Drinking with Khaleesi (of the Dothraki)

Sometimes the statewide/nationwide search for good beer bars and pubs causes you to overlook some of the ones closest to home. Such a place is The Old Bay in New Brunswick. I started patronizing the joint back in 1987—when it first opened. It was a celebratory visit to recognize the birth of my first-born son Brett in nearby RWJ hospital. The kid had his mom in labor for more than 20 hours, and after he finally emerged, we both needed a beer. She, of course, was confined to hospital fare. But I was not.

So two of my buddies who waited it out with me walked down to the Old Bay to celebrate, and I’ve been going back to this cool New Orleans-themed bar ever since. My visits became more regular after 1996, when I broke into the beer writing business, because the Old Bay had lots of outstanding selections on tap and in bottles, thanks to the efforts of Chris Demetrios.

Happily that is still the case as the Old Bay has a magnificent beer tower and Pat Pipi, the current GM who’s responsible, has a great eye, nose and palate for great beer.

Finding the perfect spot in the parking garage nearby to park my motorcycle (God is often too good to me), I stopped in today to help the Old Bay celebrate 25 years in business, and they had pulled out all the stops for the event. Great food, all that good beer, giveaways of shirts and pint glasses, a super-sounding Nawlins band (called, appropriately, the New Orleans Sound) crawfish (both alive on the bar and ready to die for the cause in a big pot outside) and a lively, committed crew and crowd made it an afternoon to remember. That every patron's $10 donation went directly to Elijah's Promise Soup Kitchen made it even more appealing.

As is customary in good beer bars, there are often too many good choices (Old Bay even has a Canned Craft Beer section) which command one’s attention, but a relative newcomer from Bear Republic brewing in California got mine. Dubbed Hop Rod Rye, it was both hoppy and complex, and the rye notes danced all the way through to the finish. It paired up superbly with the free buffet Shrimp Etouffe, but my guess is that it would have gone well with anything on the menu except for the Bourbon-soaked Bread Pudding.

For that, a special beer was required, so I scoured the beer tower and found the face of Khaleesi of the Dothraki, aka the Mother of Dragons in Game of Thrones. And her Dragon’s Milk answered the call perfectly. Not that it was new taste for me, as I celebrated my conquest of the legendary Tail of the Dragon in Tennessee and North Carolina with that beer—a full bottle’s worth. At 10% abv, that’s not an amount suggested for any ride until it’s over, and I dutifully drank it in my hotel room. But the Old Bay responsibly pours you less than that, and while it’s sufficient to make you wax eloquent in praise of Khaleesi, it won’t prevent you from riding home. One won’t anyway.

My visit to the Old Bay reminded me that good beer and good beer bars don’t always require lots of mileage from home. I’ll definitely be back for more.

I just hope Khaleesi is still there.

Beer Here!

When we were kids, field trips out of school were a special treat, even if we had to go to a [gasp!] MUSEUM. How boring. But at least we got out of school for a day, and if our chaperones were lucky, they brought back the same number of kids they left with. Maybe if there were trips like this, more of us would like MUSEUMS. This exhibit might warrant a train trip to the Apple. You in?

At The PubScout's Phavorite Philly Pub...

PHILADELPHIA (May 23, 2012) - McGillin's Olde Ale House, Philadelphia's oldest continuously operating tavern, will serve a special "Eat Beer" menu featuring foods made with beer and host Meet the Brewer events with Yuengling, Saranac and Sly Fox during Philly Beer Week, which runs June 1-10, 2012.  

    McGillin's has created a special "Eat Beer" menu featuring a rotating list of foods made with beer. The beer-based specials will be available for the entire event, which runs June 1 through 10. Highlights of the menu include Ma's Beer Mussels Steamed in McGillin's Lager, garlic and leeks; General Washington's Marinated NY Strip with McGillin's 1860 IPA; and McGillin's Beer-y Summer Cobb Salad with Ithaca Apricot Wheat Raspberry Vinaigrette.

    On Tuesday, June 5, McGillin's will host a Meet the Brewer event with Sly Fox Brewery and serve O'Reilly's Stout Ice Cream Floats. The event will be held at McGillin's from 5 - 7 p.m. No cover. Pay as you go.

     On Wednesday, June 6, meet Fred Matt, owner Matt Brewing, and Rich Michaels, brewer of  Saranac Beers from 7-9 p.m. No cover. Pay as you go.  

