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100 Best Beer Bars: How About These Five Noted Absences
No Brouwers? Something went wrong there.
Washington Beer Blog reminded me that Draft Magazine put out their annual 100 Best Beer Bars this week. Thanks for the reminder, Kendall. Now let me go spend two unproductive hours ogling it!
Draft Magazine is a nationally published magazine focused beer culture. They have been around since 2006, sometimes featuring celebrities on their covers. All in all, its not the nerds guide to beer. Its more of a sassy celebration of all things barley pop.
Don’t let my description drive you away. Draft Magazine is good. In fact, all 3 of the Beer Blotter writers are subscribers. We enjoy the fact that Draft presents a global expose on happenings in the beer world. Its really a good way to locate beer venues from around the world.
Just this week, Draft released its annual Top 100 beer bars list. This list is sorted geographically into 4 regions. I was afraid that they were attempting to force options for each of these regions, but it appears that the selections are not equally divided (for example, the Northeast has many more than the South). So, it appears that the choices are without prejudice.
In scouring the list, I was very pleased to see places like Avenue Pub (New Orleans), Apex (Portland), Blind Lady Alehouse (San Diego) and our very own Monk’s hole – The Stumbling Monk (Seattle).
But, one cannot peruse the list without finding their own list of absentees. While less deserving pubs made it (i.e. Cooter Browns (New Orleans), Green Dragon (Portland), McNulty’s Bier Markt (Cleveland)), some of the nation’s most celebrated beer venues are missing.
While that absentee list will differ for each of us, here are my Top 5 Absentees:
- Brouwers Cafe (Seattle) – They must have pissed off a Draft Magazine writer. Many of us know that Brouwers can sometimes rub the wrong way (and its been stated by commenters here on the site), but there is no better selection of ale in the NW. Brouwers routinely procures 60 taps of rare beer, one of the best bottle lists in the country and an unprecedented number of unmatched in-house beer festivals (See Sour Fest, Hopfest, Big Wood, and Hard Liver). Again, they must have pissed someone off.
- Bangers & Lace (Chicago) – This might simply be too early for Draft to call this place a winner. But, Bangers & Lace has quickly ascended to the top of the Chicago beer world. Presenting an unmatched selection of rare beer, along with phenomenal food, B&L deserves a spot. Guest writer For Whom the Bell Toales agrees that this is the #1 beer venue in Chi-town.
- Small Bar (San Diego) – Ok Ok, they got it mostly right. Hamilton’s Tavern, Blind Lady Alehouse, and O’Brien’s Pub should all be on the list. But, Small Bar gives that Top 3 a run for their money. Mixing a spectacular beer selection with epic food and spunky surroundings, I think it deserved a spot above many of the LA selections.
- Brew Kettle (Strongsville, OH) - Draft picked one of the many Cleveland suburb favorites – Buckeye Beer Engine. But, I think they got the wrong one. The Brew Kettle blends an incredible draft lineup (thank god for the connection with Founders), house made ales, and some spectactular bar grub. Get drunk enough? Go brew a batch in the back. Beyond that – its just a cool dark place to grab a beer.
- New York’s Forgotten Trio – Ginger Man, Mug’s Alehouse and d.b.a. (NY, NY) – They picked a lot of NY spots. I can understand that its pretty tough to run into your editor’s office and say we picked the Top 100 – 20 of them are in NY. Its a tough job to pick between the excellent spots in NYC. In my mind, they got the top 3 on the list – Rattle N Hum, Blind Tiger and Spuyten Duyvil. Those three are iconic, and the three places that I spend the most time while in NY. But, the above three all deserve a shot at the list. The Ginger Man is just a few blocks from Rattle N Hum – many would say its the cooler bar. Mug’s is tucked away in Williamsburg, Brooklyn. But unlike the uber-hipster crowd at Spuyten Duyvil, you will find comfort at this grog spot. d.b.a. is the lone East Village fave. d.b.a. has been pouring beer for a long time and has an excellent wide spread selection.
I will say, writing the Top 5 absentees was pretty tough. All in all they did a great job finding the appropriate bars. The Top 100 is a worthy list and you should take a glance.
