Ten Firkinteenths and Still Counting
It
is on my calendar as a holiday, and I had to explain to my new boss that I had
plans for the weekend. Friday the Firkinteenth
(their 27th edition, I’ve been attending since July 2007, their 17th
edition) is held every time the 13th of the month falls on a Friday
(the next one is in December, and the last was July 2012). It is an American celebration of real ale,
bringing out 7 firkins at a time to share with the celebrators. So I left work and headed south on Thursday
night, stopping at a cool place (with a great name) along the way, the Shepherd
and the Knucklehead (http://www.theshepnj.com/).
The
Shepherd is a great beer bar in Haledon, NJ, right on the line between the
haves and the have-nots. They have a
great selection of local beers, as well as showcasing some great pumpkin beers. I started with a Carton Digger, a Gose that
was brewed with clam juice (salty on top of salty), which was different, but
not bad. I got their cheese plate for
dinner, a combination of strange cheeses that included geitost (a Norwegian
sweet goat cheese that is one of my favorites).
The bar maid allowed me to sample several of the pumpkins. I started with the Cisco Bay Pumple Drumkin,
and then the Defiant Headless Horseman.
Both were good, traditional version of the style. A little more adventurous (and the latest
trend) was the Epic Fermentation without Representation, an Imperial Pumpkin
Porter that was a collaboration with DC Brau.
Dark and roasty, full of spices and vanilla, it was a delicious dessert
beer that I would seek out again. I got
back on the road and fought the traffic and rain (and a pit stop at Prism
brewing), and made it to my folks in time for the football game, and splitting
a Deschutes Black Butte Porter XXIII with my cousin Brian (again, a delicious
beer).
The
next morning I took my brother Dave and his wife Christine over to the
festivities at the Grey Lodge Pub (http://www.greylodge.com/). This was my tenth event, but it was Christine’s
first, and it always is great seeing it through someone else’s eyes. We got there early enough to get our front
row seats, and were rewarded with a beer baptism courtesy of the Sam Adams Boston
Lager (to the chagrin of the Boston Beer company representative). My favorite was Prism’s Red Zone, an Irish
Red Ale brewed with PA maple syrup (on cask, of course). There also was Apple Pumpkin Porter (lots of
porter, not much apple or pumpkin) from Evil Genius, a local brewery that was
still good. We had our beers, and even
heard the bell (no not an angel but the signal that a cask had kicked), but
were hungry so we headed over to the Memphis Taproom for some lunch.
The
Memphis Taproom (http://memphistaproom.com/)
was featured on Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives, and offers a great selection of
beer and a fantastic menu. We started
with beer battered pickles as an appetizer with a Mikkeller US Alive on
draft. For dinner, I went with some
comfort food, mac and cheese with green chilies to go with a Yards Cape of Good
Hope, a 8.1% ABV Imperial IPA, on cask.
The neighborhood isn’t the best, but it was a nice break from the crowd
and a good place to sit back and relax.
Next
we went out for some family fun to Barcade (http://barcadephiladelphia.com/), a
place that has great beer while playing classic video games. Pumping in the quarters isn’t nearly as
painful when there is a beer in your hand, so we had fun playing Gauntlet while
sipping our brews. I had the Brooklyn
Cuvee la Boite, a Belgian Grand Cru with a variety of spices, on draft in honor
of my first blog and first trip to Barcade in Brooklyn (with Dave and Christine
I might add). I tried a Hop Back, described
as pickled hop juice, which was enough to pickle my face. It was a lot of fun, but we were getting
close to rush hour, so we left and stopped by Yards brewing for a quick
stop. I like Yards since they will let
you taste their new beers on draft before you buy a bottle to go. I got their Grand Cru and their Cicada Indigenous
Ale (a nice Belgian IPA with a bug on the label, yum). We made it home safe and sound, where mom had
a nice dinner prepared and we got to share a Rogue Voodoo Doughnut beer,
Chocolate, Peanut Butter and Banana (honestly, not my favorite). It was a great day.
