This Just In! Beers for Uno's Cask Fest Announced

Emily

As reported here days ago, Mike Sella's hosting a Cask Ale Fest at Uno's tomorrow. I'd like to think it's in honor of Shakespeare's birthday, but, alas, poor Yorick, I'm a realist.

Anyway, here are the brews that will be available:

Uno's Ikes IPA dry hopped with Azacca

Kane Evening Bell

Kane Head High dry hopped with Galaxy

Little Dog Macaroon.....porter with chocolate and coconuts

Climax Maibock

Demented Greed  Oatmeal stout with cinnamon and raisins

Cypress 17 Mile IPA with mango and habanero

Dark City One Way Street  Session IPA dry hopped with Azacca

I don't know about you, but those Azacca hops ring my bell. And Dave Hoffman's Maibock, along with Gretchen Schmidhausler's Macaroon? Are you serious?

And Kane? And Cypress? And Demented? And Dark City? Get outta town!

Especially if your town isn't on Rt. 1 in Metuchen from noon till whenever tomorrow.

I'll be waiting for you.

We'll hoist a pint to Shakespeare.

Cheers!

The PubScout

Beer Info Session Intrigues Craft Beer Newbies

I had a wonderful opportunity last evening to mix and mingle with some equally wonderful folks at JJ Bittings Brewpub in Woodbridge. The occasion was the first annual "Suds and Scholarships" Fund raiser whereby the Perth Amboy Kiwanis Club attempted to raise some money to help local kids with the high costs of going to college.

Bob D'Urso, the affable and jocular host of the evening, and his partners at the PA Kiwanis Club had arranged an excellent event which, for a nominal donation, saw attendees presented with a wide array of foods (the pasta dish was out of this world and worth going back for) and five different samples of beer from JJ Bittings' repertoire. 

Gary and his teenaged wife, Fran

Bob and his sidekick Gary Perillo (who was celebrating his thirty-first anniversary with his teenaged-looking wife Fran) had asked me to come down and do a brief presentation about beer and how to taste it. Free beer and free food? What's not to like? I'm there.

And I'm glad I was. I got to meet some very nice folks, like Nancy and Hugh, Karen and Sharon, Chris, Lisett and Junel and others. And all were very interested in not only the intricacies of tasting various beers, but in the historical aspect of this ancient beverage. If their post-presentation comments were any indication, the world of craft beer has gained a batch of new adherents.

With an abbreviated lesson in how to taste using all five senses, the assembly digested the first rule of beer-drinking: Drink what you like. Some liked the Victoria's Golden Ale, Bittings' transitional beer, some preferred Aldahat Amber. Some even sang the praises of the IPA, especially after learning the history of the style. But the consensus favorite seemed to surround the joys of Chocolate Cherry Stout, which many had never tried. And, lo, the myth of "those dark beers" being too strong was dispelled.

We played some trivia, too, the grand prize being a crisp one-dollar bill, won by Rosemary Oarsley, who claimed she guessed at all the answers. Yeah, right. She's a beer nut in disguise, I think.

Bob and company seemed to enjoy the session and promised to do it again, and Karen Barnes, President of the Woodbridge Chamber of Commerce, is interested in doing something similar with her group.

The more people get exposed to good beer, the better, and I'm happy to help.
Especially if there's free food and beer.

Cheers!
The PubScout

Toasting the Bard with a Brew

 Ale was a critical part of Elizabethan society, probably because it was safer to drink than the water. Indeed many of Shakespeare's plays reference the liquid, both in its healthful and less-than-salubrious uses and effects. The Bard's own father was the official Ale-Taster of Stratford-upon-Avon, and so revered was Will's writing about the liquid that the very first brewpub in New Zealand was named "The Shakespeare."

Who would disagree, for example, with "For a quart of ale is a dish for a king" (A Winter's Tale)? And who among us hasn't ever thought "I would give all my fame for a pot of ale and safety" (King Henry V)?

Well, you can feel like a king without having to sacrifice whatever fame you have this coming Saturday at Uno's on Rt. 1 in Metuchen, where Mike Sella has been churning out good beer like Shakespeare cranked out good sonnets.

Mike "Shakespeare" Sella That's because Sella is hosting a Cask Beer Fest on The Bard's birthday starting at noon and running until the kegs kick. And some darned good brewers will be sending beers for your enjoyment.

On hand will be offerings from Demented, Cypress, Climax, Little Dog and Kane. The Bard of the Brewhouse does not yet know which of the beers those breweries will be sending, but should know by Thursday of this week, and The PubScout will update you as soon as he knows. Of course, Mike's usual offerings will also be available; his Scotch Ale is more "killer" than Macbeth and the witches may have used brewing magic to make his IPA.

