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My path to beer connoisseur awesomeness

A Squealing Pig in Provincetown, MA

Just two weeks ago I found myself in beautiful Cape Cod, Massachusetts –the area of Provincetown to be more precise. It was my first time in the Cape and the first “gay” town of America was a suiting choice. The town was quaint, the weather was gorgeous but a bit chilly, and both the townsfolk and the tourists were friendly. I’m definitely not used to strangers just saying hello to me on the street for no reason.

I was excited to try more New England beer and just view an entirely new selection all together. The restaurants and bars had familiar brews but I was more than happy to see a few from Massachusetts. I had a Fisherman’s Brew, which I definitely enjoyed, and a Whale’s Tale Pale Ale (which one of my friends become slightly obsessed with over the weekend excursion). Continue reading →

Drinking in Washington, DC: Iron Horse Taproom

Iron Horse TaproomMy second night in D.C fell on St. Patrick’s Day, the official holiday of drunks, or at least a good “excuse” for everyone to get drunk –as if most people need one. My friends and I knew we had to take part in local celebrations. Thanks to Beer Advocate I had a nice list of beer bars in the area. I spent some time crossing off bars that were too far from our hotel and finally narrowed down the list after reading review after review on Yelp. We decided on Iron Horse Taproom.

We arrived at the bar after an early dinner and despite other local pubs being crowded already, Iron Horse  hadn’t come close to reaching its max. However, all the seats were taken in this somewhat small bar…or so we thought. We followed a few patrons down a set of stairs to a massive lower level. Seats galore! This is where the party was at and as the night went on it became increasingly packed.

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Drinking in Washington, DC: Capitol City Brewing Company

Over the weekend I took my first, and hopefully not last, trip to our nation’s capital, Washington, D.C. Of course I was excited to see the White House, the national monuments, and the museums. But I would be lying if I didn’t admit that I really wanted to check out the bar/beer scene. Naturally my friends put me in charge of finding a few watering holes for the weekend, especially since it was St. Patrick’s Day weekend as well.

The first stop, dinner and a few drinks at Capitol City Brewing Company. Both recommended by a friend and Beer Advocate. The brewery/restaurant was crowded, as expected, for a Friday night. It was a mix of families coming for dinner, people enjoying happy hour, and the rest glued to the TV for the basketball games. The food was quite tasty. I had a wrap, one friend noshed on fish tacos, and my other friend dug into a pulled pork sandwich (that was damn tasty). The best part is the complimentary pretzels with their blend of horseradish sauce. Burgers, sandwiches, ribs, exactly the food you would expect at a brewery.

I started off with their Irish Red Ale and switched to Amber Waves. Both were great beers, especially the Amber Waves. I think my friend had the Pale Rider first, but whatever he had it was good. Capitol knows how to brew a tasty beer. Capitol City Brewing has that family-friendly atmosphere and it seems like the type of place that everyone goes to, whether they want cheap eats or a few drinks after work that isn’t full of suits. Considering the area my friends and I stayed in, this was a major plus. The bars were few and far between and most were lounges appealing to the working stiff.

The atmosphere was relaxing and it’s the type of place where your evening would begin before hitting up the local bars.

My Rating:

Beer Selection: A (well it’s their brews after all…)
Food: B
Atmosphere: B

When in D.C. visit the Brewery at:
1100 New York Ave NW
Washington, DC

King’s Head Tavern: The Bar with No Name

The bar with no name, formerly(?) known as Belfry, possibly now known as King’s Head Tavern (according to Foursquare), has become a new haunt for my coworkers on Fridays. It’s also the place I seem to end up after drinking around Union Square/St. Marks/East Village area; maybe it’s because it’s close to the L train or because it’s just a chill place to have a few drinks.

The most interesting aspect of the bar with no name is the lack of a sign on the front. I feel like I’ve been invited to some secret gathering in the basement of a warehouse and you have to know the secret password to get in. None of that is true of course. I’m sure many a people just stumble in there, attracted to the low lighting and lack of pretentious patrons. The crowd always seems somewhat generic, just random people under 35 looking for a watering hole. Although two Fridays ago there was an unprecedented amount of men, as pointed out by my coworker, who seemed douchey.

There is a decent draft selection consisting of Tremens, a few Bluepoints, Goose Island, Ommegang, Left Hand, and a few others. Not too shabby if I do say so. They also have some crazy Happy Hour special that consists of a beer and a shot. Not something I’m really interested in, but…cool! I much prefer their Happy Hour prices because going there on a Saturday night I was charged a ridiculous amount for a beer. They didn’t have the beer I wanted in stock and the bartender told me she had a similar stout she would pour me…hello $11 later for what tasted like a Guinness. On a positive note, their music playlist is pretty epic. Weezer, Foster the People, I believe Muse thrown in there.

Chill at King’s Head Tavern for a few hours after work or check it out after an epic night elsewhere. The bar with no “sign,” I guess I should say, will draw you in because you’re drunk and it’s NY and why the hell not? But you’ll quickly learn it’s not nearly as cool as it seems.

