Growler & Gill Craft Beer Shoppe reaches it's goal!

Wow!!  We were blown away by the support Growler & Gill Craft Beer Shoppe received on our Kickstarter campaign.  95 people from our community and across the country each donated between $10 and $1000 to see us succeed.  Now we can't fail.  We have begun the process of picking local contractors from Rockland County to begin the hard job of turning our space in Nanuet into a cool, comfortable place to enjoy craft beer.  We will be posting pictures both here and on Growler & Gill's Facebook page as work progresses.  So stay tuned!!

Help Kickstart our Craft Beer Shoppe

Doreen and I have embarked on a craft beer journey more exciting than any of our previous adventures.  We've decided to open Growler & Gill Craft Beer Shoppe.  We have secured a space and are now in the process of making it into a cool comfortable spot to experience the world of craft beer. To that end, we have turner to Kickstarter to help us out.  Check out our  Kickstarter Video and become part of our Beer Odyssey!  You can also follow our progress on Facebook or Twitter .  If you are a Craft Beer lover or have friends who are, please Share this page with others by using the Facebook and Twitter buttons below.  Cheers!!

J. Canals Superstore

On the way back home form the Jersey shore, I was looking for a place to buy craft beers that are hard to find in our New York stores. So I googled: "craft beer jersey shore" and found J. Canals in Woodbridge, NJ. Finding the actual store would take about three phone calls and several turns coming off the Garden State Parkway. It is actually only about 100 yards from the Parkway on Rt 1 south, but there is no exit for Rt 1 coming from the GSP North. So you have to take Exit 131b to Gill ave to Rt 1 South. I tell you this because their web site does a poor job of directing you and I don't want you to get discouraged and miss this beer geek's nirvana.

Once on Rt 1 South, you can't miss the giant beer bottle in the parking lot. Upon walking in, I was a little disappointed to see isles and isles of wine and liquor. But then I met Zack Goldberg, who led me to the craft beer section at the other end of the store.

Zack is their beer manager and a true conasseur of good beer. He understands people's different tastes and has tried many, many of the beers he recommends. As a case in point, a young woman asked him for a raspberry beer and he said "It's not my favorite style of beer but here's one I've tried that is good." And he handed her a six pack of Abita Purple Haze http://abita.com/brews/purple-haze.php . As a fruit beer lover, that is the beer I would have pointed her to.

Though the majority of the store is dedicated to other alcoholic beverages, their beer selection is very extensive. The whole far wall of the store consists of coolers containing mostly micro-beers. Across from the coolers are shelves of more craft beers, many of which can be purchased individually.

I told Zack about the styles that I prefer and regions I was looking for. For each style he recomended his personal favorite. Here a some of the examples of his recommendaations and my subsequent purchases:

Brown Ale - Tommyknocker Imperial Brown $1.79/12 oz 
IPA - Firestone Double IPA $8.49/750ml
Spice Beer - Dogfish Sah'tea $12.49/750ml
Bock - Troeginator $1.89/12 oz
Red Ale - Red Seal Ale $9.39/ 6 pack
Colorado - Breckenridge $1.89/12oz
Jersey - Climax - Roselle Park, NJ $9.99/ 1/2 gallon growler

The Sha'tea's price tag made me a little reluctant to purchase it. They happened to have this brew as one of the six beers on tap at there growler filling station. Zack gave us each a taste and we were sold on this pungent, flavorful beer. If we weren't so far from home I would have had fun tasting the other selections. But we had another hour to drive and a carful of new brews to sample when we returned home.

Wharfside Patio Bar - Point Pleasant Beach, NJ

On a beautiful, sunny Saturday down at the Jersey shore, my wife and I were looking for a place to have lunch and a drink on the water. We were lucky enough to find The Wharfside on the Manasquan inlet in Point pleasant Beach, NJ. Back in the day, this restaurant was called The Lobster Shanty. Now it serves the same seafood menu under a new name. We didn't bother entering the Wharfside. Having come from the beach in flip flops and sleeveless shirts, we didn't think we were dressed appropriately. Instead, we sat ourselves at the outdoor Patio Bar on a huge deck overlooking the inlet.

As soon as we stepped out on the deck, I knew we had found a gem. Straight ahead in the middle of the  inlet, we could see a sandbar exposed by the low tide that had several boats beached on it. Groups of families and young people were having a beach party on this narrow spit of land.

On one side of the deck was an immense, somewhat circular bar. On the other, were about 20 tables with umbrellas. We sat at a table with a good view of the beach party and ordered our drinks. I asked the waitress if they had any local Jersey beers and she told me about Beach Haus which, according to the label, is made right in Point Pleasant. My wife ordered a Leinenkugel Summer Shanty on tap. The Shanty tasted a little funky as tap beers sometimes can. All the lemony taste in the world is not going to hide the sourness that comes from dirty beer lines. She switched to Bud Lime after that, but I stuck with the Haus for our whole stay.

This pilsner had a floral scent and strong taste. The after taste was crisp and a little bitter. The strong taste didn't carry a heavy kick and I was able to drink several of these cold babies on this hot afternoon without feeling drunk.

