Meadowlands Int'l Beer Expo - Part 1

I heard about the International Beer expo from a member of Tristate Beer Lovers Meetup back in January when tickets were being offered at half the $40 entrance fee.  Of course, I didn’t act fast enough to get that deal but waiting worked out in my favor.  My nephew Sean, who had to work the show, was able to get me a comp ticket so I felt ahead of the game right from the start. My brother and I and our wives took the train into Secaucus Junction and then hopped in a cab for the 10 minute ride to the Expo Center.  On the train, we split a bottle of Labyrinth Black IPA and some pretzels in order to prime us for the show.

We accepted our plastic tasting glasses and program at the door and took a lay of the land.  It was a very similar set up to The Atlantic City Beer Fest I attended last year.  The girls headed for the food stands while Joe and I scouted out some of our favorites.  The program listed all the breweries of which only about half were foreign.  We were a little disappointed to see there were only 2 Belgian Breweries in attendance.   American Craft beers were well represented though. 

The first beers that caught my eye were the distinctive cans of 21^st Amendment from San Fran whose Monk's Blood Strong Ale is quickly becoming one of my favorites.  I walked up to the pourer and asked for some Monk and he poured me some amber colored ale from a bottle.  I asked him why it wasn’t served from a can like the others and he said that he was from North Coast Brewery also from California.  Apparently, they didn’t bring a sign which made for some confusion. 

The beer has a sweet complex taste like the Monk and is called Brother Thelonius Monk. It too is a Belgian Style Abbey Ale, and part of the profits from its sale go to a Jazz Institute named for Thelonius.  Not a bad start.  I just have to remember to ask what I’m getting before they pour. 

I sidled over to the 21^st Amendment table and was bumbed that they didn’t bring their Monk, but they were pouring Back in Black.  This black IPA is toasty malt with a nice bitter finish; not too different from the Labyrinth we had on the way down. 

We joined the girls for some basic beer fare of burgers and sausage and pepper heroes.  Then we set out to try as many international beers as we could. We got our next fill from a St Paulie Girl look alike at the Stiegl table.  She didn’t have much of a personality, but this Austrian beer had a floral nose and was one of our favorites on the day. 

My sister-in-law, Irene, is Polish so we made a bee-line for the two Polish beers at the show:  Tyskie and Lech (as in Welesa).  We had a little trouble pronouncing the former, calling it Titsky even before we saw the girl behind the counter.  Both beers were standard lagers but I thought they stood up well to the competition. 

To be continued . . .

The Ship Inn - Oldest Brew Pub in New Jersey

“After .2 miles you have arrived at your destination”.  “What did she say?” asked Doc, referring to the female voice of our GPS.  “She says we’re here”, replied Rich with less confidence than the voice. You couldn’t blame us for questioning.  We had been driving the country roads of Hunterdon County, NJ for about a half hour looking for the The Ship Inn, the oldest brew pub in the state. 

Doc and Rich are two retirees who make it their life’s work to find the best food and drink in this part of the country.  For example, they have been driving down to Maryland on what they call the “crab train” for 35 years to dine on the tasty crustaceans.  So when they invited me to join them on this brewery visit I couldn’t say no.

Our drive took us past farms and rolling hills that looked more like neighboring Penn than the most populated state in the country.  But our GPS girl was right; we drove into Milford, NJ and back about 100 years in time.  The Victorian homes, white steepled church and clapboard barns reminded me of a colonial New England Town. 

The brewery was built in the1860’s and has gone through a series of incarnations including a bowling alley and a speak easy in the 1920’s.  Ann and David Hall purchased the building in 1985 where they served fish and chips and John Courage Beer.  Ten years later they installed a seven vat brewing system and became the first to brew beer for consumption on premises since Prohibition. 

We got out of the car and walked the length of the town in about 5 minutes and crossed the foot bridge over the Delaware River into Penn.  The River looked silty from the recent rain and we wondered if the brewery tapped into the river to make their beer.  Sure enough, the menu described “Muddy Waters” made from Delaware River water.

Upon entering this establishment we had to side step a piano that must make this pub come to life on weekend nights.  We visited on a weekday for lunch, but the dark wood walls made the pub feel warm and cozy.  We sat in a sunken dining area which overlooked a creek that surely flowed into the Delaware.  Over the bar, which is made from the floor of the old bowling alley, hung dozens of pewter mugs that only added to the Victorian feel of the place.

We started with flights consisting of 6 oz glasses of the 6 beers on tap.  The chocolate stout had a strong coffee taste and the Golden wheat was light and drinkable.  But the hands-down winner was the Killer Bee Ale made with local honey.  All their beers have a 5%ABV or lower so it was easy to try them all and still have a pint of my favorite.  Unfortunately, I’m not the only one who loves this brew.  The waitress said that we just killed the keg with our samples. 

We later received a tour from Brew master Lea Rumbolo who said that she uses 65 gallons of honey in order to produce 210 gals of this popular beer but it lasts only about 2 weeks on tap.

The Ship Inn brews beer in the English tradition using barley malt and Kent Golding’s hops.  The brewing system was designed and built by Alan Pugsley of Maine who imported this brewing style from Great Britain.  Lea uses finicky Ringwood  yeast which top ferments and along with the toasted malt adds a hint of caramel flavor to their beers.  At the end of the brewing process the spent grain is fed to cows at the surrounding dairy farms.

I have been reading a lot about the “small” movement in the craft beer industry but hadn’t experienced it until visiting the Ship Inn.  From the limited production of beer made with local ingredients, to the personalized tour by the brew master to the tiny Delaware River town this brewery calls home, our visit made me a believer that the old ways sometimes are better.  

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.

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.