My Rating:

Beer Selection: C
Food: N/A
Atmosphere: C+

Visit the No Name Bar at:
222 East 14th Street
New York, NY

Hanging Out With the Apostles at Shoolbred’s

If anyone is wondering where to find Jesus and company, apparently he gets his kicks hanging out in the East Village. On Friday night I had the pleasure of checking out Shoolbred’s with my date for the evening. Sorry no details on that, just a simple review of a friendly bar. Shoolbred’s is a fairly low key bar quickly gaining popularity thanks to their ridiculously awesome happy hour special. Buy one drink, get chip for a free one. That is both incredible and dangerous, until 8pm. It applies to beer and I assume most drinks, but a Yelper informs me it does not work on wine. And feel free to save those tokens of happiness for another outing.

As for most bars, it’s dark. Like really dark. I used a candle to read the drink menu. It’s a narrow bar but thankfully we had seats up at the bar, near the door (brrrr!). There were a few tables towards the back along with a cozy fireplace. Naturally you have to be the first one there if you want to score that lucky seat. Or possibly unlucky as I imagine it gets quite hot.

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Craft Beer Drinker Is Not Indicative of a Hipster

Anyone who knows me personally is well aware of my complete and utter disdain for the worthless subculture group that is hipsters. I’m not sure how far this subculture has spread across the country because they seen to have their origins here in New York –more specifically Williamsburg, Brooklyn with a few dispersed throughout the Lower East Side and the Village. So if you hail from the other states and aren’t quite sure what breed of cultural rejects they are, a quick Google Image search will delight the senses. As well as a trip to Urban Outfitters.

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The Long Island Bar Scene: Intro

Hey everyone!

I’m Kristen’s friend, Tom. Kristen and I met way back in the day when we were both working at Pier1 Imports. Since then, Kristen and I have both taken our own fantastic beer adventures. My beer adventure started right on my 21st birthday, when I went to a local restaurant that had its own brewery on site. This is where I got my first taste of “good beer.” I’ve since started brewing my own beer as a hobby. I also make an effort to try a new beer wherever I go. Along with that, I try to find the “perfect” bar for myself, although I’ve yet to find that.

So, with that being said, I plan on making “bar reviews” my main contribution on Total Beer Enlightenment. I will throw in the occasional beer review, when something hits me as being pretty darn good.

If anyone has any suggestions for bars that I should go to in the Long Island/NYC area, please leave them in the comment section. I’ll be starting very soon with a few bars near my home in Massapequa.

 

Drink up!

-Tom

Beer Review: Samuel Smith Winter Welcome Ale

Samuel Smith Winter Welcome AleIt doesn’t really feel much like winter in New York, but that’s no reason to skip out on the great beers of the season. Winter is a time for darker, richer, and warmer beers. Samuel Smith Winter Welcome Ale may not be a dark, rich ale but it’s nice on the palate and tasty nonetheless. Despite Samuel Smith being one of my favorite breweries, Winter Welcome didn’t completely win me over but I still rather enjoyed it.

Appearance: Light amber color with tons of carbonation, a thick white head, and cloudy.

Smell: Sweet and malty, bready, and a hint of spice. Overall a very  inviting smell.

Taste: Nice malt and biscuit taste with a touch of caramel. Very little bitterness at all. Despite being a winter beer, it is rather light in taste. I was also expecting more spice which was absent.

Mouthfeel: Medium body with lots of carbonation and a dry finish.

Drinkability: Nice flavors without an overpowering taste of alcohol. It’s a somewhat refreshing beer for the winter. Although I wish it was a bit more complex, it’s still a great tasting beer.

Overall Rating: B

Calling All NYC Women in Beer

Love beer? Have double X chromosomes? Then join a room full of estrogen and beer at the first New York City Women in Beer event on Monday, February 27th! It’s difficult enough for some to take our craft beer guzzling ways seriously, so let’s get together with like-minded individuals. The event will take place at Taproom 307 (you remember that awesome little joint, right?). The event is meant to be a way to not only network with other women in the beer industry, but to socialize with some chicks who appreciate a good beer. All women who work or are involved in the industry are encouraged to attend, including: bar & restaurant staff, beer store & homebrew store staff, brewery staff, distributors & importers, writers & bloggers, PR & marketing professionals, and event planners.

The event is free but it is asked that you RSVP. Feel free to stop by any time between 6:30-8:30pm that evening and grab a draft for only $5. For more information and to reserve a spot, click here.

Getting Geeky with Sixpoint at Barcade

Barcade, BrooklynI’ve been dying to go to Barcade for months. Living 10 minutes from the L train and less than 15 minutes from Willamsburg certainly has its perks. Oh the possibilities for nightly shenanigans in hipster-ville! If the name of the bar itself wasn’t a dead giveaway, Barcade is a kick ass beer bar chock full of old-school arcade games. There are more video games than seats and that’s okay with me so long as there is a free machine.

Despite there being plenty of geeks, the majority of people were fairly normal and surprisingly enough, there really weren’t any hipsters. They just haven’t taken over the world of games…yet. But considering these are classic games, they just might. Although I would have gotten my ass out to this bar eventually, what really lured my friends and I was the special event hosted by Sixpoint Brewery. Sixpoint was kind enough to bring over plenty of their special brews and oh how amazing they were! After Saturday night, Sixpoint may have just jumped into the number one seat on my favorite list.

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