What else is missing!?
52 Weeks: Abita Brewing Co., New Orleans, LA
Pretty little ladies - all lined up.
- DSR
Week 39 of 52
Abita Brewing Company & Tasting Room
166 Barbee Rd.
Abita Springs, LA
Wed,Thurs & Fri: 2pm – 3pm
Tour Time: 2pm
Sat: 10am – 3pm
Tour Times: 11am, 12pm, 1pm & 2pm
———————————————-
Rank: 4/5
Type of Establishment: Brewery & Tasting Room
Visit: After a incredible week of consumption in the French Quarter, it was time to get the hell out of Dodge. We headed West to the Bayou to have some frog legs and catfish and embarked north to Abita Springs, home of Abita Brewing. It was about 85 degrees with 100% humidity on a late October day. We were thirsty, but severely full. The beer beckoned, we did not back down.
Beers on Tap (at time of visit):
Amber
Turbodog Brown Ale
Christmas Ale
Purple Haze Raspberry Ale
Pecan Harvest
Satsuma Wit
Jockamo IPA
Restoration Pale
Select Rye Pale
Save Our Shores Imperial Pilsner
Light
Golden
Fall Fest
AndyGator
Bottle List:
Its a brewery, you drink from the taps. You cannot get any bottles here.
But you can obtain Abita Brewing’s bottled beer at almost any store selling beer in Louisiana. They also distribute in 48 states, including Washington.
You can most reliably find some Abita down at Full Throttle Bottles in Seattle. Next time you have a fish fry, crawfish/shrimp boil, or a Mardi Gras party – head down there to get your Turbodog.
Food Options:
Again, my comments are limited. If you brought a bag of peanuts or chips – I think you can eat them here. But, this is purely a brewery visit. They are focused one thing: letting you drink the beer and see where it came from.
The brewpub is a good spot to grab some swamp grub
Abita Brewing does, however, have a brewpub up the road about 1 mile. In the teeny town of Abita Springs, LA, Abita’s brewpub puts out some interesting food and showcases roughly 20 beers on tap at all times.
More interestingly, the brewpub pours some pub exclusives that cannot be found anywhere else, including Chocolate Stout, Blue (blueberry wheat beer), and Nitro Pale. You can also purchase growlers of these beers, or snag a six pack of some of their packaged ales.
The food at the brewpub provides a nice snapshot of Louisiana cuisine. Its not the best place to get this food, but its serviceable. A collection of po boys with all the fixins, oysters brochette, fried artichokes, blackened shrimp, crawfish cakes and stuffed quail might make you right. For me, I always loved their home recipe meatloaf, which is no longer on the menu – boo. If you are looking for a recommendation, try the Andygator infused crawfish cakes topped with a Turbodog remoulade sauce. Yum.
Bar Opinions:
I’ll just get this out of the way: You serve yourself at Abita Brewing. Yep, you heard me – be your own bartender at this tasting room.
The fact stated above was the main reason that I decided to return to Abita. Some six years ago when I was nothing more than a Loyola student, a few friends and I visited the still relatively small Abita brewery. We wanted to see what changed, after some major renovations and upgrades.
The Old Brewery & Tour
My first visit was back in 2004, before Hurrican Katrina. Abita was producing a lot of beer at the time, but not nearly what they sell these days. At the time, they had just a few beers in their collection and did not produce one hoppy ale.
Some pretty amazing glassware at the taproom
The brewery was in the same location but remarkably smaller, less efficient and much less attractive. I remember walking into the brewery for a tour and being directed to what had to be a refurbished closet. The “welcome room” was a tiny space with a jockey box setup and about 5 taps. There was a stack of cups and sign that read: “serve yourself.” What!? Of course, I will. Thank you very much.
The mentality at the old brewery was grab as much beer as possible, make sure you try all five styles and then stumble around the brewery tour for 30 minutes, with absolutely zero idea what the brewer was talking about. Except for my buddy Nick asking dumb questions about how they clean the place – we had zero communication with the tour guide. We had no idea how to connect with the guy, because we had such little knowledge of the brewing process.
