Archives of Significant Opening Statements

September 2008

March 2006

December 2005

Remembering Oil Cans

“Fosters” may be Australian for “beer”, but if you buy a can of Fosters in the US, it is brewed in Canada. As recently as the late 1980’s Fosters (then brewed in Australia) used to come in a 25 ounce “oil can”. The can resembled a one-quart oil can. Other Australian beers were available in oil cans: Coopers Big Barrel, KB Lager, and Reschs Pilsner. Now, Fosters (brewed in Canada for US consuption) is available in a 25 ounce can that is a larger version of a conventional 12 aluminum can. In the late 1980’s Calgary Amber Lager (brewed in Canada) was available in cans that looked like present-day Fosters cans. In the late 1980's, the Australian version of Fosters, as well as Coopers, KB, and Reschs were available at Coopers Seafood House in Scranton, PA. Likewise for Calgary.

May 22, 2005

I just returned from Melbourne, FL.
I went to Charlie & Jake's Brewery & Grille and had two beers brewed on site (Anniversary Ale and Marlin Marzen).
The next evening, I went to Coasters. There, John the bartender introduced me to Mac Monroe of Unique Beers, Inc. Mac was aware of this website, and told me a lot about beer, and the industry. He explained how his company’s mission is to bring interesting beers to Florida’s Space Coast (Orlando, Melbourne, Cocoa, etc.).
There at Coasters, there is Orange Blossom Pilsner on draught which is a product of Unique Beers. Currently, it is only available on draught, but will be available in bottles in the Fall of 2005. Unique is working hard to keep up with the demand for kegs, but will not let the demand get in the way of quality.
Also at Coasters are Shipyard Raspberry Wheat and Old Thumper (a Shipyard product) which are distributed by Unique Beers. I had the Old Thumper.
Mac was especially proud of Boulder Brewing Hazed & Infused distributed by Unique Beers. He said it was on draught at the Main Street Pub, downtown Melbourne, FL. I joined him for a Hazed & Infused at the Main Street Pub. The beer was great, and I was also impressed with the Main Street Pub as well. (Thank you, Mac)
Mac told me about another product Unique Beers distributes, Jolly Pumpkin. I will have to buy some next time I’m in Melbourne.

April 2005

Someone once referred to Boddingtons Pub Ale as "Guinness Light." I'm not sure if I agree with that. I just tried Smithwick's Irish Ale. It has a rich dark color, but not as dark as Guinness Extra Stout, and it is brewed by Guinness, so I guess you can refer to Smithwick's Irish Ale as "Guinness Light."

March 2005

I just bought a twelve-pack of Budweiser Select. Think of the lamest American microbrew you’ve ever tried. It is orders of magnitude better than Bud Select. If you watch the commercials, you’d think they are touting a beer comparable to a Belgian import. Wrong! It’s just more of the same. My neighbors and I were drinking Bud Select. My neighbor Todd said, “I hope you only bought a six-pack.” I said no, I bought a 12-pack. He asked what I plan on doing with the rest of the cans, save them for when people who you don’t like visit. If you give the Bud Select, maybe they won’t visit anymore. The advertising campaign for Bud Select reminds me of the commercials for Michelob Dark in the 1980’s, “Don’t be afraid of the dark.” In the advertisement, they said Michelob Dark was the dark beer that was dark in color, but not heavy as you would expect a dark beer to be. It was a beer that was only dark in color, but tasted like regular beer. Bud Select is also a regular beer with a new name and a new advertising campaign.