Emily

Speaking of beauty, while you're there, look for the smiling face of Emily, involved in theater herself for much of her young life, including playwriting. If you tell her The PubScout sent you, she may rattle off a line from Shakespeare. Hopefully, it won't be "Out, out, damned spot!"

It might be more in line with what we'd say to Mike and the participating brewers, and what appears on the bottle of Samuel Smith's Winter Welcome.

See you Saturday!

Cheers!

The PubScout

Good Beer for a Good Cause

In less than two weeks, beer nuts will have a golden opportunity to support a good cause , all the while eating good food and drinking good beer. The poster below gives you all the info you need to know.

My friends in the Perth Amboy Kiwanis Club are holding this wonderful event to help deserving students with the ever-rising cost of college.

It's a most worthwhile cause, and you get to enjoy the wonderful beers of JJ Bittings, along with a healthy portion of food, all while meeting the exceptional folks whose mission is to give back to their community!

Don't wait--save the date! And come on out! Helping kids in need never tasted so good!

Cheers!
The PubScout

Memoriam Mit Merkur

Confession time.

When I go to funeral services, my usual M.O. is to arrive early, pay my respects to the deceased with a prayer, express my condolences to the family with a hug, then get the hell out of the funeral parlor.

Today, however, I paid my respects to the deceased with a beer instead of a prayer, I expressed my condolences by singing "Ein Prosit,"and I stayed in the "funeral parlor" for three hours.

 Because this time was different in a few ways. First, it was a service for a man I had come to admire, respect and even love. Second, he loved beer--especially lagers. Third, his name was Kurt. Kurt Hoffmann.

Baby Dave Hoffmann with Dad Kurt

It was the first time I had ever attended a memorial service in a brewery, but it was never more fitting. The brewery in question was Climax Brewing in Roselle Park, and it was begun in the back of Kurt's machine shop on Valley Rd. so his son Dave could make the German beers Kurt so loved. In the process, Dave's brewery became the very first microbrewery in the state of NJ, which today is seeing a veritable explosion of breweries because of what Kurt and Dave began.

What place then, would be more fitting for a sendoff for Kurt Hoffmann? He was in there almost every time I went from my very first visit in 1997, and we shared stories, jokes and beer galore. He was Bavarian through and through, right down to the chamois atop his hat and his lederhosen. Kurt Hoffmann was Germany personified.

Paul Mulshine

And judging by the throngs, including many beer cognoscenti and celebrities like Star Ledger Columnist Paul Mulshine and Ale Street News Editor Tony Forder, that came to pay their respects in his brewery, Kurt Hoffmann touched many, many lives for the better. His son Dave gave a heartfelt eulogy in his dad's honor, claiming, as he gestured around the brewery, that without him, "none of this would have existed." Some wag cut in and said, "Without him, YOU wouldn't have existed!" which elicited a hearty laugh from Dave and the crowd , most of which were holding one of Dave's beers aloft. And that's exactly what Kurt would have wanted: people drinking his son's beer, laughing and having a great time.

Dave's mom Linda, Kurt's wife of fifty-two years, and sister also shared special, touching comments about what Kurt meant to them, and they weren't the only ones in the house to become verklempt in the process. When they had finished, Mrs. Hoffmann exhorted everybody to eat and drink, as Kurt would have wished, and the entire assembly erupted into the classic German beer-hymn known as "Ein Prosit," complete with ziggy-zoggies and oy-oy-oys.

It was a very upbeat occasion (as opposed to most memorial services), with plenty of food and some really good beers, like the Anniversary Barleywine and the "Small Beer" Dave made off that, using second runnings. The Barleywine was a delicious, sneaky-smooth 11% while the small beer was an equally tasty, sessionable 4.9%. He used 1000 pounds of grain for each creation, along with a special German hop called Merkur, which imparts an orangey taste. Both beers made from the same batch were outstanding, but I limited myself (mostly) to the small beer due to the occasion. And the fact that I had to drive home. The Helles, Kurt's favorite, was also outstanding...

Mr. and Mrs. Roessle

But the event got me thinking. When it's my time to shuffle off this mortal coil, I'd like to have my memorial service in a brewery. Everybody's chatting and happy, there's little crying and no wailing and a whole lot of essen und trinken. There was even some lively background German music for tanzen.

And that's how I'd like to check out. With people laughing, chatting, eating, drinking and even dancing. That's the way to be remembered and celebrated.

Father & Son by Gregg Hinlicky

Because people may not remember what you said, but they will never forget how you made them feel.

And Kurt Hoffman made people feel like trinken, essen und tanzen.
And though he will be greatly missed, he will not be forgotten.

Ein prosit, Kurt Hoffmann!