Regardless, the old brewery tour was a hell of a time. Not once have I visited a brewery that left you to your own devices in procuring drunkenness. What a world. Would it all change as Abita grew up?
All Grown Up – Abita Goes Gorgeous.
I had heard a lot of amazing things about Abita in the past few years. First, Abita underwent an incredible transformation right after we visited in 2004. Even before the great storm of 2005, Abita was in the midst of a great growth, increasing brewing capacity, fermenting capacity and brewery technology.
The brewery purchased one of only two Merlin brew kettle systems that are currently being used in the USA (we believe, but their may be more). Their 100 bbl system is only defeated by the 200 bbl system being used over at New Belgium Brewing in Fort Collins, CO.
brewer Sunny Day professing on brewing beer - Merlin style
The Merlin allows for an extremely clean brewing process, while maximizing heat efficiency (it saves 70% in energy cost) and removing trub. Its a pretty sexy thing to see and you can taste the difference in Abita beer.
Additionally, Abita grabbed a slew of 300 bbl fermenters and built a brand spanking new brewhouse that sparkles with cleanliness. Very impressive.
They also built a new administrative building with a New Orleans flair. This building houses the Tasting Room and patio, where you get to enjoy Abita’s beer – as your own bartender. That’s right, even though they built a gorgeous new bar – you still pour your own beer.
One big difference is that you now have to choose from about 15 beers! But do not fret, the tasting experience is now expanded to roughly an hour. After a brief introduction, visitors are invited to grab a beer (or two, three, whatever you can carry) and take a seat. The tour begins with an extremely informative and appealing video (on big flat screens) about the brewing process.
The video is perhaps the smartest move that Abita could have made. I was on the tour with my father and his friend, who know very little about brewing. But, Abita’s video showed the brewing process in action; the ingredients, the working parts, and even a life cycle of a beer were all comprehensible and tangible.
At this time, you are finally ready to take a quick (10 minute) peak at the brewery. By now, you understand how all the parts work and this is a great opportunity to ground the images you just saw on screen with the real thing. I love this tour.
Going Green.
Abita also uses this opportunity to “wow” you with its green initiative. I was utterly shocked to see a Louisiana brewery doing some of the things that Abita is doing.
As the site says:
“Conserving energy and water, reusing by-products and waste, reducing greenhouse gas emissions, driving greener vehicles and using recycled materials are some of the ways the Abita Brewing Company is working to keep our part of the world green and clean.”
This brewer is recycling cooling water into their liquor tanks, using a kettle that saves 70% in energy cost, capturing vapor to reuse steam, reusing waste water to produce energy, capturing bio-gas to fuel boilers, using snub bottles to reduce glass, and using recycled cartons that use 50% less paper. These are just a few of the things that Abita is doing to improve the way brewing damages the environment. If you ever brewed a batch of beer, you know how wasteful it can be; its nice to see someone doing something about it.
The Beer & Result
All in all – I was floored with the improvements at this place. That includes improvements to the beer.
I never have been a huge fan of Abita Brewing, but their beer is noticeably improved. Additions to the family include: Jockamo IPA, a 6.5% IPA generously hopped with Willamette and Columbus hops; Restoration Pale, a nice malty pale dry-hopped with Cascade, which was created in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina and started as a fund raiser; and last but certainly not least – SOS.
Later on we had some SOS with Oysters - hopefully BP free
SOS stands for Save Our Shores. Abita has always got involved with helping out Louisiana during times of disaster. This time, Abita put together a charity to help out families that were impacted by the BP oil spill. Abita brewed this Imperial Pilsner (its marketed as just a Pils, but its big as hell) with the intention of raising .75 cents per bottle sold for its charity – and its doing a heck of a job.
SOS is easily Abita’s most desirable beer. The wheat malts blend perfectly with the Perle and Sterling hops that are packed in the bottle gratuitously. While the beer has a subtle malt backbone, its sharp and packs a delightful hoppiness. Get this beer – and help save Louisiana shores. You can also contribute by going to their website here.