     On Friday, June 8, Philly's oldest bar welcomes America's oldest brewery - Yuengling. Meet the Yuengling family, hear their stories and taste their beer. Enjoy a pint of the same beer your great-great-great grandfather likely drank at the bar where he likely drank it. At McGillin's from 6 to 8 p.m. No cover. Pay as you go. 

       McGillin's, 1310 Drury Street, between Chestnut & Sansom, 13th & Juniper 215/735-5562.

www.mcgillins.com.


The PubScout will be stopping by...will you?

Philly Beer Week, Here We Come!

Will you be lucky enough to meet 
Paula Abdul at Philly Beer Week? 

Lord knows I wasn't. But she''s close.

       

OPENING TAP 2012,

NEW VIP SESSION, ONE OF THE SIGNATURE EVENTS OF PHILLY BEER WEEK

PHILADELPHIA, PA – Tickets are now available online for the fifth-annual Opening Tap, the official kick-off event of Philly Beer Week (PBW) 2012, to be held on Friday, June 1 at the Independence Visitor Center.  As in the past, tickets are expected to sell out quickly for this signature event, which includes tastes of beer from over 30 regional brewers and the ceremonial “first tapping” of PBW 2012.  New in 2012, is a one-hour VIP Session which will be held from 6:30 p.m. until 7:30 p.m. and will include a selection of special beers paired with complimentary beer-friendly food, as well as a souvenir drinking glass and a gift bag.  General admission will begin at 7:30 p.m. and will cost $40 per person.  Tickets can be purchased online at www.phillybeerweek.org; tickets will not be available for purchase at the door.

“Opening Tap is one of our most popular and enduring events,” says Executive Director Don Russell. “We’re thrilled to announce that tickets are available now online, and we look forward to a best-ever crowd at this year’s sure-to-be-sold-out event.”

Opening Tap will be open to the public and will begin at 7 p.m. with the ceremonial ‘first tap’ by Mayor Michael Nutter.  The tapping will be held outside, on Independence Mall, adjacent to the Independence Visitor Center.  Those waiting to enter the main affair will be in prime position to see Mayor Nutter slinging the official PBW keg mallet (affectionately known as the Hammer of Glory, or HOG) to release PBW’s first drops of Brotherly Suds 3, the official local collaborative beer of PBW 2012.   

"Now in its fifth year, Philly Beer Week has developed a well-deserved national buzz.  Philadelphia has one of the most respected celebrations anywhere, spotlighting our brewers, great bars and restaurants throughout the region," said Mayor Nutter.

Live music will be provided by trumpeter Josh Lawrence and the New Quartet. Once tapped, the festival doors will open for a strolling beer tasting on two levels of the Visitors Center.  Confirmed Opening Tap breweries include:

·         Appalachian

·         Boston Beer

·         Box Car Brewing

·         Dock Street

·         Dogfish Head

·         Evil Genius

·         Fegley’s Brew Works

·         Flying Fish

·         Free Will

·         Full Pint

·         Home Sweet Homebrew

·         Iron Hill Brewery & Restaurant

·         Keystone Homebrew

·         Lancaster

·         Manayunk Brewing Company

·         Neshaminy Creek Brewing

·         Nodding Head

·         Penn Brewing

·         Philadelphia Brewing Company

·         Prism

·         River Horse

·         Round Guys

·         Shawnee Craft Brewing

·         Sly Fox

·         Stoudts

·         Triumph 

·         Troegs

·         Twin Lakes

·         Victory

·         Weyerbacher

·         Yards

·         Yuengling

Beer drinkers will also have the first taste of Dupont Speciale Belge, a Belgian ale brewed at Brasserie Dupont in Tourpes, Belgium by master brewer Olivier Dedeycker and Iron Hill Maple Shade head brewer Chris LaPierre in a once-in-a-lifetime collaboration between the two “cities of frotherly love” exclusively for PBW 2012.  The collaborative beer is a first for 167-year-old Brasserie Dupont and was organized by its American importer, Vanberg & DeWulf. 

Beer friendly food will be available for purchase on site from Max & Me Catering.  There will also be live music by the Flathead Gang.  Attendees must be at least 21 years of age, and no children will be admitted. 