February 2005

I just returned from Melbourne, FL. The first evening my group ate at Florida’s Seafood Bar & Grill in Cocoa Beach. They had Shipyard Export on draught. The only Shipyard beer that I know of is brewed in Portland, ME. The bartender told me this was brewed in Orlando. I was puzzled, but I figured that John, the bartender at Coaster's Pub, Indialantic would have an explanation. The next evening a smaller contingency went to Coaster’s, and John was working. Right off the bat, he poured an Orange Blossom Pilsner draught, and said that he didn’t think I tried this one yet. He was right. Orange Blossom Pilsner is an excellent beer that is brewed by Unique Beers in Orlando. I asked John about Shipyard. He said that it was brewed in Orlando for a while, but it is now only brewed in Portland, ME. Later in the evening I had a Shipyard Raspberry Wheat draught. I also had a Spaten Munich Optimator draught, which was exceptional. After having 3 draughts at Coaster’s, I went to the Winn Dixie, and bought some souvenirs to bring back to NJ, a six-pack of bootie lager, and a four-pack of Dutch Windmill. I returned to NJ in time to shovel snow.

January 2005

December 2004

Ommegang Three Philosophers is great! It is Ale with Cherry Lambic with 9.8% alcohol brewed in the US of A . I bought it at Joe Canal's in Egg Harbor Twp., NJ for about $6 for a 750 ml bottle. It tastes like a $6 bottle of beer. If you see it, buy it and share it with two other philosophers (or "philostophers" as Frank Zappa pronounced it) . My fellow philsosphers, Oscar and Jim gave it three thumbs up.

May 23, 2004

My friend and neighbor Oscar (who is from Argentina) took note that I never had a beer from Argentina. None of the liquor stores here in South Jersey carry any of the fine brews from Argentina. Oscar's mother lives in North Jersey. He told her, next time she visits, bring a 6-pack of beer from Argentina. She brought a 6-pack of Quilmes "Argentina's Favorite Beer". I enjoyed two bottles. The beer was very good.
Thank you Oscar and his mother.

May 6, 2004

To kick off my 4-day 40th-birthday Celebration (my birthday falls on Mother‘s Day this year), my wife Margi, and neighbors Jim and Chris went to Tun Tavern in Atlantic City, NJ. Even though I have lived about 7 miles from Atlantic City, for the last 10 years, this is the first time I went there. I’ve been to Brew Pubs in Memphis, TN and Albuquerque, NM, but never ventured to the Tun Tavern. Every time when my wife an four kids go out to eat, I suggest the Tun Tavern, but we always end up at Chili’s or Applebee’s in Mays Landing.
  When we arrived in the Tun Tavern parking lot, the parking attendant informed us that Tun Tavern was closed for a private party. I thought “SH*T!” We asked when the party would be over. He said “After 7.” It was about 6:15. Margi had called earlier in the day to see if it was normally busy on Thursday nights, and to see if we needed a reservation. They told her that there was no problem, and never mentioned the private party.
  We looked and saw Applebee’s across the street. We asked the attendant if we can keep our car parked in the parking lot, and eat at Applebee’s, then come to Tun Tavern after 7. He said “No.” So we drove across the street and parked in the Applebee’s parking lot. We ate in Applebee’s. I enjoyed my Oriental Wrap. Everyone else was satisfied, except Chris, who said the chicken didn’t taste right. We finished eating at about 7:05.
  We got in the car and drove across the street to Tun Tavern. We asked the parking attendant if the private party was over. He said “Yes.” (He is a man of few words.) He gave us a ticket that had to be validated inside the bar.
  We went across the street into the Sheraton where Tun Tavern is located. Me and Jim wanted to sit at the bar, but our wives wanted a table. We passed four empty stools right near the beer taps, and proceeded to the dining area. We found a booth. Me and Jim each ordered a sampler which consisted of 5 two-ounce samples. Actually, they seemed a little larger. Our wives ordered diet soft drinks and decadent desserts. After being served, the waitress laughed when I pulled out a piece of paper to write down what the beers were served. After finishing the sampler, me an Jim wanted another beer. The staff was busily cleaning up after the private party, and never seemed to notice that there were two sets of five empty glasses in front of me and Jim. We finally told one of the busboys to send a waitress. We order our beers, it was served, we drank them. We sat and waited for a waitress to bring us our check. I said, “You know, they probably would not notice if we left without paying.” Jim replied “Yeah, but I need my parking ticket validated.” So we told a busboy to get us our waitress. She gave us our check. We paid, but forgot to get the parking ticked validated. Jim went to go find the waitress, but I told him, have the lady at the desk at the entrance validate it. She did. I told Jim we probably could have walked out without paying, and she would have signed your ticket.
  In summary, the service was not too good, because there are more important things to do at a restaurant than to serve patrons, but I did enjoy my company and the beer.