All in all, I still love New Orleans and I’m beginning to love Abita, more and more. I was blown away with what the brewery has become and how great this tour is for visitors. If you are in New Orleans, there is no justification for missing this trip.
Been to Abita – Let us know what you thought below!
Something’s Brewing in the Big Easy
Its alive! NOLA Brewing is ready to launch a killer stout.
- DSR
I have been on leave from BeerBlotter.com in order to peruse the alleyways, taverns, and sound of the mighty New Orleans. And so I apologize to my fellow Blotter brethren/sistern (made up) for having to pull all the weight of this hefty machine. Kudos to them for keeping it running.
But alas, I miss the daily musings of musty bottles and bitter pints. The Blotter has become a reflection of what we all are: loose lipped, eager to share, legend seeking beer drinkers.
So, I decided to chime in this morning and share a snapshot of my adventures through the dirty. This will only be a peak of what is to come on the Blotter in the coming week.
Loving Me Some NOLA.
Last year, we visited a fledgling operation along New Orleans’ historic tongue twister of a street – Tchoupitoulas. The newcomer to the Louisiana beer scene (and really the only true brewery in New Orleans since Katrina sank Dixie Brewing), NOLA Brewing hit the market in early 2009 with two products: Brown and Blonde. They grabbed instant success and imminent growth could be smelled from a mile away.
We were not wrong. NOLA Brewing has grown in production size, quality, distribution, and of course – their lineup. Now brewing 4 year round beers and several seasonals, they are all grown up.
I decided to pop in, unannounced (sorry Dylan), and grab a taste of the new, the recreated and the “whats to come.” Luckily, I was able to siphon off a taste of the new Irish Channel Stout before its release. I was floored. Much more to come on these guys. Don’t miss that write up.
Holy Crap – What Happened Here?
6 years ago, craft beer was just a scant curiosity for me. I knew nothing, cared little and grabbed Schlitz cans without a second thought. But living in New Orleans, you had to notice the Abita Brewing stranglehold of 25 years. So, we took a little trip to the brewery.
6 years ago, the trip was just a hoot – now its an experience. Abita Brewing has undergone a dramatic face lift, expanding to an almost 50,000 square foot facility. Whats more is that they added a 100 barrel Merlin brewing system, a plethora of 300 barrel fermenters and a shiny new tasting room. Luckily for us they didn’t change the “be your own bartender in the tasting room” rule, which makes this the best brewery visit around.
Still On Top. Zero Challengers.
Last time I waxed poetic about New Orleans beer, we sat Avenue Pub right at the top. There is nothing that can change my mind about this choice.
Avenue Pub has all the factors: amazing taps, great bottles, phenomenal food, incredible aura and mind-boggling comfort/location (balcony over St. Charles!). With a direct line to Stone Brewing and Brooklyn Brewing’s top of the line beers, I am always surprised. With the new commitment to Belgian beer, my jaw drops with each visit.
Kudos to Avenue Pub’s Polly for keeping this one on top.
For now, I must rest as I embark on my final journey through New Orleans, tomorrow. I am going to peg gater and eggs, oysters on the half shell and some Liuzza’s gumbo for the day. How will I wash it all down? We’ll see what NOLA has to offer.
300 Posts: 3 Big Moments in Beer Blotter History
De Zon's organic bathrooms really left an imprint - and a lesson in hilarity.
On Friday, Beer Blotter offered its 300th post! Over less than a year has elapsed since we first went public on BeerBlotter.com. We have a had a blast so far, and we look forward to much more ahead.
In almost 11 months, we have managed to put up more than 300 stories (this article is #302). From our editor’s first beer review of Lazy Magnolia’s Jefferson Stout to Mark Leavens’ review of sandwich board art over at Atlantic Crossing – we have come a long way.
While we look forward to big changes over here, we wanted to take a look into the past and discuss the three biggest, and most memorable, moments in our short history. We have visited Belgium, Holland, France, Canada, San Diego, San Francisco, New Orleans, Cleveland, New York, Washington DC, Portland, Chicago and more – all in that 11 month period.