For those who are already making plans to attend other PBW signature events, the $100 per person VIP with Forum of the Gods Package includes Opening Tap admission, the VIP Session and guaranteed seating at the highly praised Forum of the Gods round-table talk and tasting with top beer world luminaries which will held on Wednesday, June 6 at 2 p.m. at Philadelphia Bar and Restaurant.  Those who will be acting as designated drivers can attend the Opening Tap for $25 per person, including complimentary soft drinks and a PBW t-shirt.

Philly Beer Week 2012 will be held from Friday, June 1 until Sunday, June 10.  PBW is a 10-day celebration of “America’s Best Beer-Drinking City,” kicks off on the first Friday in June annually.  Established in 2008, it’s the largest beer celebration of its kind in the United States, featuring hundreds of festivals, dinners, tours, pub crawls, tastings and meet-the-brewer nights throughout Greater Philadelphia.  PBW highlights the region’s diverse beer scene – its world-class breweries, neighborhood taverns, trend-setting restaurants and rich beer culture and history. 

For more information about Philly Beer Week, including the ever-expanding schedule of events both during PBW and throughout the year, a list of participants and other details, please visit www.phillybeerweek.org, follow them on Twitter (@PhillyBeerWeek; PBW tweets should include the hashtag #PBW) and like them on Facebook (Philly Beer Week).

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Pay attention, Beer Nuts!

Chris DePeppe is planning another beerfest blast, and this time it's in Six Flags Great Adventure. Chris's company, beerheads.com recently sponsored the very successful Beers on the Boards at Martell's in Point Pleasant, NJ.

If this bash, set for June 30 is anything like his last, you're in for a great time, because Chris's fests include food. The food at the Martell's fest was nothing short of fabulous, and if the food here is anywhere in that ballpark, you can't go wrong. I was told the food will include sliders (hamburger, chicken and pulled pork), wings (buffalo, garlic, teriyaki and BBQ, beer dogs, chili nacho bar, garden salad, cole slaw, potato sald and baked pretzels.

The beer fest will feature more than 30 craft breweries with many of NJ's finest being represented. The beer portion of the festivities will run from 3:30 PM until 6:30 PM, and fans will even have a chance to vote for the best beers at the event.

There's also a free comedy show at 7:00 PM starring Uncle Floyd and Carl Labove. Not bad for $50.

You can't get tickets just yet, but keep hitting the site to see when they go on sale.

Cheers!
The PubScout

Still STANDING after all these years...

The classic Who song Pinball Wizard relates the story of a "deaf, dumb and blind kid" who "sure plays a mean pin-ball." And at song's end, the narrator admits, "I just handed my pinball crown to him."

I think I know how the narrator feels.

Check out these guys.

Paul Mulshine sends props this way

Paul Mulshine ( that's him on the left ) and I have shared a beer or twain on many occasions. If you've read his columns you might be able to deduce that we share a conservative political bent as well. But this column eschews politics for something far more important--how to enjoy your beer. And, as you can readily see, how such a skill attracts beautiful women.

While yours truly humbly thanks Paul for conferring upon me the title of Beer Expert  (Dave Hoffman goes beyond beer expert to Master Brewer), I must reiterate that Everyman and Everywoman is a beer expert.

A beer drinker drinks beer. The difference between a beer drinker and a beer expert is that a beer expert knows why he drinks a certain beer, and there are many reasons that can apply. As long as the reason is not that it's $9.99 a case, you're pretty much an expert.

The video Beer Sense that Paul (the cerevisaphile, not the conservative) included in his column has been here in the top right hand corner of the blog since our PubScout Tasting in October. But now that it's hit the pages of NJ.com, we can say we've gone "big time." We are now waiting for the guest appearance and job offers to start pouring in.

Might as well have a few beers while we wait.

I owe Paul a few beers for his kind gesture, so I may have to travel down to Point Pleasant soon to pay up. Of course, we'll have to be finished by midnight in that lovely shore town, or else we turn into a Pumpkin Ale or something.

It's only May, but

it's not too early to put this handy-dandy little device on my Christmas list...

Santa, please bring me a Beer iPad!

ECBC's KBA: Super Session Suds

The boys (Merk, Brian and Tom) at East Coast Brewing Company, based out of Pt. Pleasant, NJ have now filled in their collective beer resumes. Nestled neatly in between their delicious flagship Beach Haus Pilsner and their tasty black lager called Winter Rental is the newest member of the suds club called Kick Back Ale or KBA.