November 16, 2003

August 22, 2002

I just returned from a business trip to Melbourne, FL. While I was there, I visited one of my favorite beer drink establishments in the whole wide world, Coaster's Pub on A1A in Indialantic. Of course, I had Tucher Hefe Weizen on draught (imported by Edelweiss Imports, Inc.). It was excellent. I also had two brews made on site: Driftwood Pale Ale and Eua Gallie Golden Ale. I also had a local Melbourne brew, Indian River Amber Jack. All three were also exceptional. When I returned, my boss asked me how the trip went and I told him that it was productive.
  Coaster’s now specializes in draughts with over 30 taps. The bartender, John is knowledgeable concerning beer, and issues concerning the pending Major League Baseball strike.

June 7, 2002

I'm trying for the first time Tucher Bajuvator Doppelbock. It is excellent. It is imported from Germany by Edelweiss Imports, Inc., Boynton Beach, FL. I was able to purchase it in Ventnor, NJ.

April 12, 2002

I've tried all the beers they have at the local beer store, except for Schmidt's Light, so that's what I'm trying now. I wish that they had six-packs instead of twelve-packs.

February 28, 2002

I've just returned from Washington, DC. Thanks to www.pubcrawler.com, I found a place called The Big Hunt, right off of Dupont Circle, on Connecticut Avenue. There are 24 beers on draught. I tried DeGroen's Märzen, and Brooklyn Brown Dark Ale, just to name a few. The French Bread Pizza is good too.

January 4, 2002

Right now, as I type, I'm enjoying a Schlitz Bull Ice High Gravity Ice Brewed Malt Liquor. The can says "8.2% alc./vol." I purchased a six-pack at a liquor store on the Black Horse Pike in Pleasantville, NJ, near the K-Mart.
  While I'm not doing a side-by-side comparison, to the best of my recollection, I remember St. Ides High Gravity Malt Liquor being better.

June 10, 2001

I visited two brewpubs in the last week: (1) Rock Bottom in the Ballston Commons Mall in Arlington, VA; and (2) Lancaster Malt Brewing Co. in Lancaster, PA.
  At Rock Bottom, on cask, I enjoyed the Pale Ale with Cascade Hops. The standout draught was the Potomac Pale Ale. Wednesdays are $1 draught night. Last Wednesday, I left at 7:30 PM, and there were at least 50 people waiting in line to get in.
  Lancaster Malt Brewing Co. is a small place not far from downtown Lancaster. I was there on Saturday afternoon. I was glad that they had the Black & Tan on cask. This, of course, was served at room temperature, and was delicious. Cask brews are usually only available on Friday nights. I did not have that much time to spend, and I was driving so I asked for something low in alcohol. They suggested the Strawberry Wheat. It was good. I wish I was able to spend more time there so I could try other brews.