These three moments stick out the most:
#3 — Beer Blotter Spawns From the New Orleans Beer Arrival & A Chicago Surprise
If you have ever visited New Orleans, you are probably aware that its almost impossible to find a good beer. You are almost assured of being stuck drinking some fruity concoction of a massive amount of liquor. Not anymore.
We visited New Orleans in the beginning of last November with little knowledge of any beer scene. But, we stumbled our way through bar after bar and discovered that craft beer does exist. In fact, we were floored with what we found; hope for a good future was established.
While we were in New Orleans, our editor was surprised with a no notice flight up to Chicago. It was her first visit – and a great opportunity to see an amazing world of craft beer. We visited the Publican, drank Three Floyds at the Map Room, bought a bounty of beer at Binnys and took in a Browns v. Bears game, before returning to New Orleans.
Upon returning, we decided to launch this site. Beer Blotter was born over a pint of Lazy Magnolia Jefferson Stout and NOLA Hopitoulas at the Avenue Pub. From that moment – 300 articles followed.
#2 — The Crew Visits West Flanders
The entire crew decided to throw down and take an excursion to Belgium, back in March. We planned the trip for a period of 12 months, holding epic Belgian beer tastings once a week until we left. As part of the trip, we decided to visit Germany, France and Holland as well.
Every day was filled with splendor. From the iconic bottle shops, to the revolutionary brewers, Belgium brought us to our knees. We saw Cantillon in Brussels, visited Moeder Lambis during its opening week, drank gallons at De Molen, sorted through bottles at Paters Vaetje, and gifted a Pliny the Elder to Hane at De Gans.
But, nothing was more epic than a one day visit to West Flanders. I had caught a pretty vicious cold that had put me out of commission for a few days, but I refused to allow it to defeat my trip to Westvleteren to catch Westy 12. I sucked it up, chugged some orange juice, bought some nose spray (so i could taste again) and we took off for West Flanders.
When we arrived at the Saint Sixtus Abbey in Westvleteren – my cold cleared up. Whether this was an amazing intervention of the almighty himself or simply an incredulous recovery – we will never know. But, it all came together as my first Westy 12 was placed in front of me.
From there, we trucked on to St. Bernardus, visited a brewer’s cottage in Woesten, drove to France to sample Escambeq’s best (with a brewer who could not speak English), drank De Struisse’s finest in a living room at De Zon and enjoyed splendid wonders from the private collection of Alvinne’s owner. I’m unsure that this day could ever be eclipsed.
#1 — The Closing of Water Street Brewing & Alehouse
The number one moment is not a happy one. But, it certainly had a profound effect on me.
For days I labored over visiting my favorite beer spot before it would shut its doors, for the final time. In the end, I didn’t go. The horror was too much for me to handle.
If you never got a chance to read the hardest post I ever typed, take a gander now. For purposes of brevity, I will not relive the words that came to mind when I head that Water Street Brewing would close down. But if you were around me for those few days – you know it was always in my mind.
Bars come and go – that is for sure. Some bars leave way too early; that was the case with Water Street. Because of a legal spat that keeps the former Water Street brewing space vacant to this day (we just saw the space this past weekend and its still not even close to re-lease), Water Street was forced into early retirement.
But, like all great combatants, Water Street may rise again. Their Facebook page has provided snippets of hope to those of us who yearn to have Queen Nina pour us another IPA. Recently, Nina announced that Strange Brewfest would return this year! This was an amazingly welcoming sign that Water Street is still alive and kicking – somewhere.
300 More.
300 posts of Beer Blotter has brought us this far and we vow to keep it going. In the next month, we hope to have our new site running, filled with gobs of media and more user friendly resources.
Stick with us, please. We’ve enjoyed your company.
Events Week of September 20, 2010
Stop by the Iron Abbey and drink to save the Gulf! pic creds: hamburgercalculus.com
Is it Sunday night already? After an eventful weekend in Eastern Washington, I am not ready to let the beer memories fade into my work week. Recap: Whitstran Brewery in Prosser, Horse Heaven Hills Brewery, a stop at a hop farm during the harvesting process, Snipes Brewing Co and a stop at Iron Horse’s new tasting room in downtown Ellensburg.