A beautiful amber beer with more malt and caramel than hops, this 5.5% brew is a perfect session beer. That's not to say discerning beer nuts won't notice the Horizon and Summit hops. But if you like your beer on the smooth side, KBA deserves your attention.

Brewer Tom P. dropped off some samples as reported here earlier, and along with the visiting Malt Mavens of Montclair State University, we did a tasting, though not a formal, paper review as we did many months ago. KBA got exceedingly high marks on color, nose, mouthfeel and finish from all the testers.

As the name indicates, this is a brew you can kick back with, maybe around a campfire or firepit at sunset as the weather gets nicer, or with friends to watch the NHL Eastern Conference Finals.

Come to think of it, with a name like Kick Back, what goalie wouldn't like this beer?
The PubScout gives it a thumbs up.

Cheers!

Washington’s Crossing Brewfest pitches a Perfect Game

Man.

Talk about the stars aligning for Glenn Blakely and his 2^nd Annual Washington’s Crossing BrewFest inSolebury, Pennsylvania.

65 Brewers’ tables, huge, happy crowds, characters in period dress, really, REALLY good food and a day where the weather notched a 12 on the 1-10 scale. Shaded by trees and bordered by the Delaware River, it’s an ideal place for a Beer Fest.

 Yard’s had the superb Washington’s  Tavern Porter and Thomas Jefferson’s Ale there. And besides being able to taste brews from recognized national breweries, new brewers like Vault, Tall Grass, Naked Brewery, Free Will, Crispen and many others were proffering their liquid wares. Ever hear of “Clown Shoes brewing?” Neither have I, but they were there, along with Half Acre, Full Pint,  Great Swamp, Green Flash and a beer club called Brewtal. Impressive also were the likes of Innis and Gunn, Lagunitas, Allagash and Left Hand from Colorado. A full listing is on the Washington’s Crossing BrewFest website. The participant breweries represented a very wide swath of the US, and the attendees took full advantage. The aforementioned Vault had some serious lines, but so did Port Brewing, Oskar Blues and ShawneeCraft.

Of course, the problem with such a wide variety of excellent breweries is the inability of the normal human stomach to ingest its full, no matter what the mind is ordering it to do. And the quality of the food put out by various vendors didn’t leave any extra room. One dollar hot dogs, big thick and juicy burgers and pretzels so plentiful, many folks were wearing them around their necks. The pretzel  logs were  a foot long and almost three inches thick. There was even a brick-fired pizza wagon from a place called Nomad on the premises putting out the finest gourmet pizza you could ever want.

The entire event was thoroughly organized, there were plenty of “toities” to handle the usual result of drinking beer,  and the staff functioned like a well-oiled machine. I even met George Washington Re-enactor John Godzieba, though for this event he was wearing a staff brewfest shirt and not his general’s garb. And The PubScout gives a well-deserved shout out to the band named “Shabby Road.” They were good without being overly loud, and their cover stuff was on the money.

The slogan on the program for the brewfest reads: George Drank Here. Good thing he made his crossing on a bitter cold Christmas Day, because if it were a day like today, he would undoubtedly have stayed on the Pennsy side, drinking from an excellent array of beers.

Write this one down in your calendars as a “Must hit.” And pray for weather like today’s. Maybe "Gizmo" (L.) will be there, too.

Check out more pictures here.

Sam Adams returns to Foley’s

Shaun Clancy owns Foley’s, an Irish pub across from the Empire State Building, and the pub  made news in 2009 when its point man  John Mooney banned the singing of “Danny Boy” on St. Patrick’s Day. The ban, considered sacrilege by diehard descendants and  lovers of the Olde Sodde, made the news and earned the iconic pub scads of free publicity.

Mooney and Clancy teamed up again before last year’s Super Bowl to institute another ban, this one of any beer made by Sam Adams (Brewer-Patriot, if you didn’t know) in order to show their NY loyalty to the eventual champion Giants.

The Giants may have won the Super Bowl, but the Patriots--and Foley’s—won last night. Jim Koch himself, owner of the Boston Beer Co., arrived at Foley’s last night and “The Patriots” took over 18 of Foley’s 40 taps with only Sam Adams stuff being poured during the night.