May 1, 2001

The Silent Brewing Revolution
  Remember when light beers burst on the scene? Anheiser Busch had Norm Crosby , the comedian that talked like George W. Bush (Crosby “misdenounced” words) on Natural Light commercials. Then the other comedian that said “You can call me Ray, and you can call me Jay and you can call me Ray Jay but you doesn’t have to call me...” They had easy to open cans. They had great taste, but were less filling. Light beers are now a mainstay.
  Remember the dry beers on the late 1980’s? Now try to find a bottle of Bud Dry or Michelob Dry.
  Then came the ice beers. there was Icehouse. Ice beers are still around, mainly because of the higher alcohol content. Actually, Miller Brewing had Colders 29 (a flop) before ice beers became popular.
  Then there were the red beers. Can you find Genessee Red anywhere?
  Before I remember beer commercials, malt liquors became available. While they are stereotypically consumed by minorities, as a white male I enjoy malt liquor. I enjoy the smooth taste. On Sunday afternoons about 10 years ago, my friend Bob and I have been known to buy a few baby bottles (40 oz.) of Schlitz Red Bull at Gerrity’s in Scransylvania (Scranton, PA).
  Now, there are higher alcohol microbrews. These are import quality beers that have abv (alcohol by volume) greater than 7%. Thus far, I have tried Mendocino Brewing Co. (Saratoga Springs, NY) Eye of the Hawk Ale (8.0% abv) , Heavyweight Brewing Company (Ocean Township, NJ) Perkuno's Hammer Imperial Porter (8.3% abv), Dogfish Head Craft Brewery (Lewes, DE) Import Ale (11% abv), and Indian Brown Ale (7.2% abv). These fine American microbrews have high alcohol contents, but they do not fit into the same category as malt liquor or ice beer. I won’t go out on a limb and say as good as Belgian, but I can say they are of import quality, as good as Double Diamond (a great British brew) and other imports.

April 3, 2001

Gordon Biersch Brewery & Restaurant opens in Washington, DC
Though www.gordonbiersch.com still says "Coming Soon!", Gordon Biersch Brewery & Restaurant has opened its Washington, DC location. It is about two blocks away from the MCI Center. There are four brews on draught. I had the Blond Bock and the Dunkles. The other two (Export and Marzen), I had tried at the Memphis location in October 2000. (I'm not sure if I should count a brew pub beer twice if I have it at two different locations.)
The atmosphere and the beer are great. I recommend this place.

February 19, 2001

I just tried Stella Artois. This is the latest Belgian import to reach the American import scene, following high alcohol Gulden Draak and Piraat Ale. This is relatively inexpensive among Belgian beers such as Corsendonk, but more expensive than American microbrews and mainstream imports. Its flavour ranks with mainstream imports. It is a good tasting beer, but not a standout. It is clearly not what one would be expect of a Belgian beer, but at the price, it is what was expected.
Stella Artois is imported by Labatt USA. If marketing is successful in North America, it would not surprise me if Labatt starts brewing Stella Artois in Canada as it brews Elephant Malt under the supervision of Carlsberg (Denmark).

February 11, 2001

I'm trying a new Anheuser-Busch product, Killarney's Red Lager. On the label, it says "brewed with the finest Irish Malts." Is this Anheuser-Busch's answer to Killian's Irish Red? The first four letters are the same. They're both red in colour, but when it comes to taste, Killarney's Red Lager doesn't quite reach the mark of Killian's Irish Red (brewed by Coors Brewing Co.). Actually, Michael Shea's Irish Amber (High Falls Brewing Co., Rochester, NY) is comparable to Killian's Irish Red.

January 4, 2001

I just returned from Washington, DC. I stayed at the Loews L'Enfant Plaza Hotel. In each guestroom bathroom, there is a small black & white television with cable.
  In the hotel there is an Old Dominion Brewing Company bar. There I tried the following Old Dominion draughts: Pale Ale, Stout and Winterfest. As usual, when trying new beers, I liked the stout the best.