I was curious about the location in town where this beer gets brewed so I googled it on my Iphone and found out that the beer was supposedly made a few blocks away on Arnold Street. We actually went there after lunch looking for the brewery. Unfortunately, no one we asked in town had heard of the brewery. As it turns out, Beach Haus is brewed in Rochester by another company until the owners can raise the money to build a local brewery. Right now the East Coast Beer Co. is based out of an office in Point Pleasant. Regardless of where it is produced, they make a refreshing, drinkable beer.

Out on the deck, food has to be ordered at a long counter and your waitress delivers it. I ordered clams from the raw bar and a cheese burger. My wife, Doreen, got the onion crusted Mahi sandwich. Though she is not a big onion fan, there was just enough of a hint of onion to complement the fish. My burger was just what I needed to fill the empty spot in my stomach. And if there is anything better than clams and cold beer on a sunny day by the ocean, then please let me know.

The crowd out on the deck was . . . eclectic.  That's a nice way to say there were some strange birds flying around that day.  There was a large group celebrating a birthday and the man of honor was wearing a necklace made of veggies and lunch meats.

Not long after we devoured our food the Billy Lawlor Band, which had been on break, re-took the stage. They played classics from the 60's and 70's at a volume that allowed for conversation. When they played a Grateful Dead song, Doreen could not help herself and dragged me up to dance. When we sat back down she said to me, "I can't believe nobody else got up and danced?" I replied, "Give them a little time, they will be up later." And sure enough, after a lively version of Jethro Tull's Locomotive Breath, complete with flute solo, the crowd started to come alive. They then broke into "Bertha", another Dead classic and Doreen's favorite song. We started out the lone dancers in a place filled with over 100 people. But after a string of more familiar Paul Simon classics the dance floor was filled with dancers aged 4 to 60.

The band completed their last set and, though there was another band coming on shortly after, we felt it would be hard to replicate what we had just enjoyed for the last 3 hours. We looked out to the inlet and saw that the tide was coming in covering what was left of the sandbar. So like the beach partiers who had to end there stay, we departed with good memories and a vow to return to this unique spot.

Atlantic City Beer Festival April 1 2011

I heard about the AC Beer Fest from friends who live down the Jersey shore. They sent me the link to Harrah's Casino website where the fest was being advertised. Since my mom is a regular at Harrah's, I figured this was a "no Brainer": use mom's comp room, do a little gambling, and then drink some quality craft beers. All this was achieved, only not under one roof. The fest was actually at the Convention center a short shuttle bus ride away.

The plan was for my wife and I to meet our friends at the fest. So we paid the $40 entrance fee, received our wrist bands, 4 oz sampling glass and then followed groups of revelers to a huge line. Hundreds of beer lovers were queued up waiting for the opening of the show floor. Some of the more experienced attendees were wearing homemade pretzel necklaces. After a short wait, kilted bagpippers began playing to announce the start of the fest. Doors were opened and people scrambled to be the first to sample their favorite brews.

As a first timer, I must admit it was all a little overwhelming. It took us a while to find our friends in the huge exhibition hall. We did't know where to start. So we decided to start at the first table and work our way around the hall clock-wise.

Luckily, Brewery Ommegang was the first sign I saw. I've visited their brewery in Cooperstown, NY and love all their beers. This time, as in the past, I enjoyed their Hennepin the most. I find it the most drinkable of their strong (in taste and alcohol) line.

As we got our "beer legs" and became more comfortable with the layout of the floor, it was obvious that the fest organizers knew what they were doing. Even though there were hundreds of people, the room was enormous and I never felt crowded. With over 70 breweries represented, we never had to wait long for a fill. There was a live band playing classic rock, but few people paid much attention as there was just too much drinking to do.

To be honest, I tried so many beers in so short a time it became hard to remember which was which after a while. But I do remember the standouts. We were able to try all three of Chimays beers at once and agreed that the blue label was the best. Lagunitas had two IPAs on tap and I was impressed at the level of hops in their beer while still being very drinkable.

It took us well over 2 hours to circle the floor and I finally found my favorite brewery: Dogfish Head. I was thrilled to see that they had their brown ale Raison D'etre on tap. I, like many others, spent the next half hour filling up and draining my sampling glass only to return to the end of the line immediately for a refill.
The brewery that had the best attitude was Cape Anne Brewing Co from Glouceter MA. I was drawn to their table by the sight of a green VW camper bus. Aparently TJ, their sales rep, drives the bus to all the fests and pours beer from two taps sticking out of the side of the camper. In the summer time, he cruises around Fenway Park serving beers to Red Sox fans. I can't think of a better job.

The most creative table at the show was the one that was raising money for a local charity. For $1 they sold fake mustaches that the donors wore and allowed them access to the "mustache lounge". The lounge was a 20' x 20' platform about 10 feet above the show room floor. There was a makeshift bar that served about a dozen offerings from the show. Mustachioed imbibers reclined on couches that offered a much better view of the show. Particularly of the scantily clad dancers below who were publicizing a gentleman's club down the road.

Our friends were just getting warmed up but my wife and I felt that if we stayed, we'd be paying the price in the morning. As it was, the $40 we paid was a bargain for all the fun, laughs and great beer we drank at the show. The AC Beer Fest will be a regular event on my yearly beer calandar from now on. Next year, I'll be sure to make a pretzel necklace and look like an experienced fest-goer.