We were just there!!"...at which point the rest of the tour-goers turned to look at the moron in their midst. Unnecessary exclamations aside, the DC Brau tour/tasting was worth the drive and we're excited to watch their popularity grow throughout the Greater Metro DC area and beyond.
If you need any guinea pigs for future brew-tasting, DC Brau-folk, please don't hesitate to reach out. Same goes to you Catoctin Creekers. FROBlog loves you both :D
The Wife and I, passports in tow, drove out to Purcellville, VA to visit the Catoctin Creek Distillery a few weeks ago. We'd heard it was Kosher-certified; that, alone, was enough to warrant a detour on our trip out to Harper's Ferry (where, btw, one should NOT camp in the RiverRiders campsite...unless you like the experience of camping while an earthquake-inducing train choochoos by 13-15 times in a 24-hour period). When we arrived, we were a little wary by it's rather nondescript storefront in an industrial park...however, our skepticism was soon put at ease when the co-owner, Scott, invited us in and gave us a great tour of his very charming lil' distillery. 
All in all, a great experience with the Catoctin Creek Distilling Company...and, btw, they have their own APP...how sweet is that?
Now, skipping forward a week, we heard about a new craft brewery in DC called DC Brau...naturally, we had to visit. This proved to be quite a difficult endeavor, as this north-east DC brewery is harder to find than a pro-choice Republican in Mississippi. There are no signs as you approach its location 'round back of a big post office building. But, we managed to navigate our way to the entrance and were pleasantly surprised when we entered the building to find a legit brewery, replete with DC Brau signage, paraphernalia, and best of all, FREE TASTES! Offered for sampling were two of their big brews, The Corruption (American IPA) and The Public Ale (American Pale Ale).
If you are a serious hophead, The Corruption is right up your alley, with a big citrusy, piney hop factor and the expected, lingering, bitter finish. The Public was a bit more relaxed, retaining a very present hop character but smoothed over with caramel notes and an overall medium body. Definitely two big contenders in the local craft brew scene.
We took a quick tour of the site, led by bearded DC Brau co-owner, Brandon, and were surprised when we saw two Catoctin Creek Distillery barrels sitting against a wall. Brandon informed us--if memory serves--that they were being prepped for later reintroduction to one of their brews. Excitedly, I blurted out, "Catoctin Creek?? We were just there!!"...at which point the rest of the tour-goers turned to look at the moron in their midst. Unnecessary exclamations aside, the DC Brau tour/tasting was worth the drive and we're excited to watch their popularity grow throughout the Greater Metro DC area and beyond.If you need any guinea pigs for future brew-tasting, DC Brau-folk, please don't hesitate to reach out. Same goes to you Catoctin Creekers. FROBlog loves you both :D
Saturday, July 23, 2011
Beer Remix
Great, drool-worthy post from cyber-bud Lee Williams' blog, Hoptopia!
Check it out: http://hoptopia.tumblr.com/
Check it out: http://hoptopia.tumblr.com/
Monday, July 4, 2011
Freedom!!!!!!
Happy 4th of July, everyone! On this day, during which we celebrate our country declaring itself an independent nation with beer and fireworks displays, please remember what our forefathers said as they gathered together to mark this momentous occasion:
DON'T LIGHT YOUR HOUSE ON FIRE, YOU DRUNKEN MORONS!
May your celebrations be bar-b-quey :D
DON'T LIGHT YOUR HOUSE ON FIRE, YOU DRUNKEN MORONS!
May your celebrations be bar-b-quey :D
Friday, July 1, 2011
Date Night with Raj
Learned an important lesson this morning: Do not...I repeat...do NOT eat extra spicy Phaal in close proximity to bedtime. The fallout is not very pleasant. The brunt of my productivity today has been conducted in a men's room stall. Also, last night, I think I dreamt that my face had a face.
Went to Saagar Indian Cuisine last night. Was supposed to be a bit of a date night for the ladyfren' and me...had a Groupon and everything, so, ya know, pretty romantic. We arrived eager and excited and walked in to find a practically empty room; there were four people eating, one of whom had his leg up on his booth seat, his shoeless foot extending just past the end of the cushion. Class.
