My
cousin Kenny decided to come up for the weekend from Myrtle Beach, and for such
a distance I wanted to make sure that he got a full taste of what Upstate NY
had to offer. Kenny has always kept tabs
on me through my blogs, and already knew some of the best places in the area to
visit. So when I think of a good dinner
on a beautiful evening, I think of Dinosaur Barbeque down on the river. So we hustled the family down for my
Pork-sket brisket platter (got to have the BBQ fried rice and the mac &
cheese) with a Dinosaur Smoked Porter on draft (brewed by Middle Ages). Next we walked the river up to Brown’s
brewing to kick back and watch the boats go by with a Brown’s Twenty, and Amber
ale brewed to celebrate twenty years of brewing (hard to believe I was here
when they originally opened). 
The
next day I got up early to save a picnic table up at the track. I try to make it there once a year, and it is
always fun to share the experience with someone who has never been before. Jenn packs snacks, the kids bring their video
games, we pick up a racing sheet and hope Lady Luck shines on us (I hit three races
in a row betting horses names, so I guess it was my day). I picked up the buffalo mac & cheese from
the food trucks (poutine was available, but this was cheesier) before Kenny and
I headed over to the Battle of the Brews.
I usually don’t have high expectations, but was pleasantly impressed
with the selection. I sampled beers from
Founders and Sierra Nevada, loved the Captain Lawrence IPA, and even tried the
Adirondack Dirty Blonde from Down Under (brewed with Nelson Sauvin hops) on
cask. It was a great day, and we even
got to stop by the Shmaltz tasting room (great beer right here in Clifton Park)
and try a Shmaltz St. Lenny’s Ale (a Belgian Style Double Rye IPA brewed in
conjunction with Cathedral Square brewing) on cask on the way home.
Jenn
and Jess headed up to a family wedding the next day in VT (dangerously close to
Hill Farmstead brewing), but we other plans.
Kenny is Jacob’s Godfather, and we were heading to a car show at Clifton
Commons. It was great to watch the two
of them discuss each of the cars as we walked around, even if I was having
trouble following along. I walked ahead
of the other two so that I could see the make and model before the others,
allowing me to at least sound knowledgeable when I asked them questions. Jacob’s favorite was the 2013 Camaro ZL1,
while I preferred the ’66 Sting Ray convertible (I did like your old car
Dad). We played some min-golf and then
watched the Travers Stakes (would have picked that one on a name too). For dinner, I took Kenny over to Bier Abbey,
who was featuring Rushing Duck (http://www.rushingduck.com/)
beers. I tried their beer/mead
combination on cask called Mission to Earth, and really enjoyed their bourbon
barrel aged Dog’s Bullocks (that’s Bollocks, not Buttocks, which means
testicles, however as an expression means something that it should be admired,
go figure). The beer I really enjoyed
was from New England brewing called Coriolis, an Imperial IPA that was rated 98
by Beer Advocate.
Sunday
came up on us too quick, but I knew the place to take Kenny for breakfast
before he headed home. Wolff’s
Biergarten has a good beer selection, features European football, and offers great
food. Kenny feasted on the curried eggs,
while in his honor I had the Cowboy breakfast, two eggs served on SC pulled
pork. It was a lot of fun, and Jacob
looked forward to when we could get together again. It might be time to plan a road trip down
south. - 6327/14586“When we drink, we get drunk. When we get drunk, we fall asleep. When we fall asleep, we commit no sin. When we commit no sin, we go to heaven. So, let's all get drunk and go to heaven!” - Brian O'Rourke
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