I
got up early to beat the NJ Turnpike traffic and headed home. I stopped in at Captain Lawrence brewing (http://www.captainlawrencebrewing.com/)
in Elmsford to sample a few brews, including four of their pilot batches. My favorite was Smoke from the Oak, a smoked
porter that was aged in rum barrels. It
was a good trip, spending time with my family while sharing my passion. I can’t wait to do it all again in December. –
6327/14694
“Filled with
mingled cream and amber, such hilarious visions clamber, through the chambers
of my brain, quaintest thoughts, queerest fancies come to life and fade away;
What care I how time advances; I’m drinking ale today.” – Edgar Allen Poe
The
Shepherd is a great beer bar in Haledon, NJ, right on the line between the
haves and the have-nots. They have a
great selection of local beers, as well as showcasing some great pumpkin beers. I started with a Carton Digger, a Gose that
was brewed with clam juice (salty on top of salty), which was different, but
not bad. I got their cheese plate for
dinner, a combination of strange cheeses that included geitost (a Norwegian
sweet goat cheese that is one of my favorites).
The bar maid allowed me to sample several of the pumpkins. I started with the Cisco Bay Pumple Drumkin,
and then the Defiant Headless Horseman.
Both were good, traditional version of the style. A little more adventurous (and the latest
trend) was the Epic Fermentation without Representation, an Imperial Pumpkin
Porter that was a collaboration with DC Brau.
Dark and roasty, full of spices and vanilla, it was a delicious dessert
beer that I would seek out again. I got
back on the road and fought the traffic and rain (and a pit stop at Prism
brewing), and made it to my folks in time for the football game, and splitting
a Deschutes Black Butte Porter XXIII with my cousin Brian (again, a delicious
beer).
The
next morning I took my brother Dave and his wife Christine over to the
festivities at the Grey Lodge Pub (http://www.greylodge.com/). This was my tenth event, but it was Christine’s
first, and it always is great seeing it through someone else’s eyes. We got there early enough to get our front
row seats, and were rewarded with a beer baptism courtesy of the Sam Adams Boston
Lager (to the chagrin of the Boston Beer company representative). My favorite was Prism’s Red Zone, an Irish
Red Ale brewed with PA maple syrup (on cask, of course). There also was Apple Pumpkin Porter (lots of
porter, not much apple or pumpkin) from Evil Genius, a local brewery that was
still good. We had our beers, and even
heard the bell (no not an angel but the signal that a cask had kicked), but
were hungry so we headed over to the Memphis Taproom for some lunch. 
The
Memphis Taproom (http://memphistaproom.com/)
was featured on Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives, and offers a great selection of
beer and a fantastic menu. We started
with beer battered pickles as an appetizer with a Mikkeller US Alive on
draft. For dinner, I went with some
comfort food, mac and cheese with green chilies to go with a Yards Cape of Good
Hope, a 8.1% ABV Imperial IPA, on cask.
The neighborhood isn’t the best, but it was a nice break from the crowd
and a good place to sit back and relax. 
Next
we went out for some family fun to Barcade (http://barcadephiladelphia.com/), a
place that has great beer while playing classic video games. Pumping in the quarters isn’t nearly as
painful when there is a beer in your hand, so we had fun playing Gauntlet while
sipping our brews. I had the Brooklyn
Cuvee la Boite, a Belgian Grand Cru with a variety of spices, on draft in honor
of my first blog and first trip to Barcade in Brooklyn (with Dave and Christine
I might add). I tried a Hop Back, described
as pickled hop juice, which was enough to pickle my face. It was a lot of fun, but we were getting
close to rush hour, so we left and stopped by Yards brewing for a quick
stop. I like Yards since they will let
you taste their new beers on draft before you buy a bottle to go. I got their Grand Cru and their Cicada Indigenous
Ale (a nice Belgian IPA with a bug on the label, yum). We made it home safe and sound, where mom had
a nice dinner prepared and we got to share a Rogue Voodoo Doughnut beer,
Chocolate, Peanut Butter and Banana (honestly, not my favorite). It was a great day.
I
got up early to beat the NJ Turnpike traffic and headed home. I stopped in at Captain Lawrence brewing (http://www.captainlawrencebrewing.com/)
in Elmsford to sample a few brews, including four of their pilot batches. My favorite was Smoke from the Oak, a smoked
porter that was aged in rum barrels. It
was a good trip, spending time with my family while sharing my passion. I can’t wait to do it all again in December. –
6327/14694
“Filled with
mingled cream and amber, such hilarious visions clamber, through the chambers
of my brain, quaintest thoughts, queerest fancies come to life and fade away;
What care I how time advances; I’m drinking ale today.” – Edgar Allen Poe
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