Also, the GABF 2010 results were released over the weekend. Our Washington winners include a Gold for Hales Ales; a Gold and Bronze for Chuckanut Brewing; a Bronze for Boundary Bay Brewing; and a Silver for Elysian Brewing. Congratulations brewers!
Now for your week in beer.
Monday, September 20, 2010
Victory/3 Floyd’s Night: Chicago, Illinois
6:00PM-11:00PM @ The Fountainhead
Ill let the tap list speak for itself: Victory Scarlet Moon, Three Floyds Apocalypse Cow, Victory Scarlet Fire, Three Floyds Ich Bin Schwarz Genug Fur Dich, Victory Kolsch, Three Floyds Dreadnaught, Victory Hop Wallop, Three Floyds Robert The Bruce, Victory Prusuit Pale Ale AND a firkin of Three Floyds Moloko Stout plus a rare keg of Victory’s Saison Du Buff- the Dogfish head, Stone collab!
Tuesday, September 21, 2010
Snipes Brewer’s Night: Seattle, Washington
5:00PM- 7:00PM (a guess, the time isnt posted) @ Naked City Brewery and Taphouse
An evening with Snipes Brewing Co.‘s Chris Miller and plenty of samples of his amazing beers. If you see their Bourbon Barrel Aged Porter, Moo Cow (a Belgium), Twangzister Sour Cherry Stout** (Barrel Aged Sour) Diminished Returns Double IPA or their Pumpkin Death ORDER IT. Of course, Snipes’ regular rotations are also worth a taste!
Wednesday, September 22, 2010
Mikkeller Beer and Food Tasting: Rochester, New York
8:00PM-10:00PM @ The Old Toad
This menu sounds amazing. I mean the beers alone are from Mikkeller and therefore top notch. $50.00 gets you 5 beers from this Danish brewery and 5 creatively flavorful dishes. It’s Alive! paired with Home smoked trout with warm brewer’s bread and accompaniments, Beer Geek Breakfast with Deconstructed English breakfast, Monks Brew complemented by Cheese and homemade chutney sampler, Jackie Brown served with Wild Boar with Port cherry sauce and 2 dessert choices: Divine Rebel
Infused Panna Cotta with bitter chocolate and Black Hole with Fleur de Sel chocolate truffle. Hot damn!
Thursday, September 23, 2010
Abita Save Our Shore and Fallfest: Horsham, Pennsylvania
7:00PM-2:00AM @ Iron Abbey Gastro Pub
You know I love drinking for a cause, so tonight, get out and consume some Abita beers to help the Gulf Coast. In bottles, they are cracking open Abita’s “Save Our Shore” special brew and tapping Turbodog and Fall Fest beginning at 7 p.m. Spend $5.00 and keep your pint with $4 refills. For every bottle sold Abita will donate $0.75 to the rescue and restoration of the environment, industry and individuals fighting to survive the disastrous oil spill.
Friday, September 24, 2010
Dogfish Head Brewery Weekend: Miami Beach, Florida
8:00PM-5:00AM @ Abraxas Lounge
This event marks the release of Dogfish Head’s Bitches Brew. As always, DFH made a beer to tantilize the senses and push the boundaries of innovation. Bitches Brew is described as “a bold dark beer that is a fusion three threads of Imperial Stout and one thread of honey beer with gesho root”… at 9% abv. Cannot wait to try this…if I ever get my hands on it!
Saturday, September 25, 2010
Pumpkin Ale Showdown: Boardman, Ohio
4:00PM-7:00PM @ Vintage Estate Wine and Beer
Its that time of the year- time for beers that are spiced and beers with pumpkin flavors. Today put your palette to the test and decide which brewery has the best pumpkin ale. They will have several pumpkin ales for you to taste and food pairing with the beers.
Sunday, September 26, 2010
Fremont Oktoberfest: Seattle, Washington
11AM-6:00PM (beer garden hours) @ Phinney Ave N and N 36th St, outside
This is one of three days (Friday and Saturday) which include races, runs, hunts, beers, food and fun! Check out the event page for more details!
