"...and the Geeks are getting Fat!"

Being an unabashed Anglophile and lover of an Ebenezer Scrooge Christmas, I begin singing the "Christmas is a comin' and the geese are getting fat" song shortly after the Thanksgiving plates are in the dishwasher.

And file this under Not News: from Thanksgiving to New Year's Day is certainly not the best time to diet, given that so many resolve to lose weight in the new year.

If the number of pending beer and food events is any indication, this season is to be no exception. Why, in just the first week of Christmas alone, there are three local beer and food events that will help you start packing on adipose tissue to get you through the winter hibernation period.

Beer Geeks working late at The Office

On December 3, The Office Beer Bar and Grill on Rt. 22 in Bridgewater will be sponsoring its first-ever beer dinner under the steady hand of Scott Van Guilder. Fresh off his first wildly successful Beer Tasting, this one could lay the groundwork for Van Guilder to get his beer bar some long and well-deserved recognition.

The following night, December 4, gives the Beer and Food Geek two opportunities to expand his horizons (as well as his pants size) as Charlie Schroeder puts on his beer and food show at the fabulous Trap Rock restaurant in Berkeley Heights. "The Trap" doesn't skimp on anything, and more than once, yours truly has waddled to his car after a Schroeder event.

And the "Ted Williams of Tapastre," Mike Proske, has his Five-Course Tapas and Craft Beer Tasting set to go the same night in Somerville. Tapastre's unique Tapas construct won't fill you up like a twenty-course meal will, but you'll feel pleasantly sated after the last course and beer have been ingested. And with his beer list, you'll likely hang around a bit.

And that takes us--just locally-- all the way to Wednesday of the first week after Thanksgiving.

More and more brewpubs and craft beer bars are tuning in to the joys of craft beer and food, and that's a good thing.
If you hear of any more between now and 2014, drop The PubScout a line (pubscout@comcast.net) with some info, and we'll give them some props--and free advertising.

In the meantime, try getting to a few.
And loosen your belt buckle for a few weeks.

Cheers!
The PubScout

Road Trip?

Hit the road, Jack!

I got this interesting presser in my email the other day, and it seems like a very cool idea. Check it out.

New Website Helps Beer Lovers Plan Their Ultimate Tasting Trip

BrewTrail.com Maps and Details of Every Brewery in the Country

New Haven, CT – November 13, 2013 – Beer lovers, your prayers have been answered – visiting breweries just got easier.  Brew Trail (www.BrewTrail.com), the ultimate compilation of brewery information, has gone online and promises to make beer tourism a one-stop planning experience.  According to the Brewer’s Association, there are 2,538 breweries and brewpubs operating in the country (the most since the 1880s) and only one website - Brew Trail - has tracked them all along with the meticulous key details like their brewery tour and tasting room schedules.  Never before has so much detailed brewery data been available on one site.  With Brew Trail’s Trip Planner, aficionados can plot out a multi-state tour or simply check out some new breweries in town, easily incorporating each brewery’s schedule to cover ground most efficiently.  It’s all free, and it’s optimized for mobile devices.  From pilsners in Portland to stouts in St. Louis, Brew Trail will help plan a fantastic expedition along America’s beer trail.

“It’s been a true labor of love.  A very, very detailed labor of love,” said Brew Trail co-founder Chris Margonis.  “Why did we start the site?  My buddy and I love beer, it’s as simple as that.  And when we realized there weren’t any sites like this – a one-stop spot for all the brewery details along with brewery tour and tasting room times, we devoted ourselves even more to our hobby.  We want Brew Trail to be seen as a promotional asset for all craft breweries - to help them level the playing field and gain recognition among the big boys.  And we think Brew Trail also has the potential to become an excellent tool for state and local tourism boards as more and more localities launch their own beer trails.”   

The US craft beer movement has been exploding, with an astounding 10% annual growth – even while overall beer consumption has been declining slightly in favor of wine and spirits.  Although it makes sense given that craft beers have similar complexities and food pairings as wine.  Five out of ten fastest growing beer brands are craft (Dale’s Pale Ale, Lagunitas, Ranger, Torpedo, Shiner) and several of them  have been seeing a mind-boggling 45% growth in sales.  With this new, overwhelming beer awareness, Brew Trail arrives at the perfect time to make a potential mark on the scene and establish itself within the craft beer culture.  

Visiting breweries just got easier.  Brew Trail compiles every brewery and brewpub in the country – over 2,500 - allowing beer lovers to quickly and seamlessly plan their ultimate tasting trip.  Tour schedules, tasting room hours, fees and other info is all available on one site for the first time ever.