Naturally, the multi-tasking waiter/busboy/maitre'd--who was seemingly overwhelmed by the four people silently eating around him--sat us in the booth next to Foot Guy. It was at this point we learned that Foot Guy's name was Raj and he was the money behind the restaurant. Also, Raj was DRUNK. He was quite happy at the fact we were sitting nearby and began chatting us up immediately, informing us he'd had a bottle of Scotch prior to his, now, second large bottle of Taj lager, and that we shouldn't worry about paying for our drinks because they'd be on him. When I told him I wasn't planning on drinking too much more as I had to drive later, he suggested we leave our car at the restaurant and he'd be happy to take us home after our meal. This, obviously, was tremendously comforting.
Started with a shared plate of Aloo Tikki Chaat (potato patties in a chick pea curry with yogurt, mint, tamarind sauce and spices). The Wife had Malai Kofta (veggie-cheese dumplings in a cream sauce with spices). I was going to select my Indian cuisine go-to, Palak Paneer...but then I saw the Phaal. I'd never had Phaal before, but it was the accompanying disclaimer that caught my eye: (this is word-for-word from the menu)
Um...YES?! I love spicy food and, even more, I love a challenge. Ordered the Phaal and told him not to hold back.
The meal progressed. Raj continued to drink. I began to sweat profusely, my insides burning away with every successive forkful of Phaal. Raj, who was now joined by Shankar, the owner of the restaurant, was beckoning us to join him at his table and eat from the four plates of food they'd ordered. The perfect date night.
(Btw, at some point during the meal, like a flash flood, a party of no less than 40 people came into the restaurant, got food, ate, and left within 20 minutes. It was one of those moments where, afterwards, you look at the person next to you with a furrowed brow and go, "Did that just happen??")
Skip to the end of the meal. I'm covered in curry sweat, the Wife is slipping into the food coma, and Raj and Shankar--my two new best friends who, I'm now convinced, maintain positions of note in the local chapter of the Indian mafia--have told me I need to come back and see them sometime soon when I'm not driving so we can "go crazy." With multiple handshakes and words of mutual admiration, we finally part ways.
So, in sum, Date Night was comprised of:
-An empty restaurant with poor service
-Food that induced me into labor
-Forced conversation with an intoxicated Indian money-lender who may be tied to the mob
MISSION ACCOMPLISHED
*************************************
Naturally, the multi-tasking waiter/busboy/maitre'd--who was seemingly overwhelmed by the four people silently eating around him--sat us in the booth next to Foot Guy. It was at this point we learned that Foot Guy's name was Raj and he was the money behind the restaurant. Also, Raj was DRUNK. He was quite happy at the fact we were sitting nearby and began chatting us up immediately, informing us he'd had a bottle of Scotch prior to his, now, second large bottle of Taj lager, and that we shouldn't worry about paying for our drinks because they'd be on him. When I told him I wasn't planning on drinking too much more as I had to drive later, he suggested we leave our car at the restaurant and he'd be happy to take us home after our meal. This, obviously, was tremendously comforting.
THE MEAL:
 |
| Top - Malai Kofta, Bottom - Phaal of Death |
Warning: Extremely Hot & Spicy. Think Before You Order. An excruciatingly hot curry, more pain and sweat than flavor, for our customers who do this on a dare, we will require you to state a verbal disclaimer not holding us liable for any physical or emotional damage after eating this curry. If you do manage to finish your serving of curry, a bottle of beer is on us.
The meal progressed. Raj continued to drink. I began to sweat profusely, my insides burning away with every successive forkful of Phaal. Raj, who was now joined by Shankar, the owner of the restaurant, was beckoning us to join him at his table and eat from the four plates of food they'd ordered. The perfect date night.
 |
| Me and the Raj-ster. |
(Btw, at some point during the meal, like a flash flood, a party of no less than 40 people came into the restaurant, got food, ate, and left within 20 minutes. It was one of those moments where, afterwards, you look at the person next to you with a furrowed brow and go, "Did that just happen??")
Skip to the end of the meal. I'm covered in curry sweat, the Wife is slipping into the food coma, and Raj and Shankar--my two new best friends who, I'm now convinced, maintain positions of note in the local chapter of the Indian mafia--have told me I need to come back and see them sometime soon when I'm not driving so we can "go crazy." With multiple handshakes and words of mutual admiration, we finally part ways.
So, in sum, Date Night was comprised of:
-An empty restaurant with poor service
-Food that induced me into labor
-Forced conversation with an intoxicated Indian money-lender who may be tied to the mob
MISSION ACCOMPLISHED
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