My Nana turned 93 today, and my family headed down for the weekend to celebrate. It is a tough trip to get down on Fridays after school, having to go around NYC at rush hour. We stop for dinner along the way (Legal Seafood this time for some chowda) and on this trip we got in before 9PM. My cousin Brian was waiting for us, with a special treat that he had been waiting to split. He had acquired a bottle of Three Floyds Dark Lord, a Russian Imperial Stout that weighs in at 15% ABV and has a strong cult following. Its released on one day a year, appears to have a different label for each year and is sealed with a different colored wax (this was white wax which identifies it as from 2009). The beer was pretty good, but did not live up to the hype (I imagined being carried away to old Petrograd with one sip). I’m glad to have given it a try and would definitely look for it again (its available for a $49.99 “Buy It Now” option on Ebay.
On Saturday we headed over to PA to grab some lunch and check out a pair of bottle shops. Our first stop was Pinocchio’s pizza in Media (http://www.pinbeer.com/), and boy did they have the selection. There were bottles from everywhere, unique beers and hard to find specials that would make any beer enthusiast smile. I got two IPAs from Cigar City, their Jai Alai and the one from their Humidor Series. I found the wine barrel version of Mikkeller’s Barrel Aged Black Hole. We also picked up a bottle of Nebraska Brewing Black Betty, a barrel aged Russian Imperial Stout, something to split during a follow-up visit. I also found a nice saison from Stateside called Two Front Teeth, and new beer from New Holland called Et Mole Ocho, a brown ale brewed with cocoa and chilies. It was a great selection, but we wanted to stop by Capone’s for lunch so we paid up and went on our way.
As I’ve said before, Capone’s has good food, great drafts, and an excellent bottle selection. I got the cheesesteak with hot peppers (my standard meal when I’m in the Philly area, and Capone’s version is excellent), two samplers to wash it down, and then got to check out the bottle. One of the stars of the sampler was an Oyster Stout from the Porterhouse Brewery in Dublin, Ireland (3 stars in Michael Jackson’s beer guide). The other was an Allagash Curieux Oak, a Belgian ale aged in French oak barrels. Both were fantastic. I also found a bottle of Alesmith Horny Devil, a Belgian ale flavored with coriander. Me chatted with another beer geek (a beer distributor for Troegs), and talked about our upcoming road trip to Portsmouth (Kate the Great day is March 7th). We had fun and were back in plenty of time for the party. Brian let try Firestone Walker’s 13th Anniversary ale and Dave had us split New England’s 668, the Neighbor of the Beast. My offering was Ommegang’s Cup o’Kyndness, a Belgian Ale flavored with heather. We had fun, and Nana’s friends noted it was great that all of us kids seemed to get along.
That’s true most of the time. I appreciate that my family tolerates my love for trying new beer, and I’m proud to say that I have a few other fellow enthusiasts in my family. – 5620/10053
"Whiskey’s too rough, champagne costs too much, vodka puts my mouth in gear. This little refrain should help me explain, as a matter of fact, I love beer." – Tom T. Hall
PS - Check Out http://s0.ilike.com/play#Tom+T.+Hall:I+Like+Beer:40769:s54337.13811.1423172.1.1.73%2Cstd_6c118d6a842a6fa4062086cde6772a72
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