If you go to an event, want us to post about and event or whatever suits you, please leave a comment or email us at beerblotter@gmail.com. Cheers!
Events for Week of July 19, 2010
The Busy Bee Cafe: Home to many great beers and beer events!
This was a good beer weekend.
A trip to Portland entailed Stone, Dogfish Head, Victory collaboration Saison Du Boef; Avery Maraja; Hair of the Dog Fred; Russian River Consecration; Double Mountain Saison and so much more! A trip to a new beer bar Apex was top notch (see our 52 weeks article later) and bottle shop, Beermongers was still impressive and reasonable priced!
As if that wasnt enough, we partook in an impromptu beer tour of Southern Washington up through Tacoma. With a Dogfish Head Sah’ Tea at Parkplace Tavern in Tacoma and a Lagunitas Lil’ Sumin’ Wild in Olympia, letting go of the weekend was very difficult. But there is a whole week ahead of us and plenty of beer events.
Monday, July 19, 2010
Captain Lawrence Imperial Porter and 2 Casks tonight!: Peekskill, New York
6:00PM-10:00PM @ Birdsall
Tonight a keg of Captain Lawrence’s new Imperial Porter will be tapped along with two exclusive CL gravity casks: Kolsch & Freshchester(dry hopped with Cascade hops). Dont miss out on this full Captain Lawrence line up, including a couple of new draught additions.
Tuesday, July, 20, 2010
Deschutes Night: Seattle, Washington
6:00PM-9:00PM @ Naked City Brewery and Taphouse
Tonight, Naked City features Bend, Oregon brewery, Deschutes. Known for amazing beers such as Abyss, the tap list includes Miss Spelt, Hop in the Dark, Jubel 2010 and Greenlakes Organic Ale. Enjoy!
Wednesday, July 21, 2010
Hoppin’ Frog Tasting: Shawnee, Kansas
7:00PM-9:00PM @ Barley’s Brewhouse
I am really happy to see Hoppin’ Frog, this Ohio based brewery get some love outside of its home state. Tonight, for $20.00 you can taste the following (they are all o’ so good) with some delicious food pairings: Wild Frog Wheat, B.O.R.R.I.S the Crusher Stout Paired with Teriyiaki glazed Wings, Mean Manalishi, paired with Fish and Chips, Silk Porter paired with our Chocolate Tort and Hoppin’ to Heaven IPA.
Thursday, July 22, 2010
25 Tap Bells Night: Grand Rapids, Michigan
6:00PM-2:00AM @ HopCat
I know we have posted a couple of events similar to this one, but it is so amazing. 25 taps of Bell’s Brewery beers tonight including: Two Hearted Ale (poured from a tap and from a firkin), the Cherry Stout and an ’08 Expedition Stout. SO good….so good.
Friday, July 23, 2010
Meet the Brewer of Brooklyn Brewing Co.: New Orleans, Louisiana
10:00PM- 12:00AM @ The Avenue Pub
We all know how much we love this place. So lets take this place in all of its glory and throw some Brooklyn Brewing beers on tap. Sold! Tonight, for $12.00, meet Garrett Oliver, head brewer and taste a sample of 5 amazing brews.
Saturday, July 24, 2010
Barleywine Fest: Largo, Florida
5:00PM-11:00:M @ Willard’s Tap House
Granted its not barleywine season. Its summer after all. However, stop by Willard’s tonight and sample some flavorful beers including: Sierra Nevada Bigfoot, Weyerbacher Blithering Idiot, Southern Tier Back Burnner and Avery Hog Heaven (a hoppy barleywine).
Sunday, July 25, 2010
Rooftop Summer Wheat beer Dinner: Raleigh, North Carolina
7:00PM-9:00PM @ the Busy Bee Cafe
Now, sometime deliciously appropriate for the summer months, a wheat beer celebration. It’ll be a little more laid back than Busy Bee’s usual beer dinner and is only $35 per person. Enjoy Blanche de Bruxelles, Schneider Weiss, Great Divide Dunkel Weiss, and Terrapin Gamma Ray all on draft for this 4 course dinner! Email info@busybeeraleigh.com for tickets or more info.