Cheers!
The PubScout

A Day on the Charlotte Brew Trail

Alixandra and Brett

A visit to Charlotte, NC and my eldest son--who still needs a kidney, by the way--gave the missus and me an opportunity to hit some of the spots in an area where good beer is simply exploding in popularity.

I had visited some great spots, like Ass Clown and Crafty Beer Guys last summer during a visit, but here was an opportunity to do more serious exploring.

Yet, our noontime adventure had a rather inauspicious beginning in Cornelius, NC. The first brewery we stopped at was not open at all from Monday through Wednesday, and the second didn't open until 4 PM. I began to think that these Tar Heels were not all that serious about their beer after all.

Turns out they are. En route to a third destination, my son's lovely lady Alixandra, a beer nut in her own right, smartly suggested that we turn into a joint named Bottled & Tapped, a smallish looking little establishment on West Catawba toward I-77. It didn't look very promising from the highway, but I learned the "Books vs. Covers" lesson long ago. Se we pulled around back and went in.

A pleasant lass named Shelly welcomed us into an interior that was, at best, spare. But the bottled collections and the Tap List were anything but, hence the name Bottled & Tapped. There was a preponderance of Sour Beer in the bottle section, many from Wicked Weed in Asheville, another ground zero in the nuclear beer map. Shelly allowed that sours were indeed taking off, and that fact was corroborated by every brewery we visited that day. Beyond Rodenbach Red and Grand Cru, The PubScout is not a devotee of sour beers. But any who are (are you reading this Natalie Lay?) would be in beer heaven at Bottled & Tapped.

Shelly and son...

And the seventeen tapped offerings were nothing short of  incredible, with stouts, porters, wits, IPA's (Imperial and otherwise), gose and even one from Evil Twin which was described as "soft dookie." And no, that's not a typo.

I had a New Belgium Hop Kitchen Botanical Imperial IPA (8.5%), and it was absolutely phenomenal. As it turned out, we had come on on $4 pint Tuesday, a promo, among others, that Shelly said has made business pretty good for the place, which opened only this past September. 

Of course, she and husband Dan are doing the right things to keep the beer interest high, like running home-brew classes right in the shop. Participants drink whatever they make for free. Shelly gave us a sample of the Belgian Golden Ale, and it was darned good, indicating that the instructors knew their business. In sum, Bottled & Tapped turned out to be a hidden gem that will not likely stay hidden for long, especially for people "coming off the lake." (Norman, that is.)

Then, still in Cornelius it was off to D-9, a brewery which specializes in "fanatical ales." A very affable and knowledgeable Bree (like the cheese) was our bar mistress and served us beers and a raft of information about each one. The missus enjoyed a Twelve, a citrusy, medium malty pale ale, and I had a Hakuna Matata, a delicious, medium-bodied golden IPA with an explosion of citrusy notes. 

I did have a tasty sample of something called Black Ice, a 10% Imperial Black Ale, and you can believe the statement that it's "not for the faint of heart." Nor is it for those whose stomachs are empty, except for the beers we had already tasted. I'd go back and try it after having a good meal, for sure. Like Bottled & Tapped, no food is available at D-9, though you can bring your own in.

Alix enjoyed a flight of beers, including Viking Fraoch, a 4,000 year old Scottish Sour recipe that she said was incredibly delicious. She had similar praise for D-9 Systema Naturae, a 6.3% sour/mild ale. Then again, she's a sour beer fancier, and I am not, so I'll take her word for it. After all, she was the one who turned me on to Saw-Whet Saison from Highland Brewing in Asheville, and that beer is hands-down awesome.

After a much-needed, belly-filling late lunch at the iconic Lupie's Cafe in Huntersville, we headed over to Primal Brewing, just a short jaunt away. Primal operates a three barrel system with ten barrel fermenters, churning out about five hundred barrels per year. Giant, hand-carved and painted handles--including one with light-up eyes-- adorn the taps, pulling beers made by Brewer Scott like Grim Creeper, MOHK Hazelnut Stout, Lawn Boy and an interesting Pumpernickel beer called Devil's Gas. 

It's worth inserting at this point that two of my long-held beliefs, and ones I have shared countless times, were shattered this day. The first was pointed out to me by Master Chef Alix when I told her that sweetbreads were calves' brains. Nope, she said, it's a pancreas. She was right, the whippersnapper. Damned chefs.

The second was in my flawed etymology of the term pumpernickel. I was taught that it derived from a lower quality brown bread fed to Napoloeon's horse, Nicole. Pain Pour Nicole, as it were. 
But it ain't as it were. It actually refers to anal gas expelled by the devil. Learn something new every day, I guess. I so loved my authentic, impressive French accent when I said pain pour Nicole. Devil's Gas just doesn't have quite the same Continental ring to it. But despite the name, the beer is good, with nary a flatulent note to be found. 