About Brew Trail (www.BrewTrail.com)

You know you always wanted to do something like this. And while a diehard cerevisaphile could go it alone, I'm betting that a small group would have a lot more fun--and more stories to share when it's over.

Suh-weet!

So go for it.

Or not.

But remember: Life is not a dress rehearsal.

Cheers!

The PubScout

"Surprise, surprise, surprise!" --Gomer Pyle

George studies and considers

It began as a night of serious beer education.
But it concluded as a night of hearty laughter,  an unforgettable demonstration of "dry-hopping," raucous camaraderie--and not a few surprises in terms of beer winners.

Scott Van Guilder, Manager of The Office Beer Bar on Rt. 22 in Bridegwater, has been assiduously monitoring his beer lists, providing his customers with some exceptional offerings. But only locals seem to know about them. So Scott and yours truly devised a plan to widen his "catchment area," and, in the process, to let the word go forth that this Office has quality beer.

Part One of the plan was put into action last night with a blind beer tasting that involved educating about 30 fun-loving folks, a number of them beer neopyhtes, as to the best way to appreciate beer using all five of your senses. You can take that same course by clicking on the Beer Sense link in the top right corner of this blog. Ten beers would be sampled and evaluated and the numbers tallied to see which beers appealed to most "average" beer drinkers.

Scott Van Guilder

"This actually helps me in terms of deciding what beers to bring in, "said Van Guilder. A distributor or brewery rep can push whatever they want, but what matters to me is what sells, and this event opened my eyes."

The audience, though perhaps "average" in terms of beer experience, was laden with celebrities. Three of the wrestling coaches from South Plainfield's Undefeated No. 1 Wrestling team were on hand. Budding news anchor Rob Dickerson made the trip, as did 24 members of the storied CJMRG Motorcycle club, perhaps the most famous area club behind The Fugawis. And Brewer Mike Sella of Uno's and Basil T's fame showed up, though a home emergency necessitated his departure. Former Playgirl models Nancy, Natalie, Angie and Heather were also on hand.

Given rating sheets (and pens) for ten offerings, the attendees conscientiously rated the beers in terms of appearance, nose, mouthfeel and taste, and then assigned an overall impression grade. In between servings, there were trivia questions and giveaways, and a brilliant local raconteur told of his own embarrassing experience in the Finals of a $10,000 Trivia Contest in Atlantic City.




The results of the tasting, though, were surprising.

In order of appearance, the beers were:

1. Carlsberg
2. Brooklyn Lager
3. Kane Head High
4. Ommegang Scythe and Sickle
5. Victory Hop Devil
6. Dubhe Black Imperial IPA
7. Breckenridge Vanilla Porter
8. Great Lakes Edmund Fitzgerald Porter
9. Keegan's Mother's Milk
10. Sam Adams Nitro Stout

With soon-to-be weekend anchor Rob Dickerson assisting me, we tallied the votes when the tasting concluded. Keep in mind that, unlike in the wine arena, no beer "experts" will ever tell you what you should be drinking. The simple rule is "Drink what you like." And in ascending order, these are what this group liked:

5th Place--Keegan's Mother's Milk
4th Place--Sam Adams Nitro Stout
3rd Place--Victory Hop Devil
Tied for 2nd Place--Breckenridge Vanilla Porter and Ommegang Scythe and Sickle

And the winner on the night was--GREAT LAKES EDMUND FITZGERALD PORTER!

Scott was surprised that some of the beers that usually get the most positive press did not show up at all in the top five, and yours truly was surprised that the darker beers seemed to dominate the finalists. But that simply proves the common misconception about darker beers being "too strong" to be just that--a misconception.

But the event did serve to alert people to the fact that The Office has some outstanding beers--and food--available. And by simply printing this page, you can get 10% of your beer and food order anytime you visit the Rt. 22 locale. Rob Dickerson decided that The Office is now his "Official" new bar, even though he comes from 30 minutes away. The smart money says more will follow.

1.      

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Part Two of the plan goes into effect on December 3 with a full-blown Holiday Beer Dinner. Scott did solid prep work with this event, and I'm looking forward to hosting that December dinner. With shirt and cap giveaways--including a giant Beer Bong won by "Lucky" Natalie Lay, the dinner promises to alert even more people to the notion that at this Office, anyway, it's perfectly acceptable to work late.

More pictures here.

Bring all five senses!

Paul Mulshine and The PubScout

Blind tastings--not really "blind" in the literal sense, since you need your eyes-- ask you to evaluate beers without knowing what beer you are drinking. You evaluate them based upon four standards: Color, Nose, Mouthfeel and Taste. A brief primer in evaluating beer will be given by a famous beer writer, who will also tell you why the fifth sense is required.