December 22, 2000
Lager57 Brew Pub of the Year for the Year 2000

In August, on a trip to Albuquerque, NM, I visited Kellys Brewery Restaurant and Pub. In October, on a trip to Memphis, TN, I visited Boscos (Germantown) and Gordon Biersch Brewery & Restaurant (Downtown). During November and December, I made several trips to Washington, DC and visited all four brew pubs as listed in www.beertravelers.com : District Chophouse & Brewery; John Harvard's Brew House; and both locations of Capitol City Brewing Co. (Capital Hill and Downtown DC). In 2000, I had visited 7 excellent brew pubs in 3 major metropolitan areas and drank some really great beers.
  Which was the best? How should I go about selecting the best? A brew pub is more than beer. It is also food, atmosphere, service and location.
  I did not eat at all 7 establishments, however, the food at Boscos and Gordon Biersch Brewery & Restaurant was excellent and reasonably priced.
  Kellys Brewery Restaurant and Pub is located near the University of New Mexico in a small business district. There was free parking nearby. I went there in the early afternoon, so I had no trouble parking. I liked the large windows. There you can see the mountains that surround Albuquerque. The beers I tried were excellent.
  Boscos is located in an upscale shopping plaza in Germantown, just east of Memphis. There is plenty of free parking. It has the atmosphere of an upscale restaurant. The knowledgeable bartenders enjoyed talking about beer. The food is great, but the forte is the beer. Some brew pubs are restaurants that make their own beer. Boscos is a brew pub that serves great food. I went there in the early afternoon. Because my schedule did not permit, I was not able to be around for taping of the cask at 5 PM, for the cask conditioned ale. However, I did try their bottle conditioned Hefe Weissen. It and the other brews were excellent.
  Gordon Biersch Brewery & Restaurant is located in downtown Memphis, near Beale Street. You have to pay to park across the street. Maybe because I had been to Boscos the previous afternoon, this place gave me the impression that it was a restaurant that brewed its own beer (not a brew pub that served food). The food was good, but there was only two draughts available. The Seasonal Beer was not available because it was not up to standard.
  District Chophouse & Brewery is located near the MCI Center. It is about a half a block away from a Metro station. You can expect to encounter pan handlers between the Metro station and the brew pub. The food is pricey, but the beer is excellent.
  John Harvard's Brew House is located in the downtown area of DC in the Warner Theatre building. It is about a block and a half from a Metro station. It is in a good part of town. This brew pub serves cask conditioned ales. I enjoyed the cask conditioned Old Ale.
  Capitol City Brewing Co. operates two brew pubs in DC. The Capital Hill location is right across the street from Union Station. When you get off the Metro you need only to cross the street. The beer is excellent.
  The second Capitol City Brewing Co. location is in Downtown DC about two blocks from a Metro Station. Its beer menu is basically the same as the Capital Hill location. Availability of beers varies between locations. The Downtown DC location is on a corner, and there are large windows where you can watch the hustle and bustle of the city.
  After pondering all information, but not using scientific means of tabulation, I conclude that the best brew pub I visited in the year 2000 was Boscos in Germantown, TN. While I had not tasted a bad beer at any of the brew pubs, Boscos catered to the serious beer taster. They do not have light beer, or any beer types for the "Bud-guys" - just serious beer drinkers' beer.

December 14, 2000

I just got back from Washington, DC, again. This trip I visited both Capitol City Brewing Co. brew pubs. At the Downtown DC location (near Metro Center) I tried Black Out Stout and Prohibition Porter. At the Capital Hill location (near Union Station in the Postal Museum building) I tried Capitol Kolsch, Helles Bock Lager and St. Adrian's Alt. The standout was the Helles Bock Lager.

December 7, 2000

I just got back from Washington, DC, again. This time I went to John Harvard's Brew House, near the Metro Center. This is in a very glitzy part of town. All city streets should look like this.
  The first thing I do when I go to a brew pub is check if there is a stout available. Here there was not, so I ordered the Penn. Ave. Porter draught. It was good.
  I had Jimmy's Dark Mild. It was not as flavourful as I remember the Dark Mild at Kelly Brewery Restaurant and Pub in Albuquerque. It is doubtful if I can ever do a side by side taste test to know for sure.
  The standout was the cask conditioned Old Ale. It was served at "cellar temperature", a relatively warmer temperature than what beer is normally served. If beer tastes good when it is warm it is good beer. But then I did see my father drink a warm 16 oz. can of Genesee in 20 seconds. What a man!

November 30, 2000

I just got back from Washington, DC. I tried Blue Ridge Amber Lager draught, Olde Heurich's Foggy Bottom Ale draught, and Olde Heurich's Foggy Bottom Lager draught. Not a bad selection for a Holiday Inn lounge. Again, I ventured the District Chophouse & Brewery. There I tried the Light Ale draught and the Oatmeal Stout draught. I'm going to DC again, next week. Life is good.

[HOME]