But the Grim Creeper was a keeper. 8.1% ABV, gorgeous color, malty and extraordinarily smooth, it went down very easily--which might be a warning if you're driving to and from Primal. With a lovely outdoor seating section, it's a great spot to enjoy some good beers and maybe even play a spirited game of Cornhole like we did--though, being in a geezer's time-warp, I do wish they gave that game another name.

And, speaking of names, what about the name Primal? The story I got was that Owners Jim, Dave and Ray, three guys with very divergent life outlooks,  finally agreed on one definition they found for the word: Primal: Essential, required for living.
Of course, the Urban Dictionary says that it can also mean to "lose all self control." Which, after a few Grim Creepers or some Devil's Gas, also applies.

In all, it was a wonderful day despite its inauspicious start, and we capped it off by heading to the NoDa district and the famous Tex-Mex restaurant called Cabo Fish Taco, which also has a decent beer list. But by that time, even I was "beered out," so I had two Margaritas with my spicy Tex-Mex food.

The Devil's Gas came later.

Cheers! 
The PubScout

A Heist Where You Don't Get Robbed

WAZE told us "turn left here." 

But the Missus said, "We can't go in here! This is a factory." Thirty-two years of marriage advised me as to which woman's voice to obey,  and I drove past our "destination" but saw that we had indeed arrived at it. Defying our digital guide, we just went in another way. 

But it sure looked like a factory, perhaps because at one time back in the early 1900's, it was. A mill, in fact, which made the interior of Heist Brewing rather cavernous. 

The bar at Heist Brewing

Situated in the NoDa section just north of the center of Charlotte, NC, the interestingly-named Heist Brewing is the progeny of Kurt Hogan, a one-time bio-tech engineer who decided to turn his skills to the somewhat risky business of opening a taproom/restaurant. Turns out that the name came from a chap on Hogan's family tree named "Baby Face Nelson," a name probably recognizable to geezers, yet unfamiliar to most millennials. But given the frequent connection of Mr. Nelson (a "banker" of sorts) to the word "heist," the name stuck and the brewery was born in 2012. 

Original plans for Heist was this bar only

The plan was for a much smaller facility, but expansion "just kind of happened," according to GM Spencer Farrell, "once we rented a jackhammer without the slightest idea as to how to operate it."

Despite its 340-person capacity, there is at once a welcoming and eclectic feel to said interior (which includes a loft), composed of various building materials, but the effect is dedicated to producing beer the way the "monks of old" did it. Hence, dubbels, triples, quads and saisons are prominently featured, but not to the exclusion of beers for the many "lupulin lovers" who patronize the place; and weekly small batch releases tempt those who who are even more "adventurous."

The food menu, under the direction of Chef Matt Wenrich, changes every six weeks, replacing items that don't move with ones that do. One of the offerings that never changes, however, is the Beer Cheese Platter, a tray of house-made pretzels from a brick oven, accompanied by a melted cheese concoction that utilizes beer made especially for the kitchen. Our party could have made a meal out of a few trays of this amazing creation alone, and it came as no surprise to learn that the dish is responsible for 10% of the entire food sales of Heist Brewing.

But the menu has even more to offer, and every staff member is trained as a professional beer server--some en route to Cicerone status-- so as to allow the proper recommendation of a Heist Beer to accompany whatever the menu offers

And the beers that I sampled were kick-ass. I was somewhat disappointed to learn that three I had researched prior to my visit had kicked, but that made for a very neat red "Kicked" stamp on the menu, which obviates the need to ask a server, who then comes back with the bad news. Not that it's any less bad news, but at least you know before you ask.

That little hiccup didn't bother me, however, considering the flight I ordered had some damned fine beers on it. My Window Smasher, Concentrate, Succession and Blundus were all deliciously complex and flavorful. The Pater Tots is Heist's transition beer for "canoe beer" drinkers, and the missus, a Stella Lover, enjoyed hers immensely. 

But the beer that made me sit upright was called Hive Five, a dry-hopped honey blonde made with locally sourced honey. It was a perfectly balanced American blonde that incorporated Australian Summer hops. Nowhere near a mouth/cheek/eyeball puckerer, it was just a damned good beer and a credit to Brewer Eric Mitchell's skill. And it paired exceptionally well with my Monster Cobb Salad, an order necessitated after bingeing on the Beer Cheese pretzels. Heist even makes its own root beer for those who don't imbibe, like Barbara. She did allow that it was excellent, however. I'll take her word for it. 

Hive Five and The "Monster" Cobb

In fact, "excellent" is completely applicable to my entire visit to Heist Brewing. As my logo above says, "Good Beer, Good Pubs, Good People."

And nobody got robbed.
At Heist, you walk out with the "loot."

L-R: Brewer Eric, Owner Kurt, Baby Face Nelson, GM Spencer