Doing some of the pouring was Koch himself, who, thanks to a brilliant advertising campaign, may have a higher recognition factor than NY’s Mayor Bloomberg. Koch is devoid of pretense, talks to folks with a twinkle in his eye and a joie de vivre, and exudes a love for beer that is infectious. Notable quote: “All beer is good; some beer is better.” He was a magnet for the Foley’s crowd last night as everyone pressed close to meet him and snap a picture with the guy who began brewing in his kitchen and turned his company into the largest American-owned brewing company.

A company does not get that title solely because of adverts, however. The bottom line is the beer has to be good, and Koch and his brewer patriots are committed to quality in everything, from ingredients to final product. In the PubScout’s view, as well as in the view of top professional brewers like Climax’s Dave Hoffman, Sam Adams beers are always “dead on” when it comes to style. That’s not to say that everyone will—or should—like every style, but you can’t go wrong with a Sam in a style you like. The number of styles seems to be increasing every day.

And The PubScout likes many of them. Via invitation from Mooney, who is also linked to promotions at Garwood’s Kilkenny House, I attended last night’s affair with The Malt Mavens of Montclair State University, a group of nascent craft beer lovers who are eschewing cheap, watery swill and learning to become discerning—and responsible-- beer drinkers.  You can’t ask for more than that during American Craft Beer Week. You can see their pictures and others here, and take note of how Kyle gets Jim Koch to crack up by asking, “So, is the word Budweiser considered a swear word in your house?”

Although this was The PubScout’s first visit to Foley’s, it will surely not be his last. And if you’re a lover of good pubs, good beer and especially baseball, make haste to Foley’s. You’ll likely be there for a long time just marveling at the memorabilia in the place—and at the facilities in one of the oldest men’s rooms in the city. The food is good, the service efficient and the servers delightful. A special shout out to Kathy, Ciara and Steph is warranted, just for putting up with Larry. And though he had us all in stitches most of the night, they’ll know what that means.

SCORE!

No, not hockey, but hops! Just scored a couple of bottles of East Coast Beer Company's newest offering--Kick Back Ale! It's an amber ale hopped with Horizon and Summit hops. I'll Kick Back later with Kaz (L.) and friends and do an official tasting report, but for now many thanks to brewer Tom Przyborowski, who just returned from bottling day in Rochester to pay his old professor a visit!

Bordentown Bar a Step Back in Time

My brother-in-law Brian, knowing of my involvement with and interest in good beer, invited the missus and me down to his hometown to quaff a pint or four in the local pub. He asserted that it had a decent beer list, and that it offered victual that would satisfy. So down to Bordentown we went.

The Pubscout is a sucker for old-ish towns that look like they could have been alive in the American Revolution, and Bordentown (City), NJ fits that bill. Tree-lined streets, slate-roofed houses, mansard roofs, carriage blocks and hitching posts are visible everywhere.

The architecture is both stunning and fascinating. The shape of the homes and businesses hearkens back to the days of an America not yet 75 years old. Quaint is a word that’s often overused, but entirely apropos here. It was not hard to envision horse-drawn carriages pulled by their clip-clopping, snorting, pie- dropping engines on the streets, nor to imagine Thomas Paine or Ben Franklin ambling over the slate sidewalks on their way to an important meeting—most of which usually took place in a pub. Over beers, ales and spirits, news was disseminated and the revolutionary spirit was defined, debated and adopted. It is no stretch, therefore, to say that American Independence itself was born and bred in brew. Surely brewing played a major role in the brewing revolution.

And the pub we ambled to this day is called The Farnsworth House, named for an English Quaker by the name of Thomas Farnsworth who was the first person to settle the area in 1682. I thought it odd that the town itself wasn’t named after Farnsworth, who arrived 35 years before the town namesake Joseph Borden. But life isn't always fair, I suppose.

If you go, especially if you walk up from the Delaware River, you’ll know you’re at the right place when you see the four-storey image of the Quaker Oats man sans his glasses on the side of an old brick building. But if you park on Farnsworth Ave. in front of the place you might miss it. No problem, however, because you’ll also miss something else—parking meters. Nary a one in sight. Refreshing, that.

Almost as refreshing as many of the beers on the Farnsworth House’s interesting beer list. I began our visit with a Six Point Sweet Action, ordered the missus a Weyerbacher Blanche (which she liked very much) and Brian ordered a River Horse Summer Blonde. The menu looked enticing, but we opted for a lunch of pub-grub. Our lunches were very good and mine was accompanied by a 21^st Amendment Back in Black, which was outstanding. Brian’s second was a Schlafly Pale Ale. For dessert, I ordered a 9.2% ABV Avery Hog Heaven Barleywine, and the missus tried a 10% ABV Dogfish Head Red and White. It didn’t tickle her fancy, so yours truly commandeered it. Just to make sure it did not go to waste, of course.