Tomorrow night at The Office in Bridgewater, attendees will declare the winners in a blind taste test. There will be ten beers, munchies, giveaways and fun, all for a paltry $14 per.

Kaz, Jim Koch and The PubScout

Come get into the Craft Beer surge. Jim Koch of Sam Adams says, "All beer is good; some beer is better."

We'll find out which ones are which tomorrow night!

Cheers!
The PubScout

The Proper Preparation of Pilgrim Poultry?

My beer-loving buddy Ty is a seasoned world traveler, and in his travels he often comes upon unique stories, especially about beer.

Like this one.

So, while thinking about which beers are going to grace your Turkey Day table, maybe you should consider which beers are "gracing" your actual turkey. Hopefully, you won't get the bird that was stumbling and drooling. After all, that role is reserved for your crazy uncle.

Check out the video at the bottom.

And Bottoms Up!

(And don't forget to print the Office/PubScout promo on my page for a 10% discount on food and beverage at The Office in Bridgewater!)

Cheers!
The PubScout

Ah, so! Asahi!

Making the "Perfect Pour" may be challenging for some bartenders, but not for this guy. While the article praises the "experienced barstaff who can pull a good beer" as invaluable, with this handy-dandy gadget they may become as obsolete as those who can't, and therefore generate "wastage."

Besides, chatting with the barstaff has always been part of the pub experience, and the "barman as psychologist" is part of pub lore.

And if that staffer on the left is monitoring the experiment, I'd be prone to participating. But I doubt she comes as part of the equipment.

Still, it's a neat concept, and a hat tip to my pal George the Greek for sharing it.

I wonder if Jon Taffer knows about this....

Cheers!
The PubScout

Worth the Wait at World of Beer

WOB Owner Kelly Andre

After a three-week delay, New Brunswick's World of Beer finally opened its doors.
It was totally worth the wait.
Sure the gleaming interior, with those fifty taps ready to obey your commands, and those two huge, brightly lit cold cases full of soldiers awaiting their orders will attract the eye.

And the entertainment area will no doubt attract the ear (though the stage had to be rebuilt because local ordinance mavens didn't like the stairs, causing part of the delay).
And the beer choices and the food (the flatbread offerings are excellent) will certainly attract the palate and the nose.

But this quaffer was wowed by something else entirely: an efficient, friendly and surprisingly beer-savvy staff.
Not that they had any choice. Just to be a server here requires two weeks of training in Chris Metcalf's "Beer School." What Chesty Puller was to the Marine Corps, Chris may be to the WOB.
"I love beer training," said Metcalf, technically known as an "opening coordinator."

Chris brought out the two tests his staff had to pass to get the job. One of them was fifteen pages long, and there were 150 total questions. A grade of 90 was needed to get the job.
As I looked at some of the questions, I had my doubts that all servers--including my own, the affable Glenn Miller-- knew this stuff.

With Glenn Miller off somewhere getting "In the Mood," I put a passing server, Christina, to the test, asking her to answer the question about the difference between a mead and a braggot.
"Mead is a honey wine, one of the world's oldest fermented beverages; and braggot is mead made with malt and honey."

Chris, Christina and Kelly

Dayum. That's what I call "prepped."
"This group learned a lot about beer in a very short time, and they were a very attentive class," said Metcalf. If it took an extra three weeks to become this beer proficient, it was clearly worth the wait.

So will the customer learn, considering the beer info provided at the table. Two large menus are provided at seating--one with the fifty current tap offerings and another with beer history and alphabetically listed beer styles

Food prices are pretty reasonable, too, with Ale-Battered Shrimp coming in at $9 and the delicious Flatbreads checking in at just $7. And the food menus cleverly come with beer pairing suggestions. My BBQ Chicken Flatbread paired very nicely with my Breckenridge Vanilla Porter. There's even an item called a "Pint of Bacon," which should attract millions.

Yo, Adriane!

The place is not "Cheers" cozy, nor was it designed to be, but its layout is very conducive to interaction, and at 5:45 it was SRO. There was a grand opening ceremony set for 6 PM, but having been there since 4 PM faithfully serving my loyal readers by doing my "research," I didn't stay.

How long the honeymoon period will last at WOB cannot be known. Nor will WOB's impact on local beer spots in close proximity. But one thing is certain: WOB is a WIN for beer nuts.

Kate McKenna

Add to that a knowledgeable, friendly and efficient staff, and good food, and WOB should be a pleasure to visit.

And like Arnold Schwarzbier, I'll be bock.

More pics here.


Cheers!
The PubScout