Our Founding Fathers would have frowned on wasting good ale, I’m sure.

And in a neat town like Bordentown, you don’t want Frowning Founding Fathers. But you do want to make a return visit ASAP. 

If you enjoy Frenchtown, Lambertville, New Hope and the like, pay a visit to Bordentown and the Farnsworth House.

Rt. 35 Alehouse Tavern on a Mission

Residents of central Middlesex County, especially in Sayreville, South Amboy, Perth Amboy and environs may remember an iconic bar on Rt. 35 in Sayreville known as Connie’s Bar. The same goes for fans of a band called Bill Turner and Blue Smoke from way back in the day, because they played frequently at Connie’s. It was a magnet for country-western lovers as well as for mainstream beer lovers.

Connie’s has gone the way of the eight-track tape and cassette, but a new place has risen called The AlehouseTavern and Tap, and they may be on to a winning business plan. The place itself is hardly opulent, reminiscent of the old shot and beer joints of days gone by, but a place doesn’t have to be flashy to be good. Apart from the plethora of good beer choices, the menu, consisting mostly of pub-grub, is very reasonably priced, and more importantly, pretty good. I had a really good, juicy and tasty Classic Alehouse Burger, and the missus enjoyed her bar veggie pizza, which was a lot bigger than most I’ve seen. I looked down the bar and caught another couple enjoying wraps so large, only Sasquatch could hold them in one hand.

I noticed that Jason the barman had some very toned and muscular calves, probably because he had to run between two split bars to serve his customers, and that stream increased as the clock ticked past 8 PM. He advised that both bars would be packed by 10 PM. There aren’t many tables if you’re looking for a secluded romantic evening, unless observing a spirited game of billiards is your idea of romantic. But there is another kind of romance, and that comes from sitting at one of two oval-shaped bars where you can see the folks across from you, and maybe strike up a conversation with those adjacent to you. You know, the kind of bars that actually encouraged human interaction before the iPhone monopolized it.

Thankfully, the new owners are diligently trying to wean away the locals from bland, fizzy, overly-cold mainstream beer into much more interesting and flavorful beers. In fact, this place is unique because it has almost as many flat screen TV’s as it has beer choices—30. Beer choices between tap and bottles approach 50, and barman Jason allowed that he has a Herculean task. Most of his original local patrons  are, like Connie’s old clientele, devotees of mainstream stuff and may have to be dragged kicking and screaming into the world of good beer. But Jason says, “Little by little, they’re coming around, and liking what they’re drinking. Then they order it again and experiment even further.”

Taps are rotated regularly, and the pub is always looking for suggestions for new beers, especially those of the local variety. To that end, Kane’s and Carton’s offerings were prominently displayed, and Beach Haus may be getting a call.
All the North and Central Jersey bennies who dread spending two to three hours in choked Parkway traffic on their way to the shore this summer would do well to spend those hours here, as Happy Hour runs from 4-8 PM. After grabbing some fortifying food and brew, you can easily hook back up with the Parkway by going south down Rt. 35 to Laurence Harbor and hanging a right turn...total distance about two miles from the Ale House, after the traffic has eased.

Sure, the place isn’t fancy, but  neither are its prices. A couple can eat and drink well for $30 and feel sated upon leaving.  In all, a very comfortable pub to call home—and to call home about—and it seems the clientele is increasing every day.The PubScout will definitely make a return visit.

Brewer, Baker--and Bone-Breaker

Meet Jim Miller, who does at least two things dear to The PubScout's heart: making beer and wrestling. Actually, it's MMA, but he got his start as a wrestler at Sparta HS.
The multi-talented Miller is described as a Renaissance Man of sorts, and if you know what that means, check out the article to see if you concur.
In fact, if you even know what The Renaissance was, you might also check it out.
Heck, even if you've never heard the term in school or college, which hints that you may be under 30, do yourself a favor and read about this guy.
The Pubscout will be pulling for him in his next MMA bout, and if he wins, I'll hoist a pint to him.
If he loses, I'll still hoist a pint to him.
Because that kind of versatility deserves one.

Cheers!
The PubScout