Whats in stock for your beer future? Plan on attending an event? Want us to post an event? Then please leave a comment or email us at beerblotter@gmail.com! Cheers!
Events for Week of July 12, 2010
Avenue Pub- Stop here on the tour with Mellow Mushroom out of Covington, LA.
IM LATE with events! So Im skipping the intro!
Monday, July 12, 2010
Founders Tapping: Bloomington, Indiana
5:00PM-12:00AM @ Yogi’s Grill and Bar
Tonight, Yogi’s is tapping Founders Brewing Co.‘s Devil Dancer, Canadian Breakfast Stout, Cerise and Dirty Bastard. Get there early.
Tuesday, July 13, 2010
LaTrappe Re-Launch: Chicago, Illinois
7:00PM-11:00PM @ Fountainhead
Beeradvocate.com said it best and it includes a fun fact about the only trappist brewery outside of Belgium:
Koningshoeven, the only Trappist brewery in The Netherlands, has featured “La Trappe” on its labels around the world for some time, virtually everywhere except here in the U.S. and Canada. So, come help us welcome back La Trappe under its true name.
The legal issues with a monastic community in Iowa known as La Trappe, who make coffins, not beer, have been cleared up with the monks of the only monastic brewery outside of Belgium, so La Trappe is back!!!!
We’ll be giving away some glassware (while it lasts), Chef Robyn will serve up some pairings for La Trappe Witte, Double & Quad.
Oh…. As if thats not enough, profits from La Trappe beer sales go to maintaining their brother abbeys in Indonesia and Uganda.
Wednesday, July 14, 2010
Mikkeller Single Hop Night: New York, New York
7:00PM-12:00AM @ The Double Windsor
Mikkel is a gypsy-brewer, from Denmark who brews at different breweries in Denmark, around Europe and the United States. Tonight features four Mikkeller beers from his single hop series: Cascade, Centennial, Nugget and Chinook. Such good brews!
Thursday, July 15, 2010
Lagunitas Brewing Co. Beer Dinner: Phoenix, Arizona
7:00PM-9:00PM @ Whole Foods Market- Scottsdale
Join Whole Foods Market for a 5 course Lagunitas beer pairing dinner that will please both beer geek and foodie alike. Space is limited. Please register in advance by emailing sp.sct.marketing@wholefoods.com. The cost of the dinner is $29.00.
Friday, July 16, 2010
2010 Portland International BEERFEST: Portland, Oregon
4:00PM-10:00PM @ NW 8th and NW Davis (outside)
Portland International Beerfest (PIB) is a summertime specialty beer festival. Each year over more than 130 hard-to-find rare & exotic beers from breweries near & far are featured during this festival. These include some of the most highly-rated beers in the world, and many are nearly impossible to get. For more information, visit the website here.
Saturday, July 17, 2010
Mellow Mushroom Bus to NOLA Brewing Co.: Covington, Louisiana
1:00PM-8:00PM @ Mellow Mushroom
Now you know how bb.com feels about New Orleans! Enjoy a pizza buffet at Mellow Mushroom from 12-1pm. Bus departs at 1 and will arrive at NOLA Brewery around 1:45pm. Private tour of the brewery by Kirk Coco. Afterward, stop at Avenue Pub (FAVORITE BAR IN NEW ORLEANS- open 24/7 365) for lunch and a brew (or 5). Reservations, call (985) 327.5407. This event is $27.50 per person.
Sunday, July 18, 2010
Pints and Pancakes to Christmas in July: Ellicott, Maryland
10:00AM – 5:00PM@ T*Bonz Grille and Pub
2 Live Bands All Day, Free Pancakes and an Awesome breakfast menu. This Sunday features Christmas and Breakfast Style Beers including Smuttynose Shortbatch #9, Weyerbacher Merry Monks and Flying Dog Coffee Stout.
If you have an event that you went to, want us to post about or want to add something, please leave a comment or email us beerblotter@gmail.com. Cheers!
Top 5 Lists: New Orleans, Louisiana.
Jazz at the Spotted Cat, situated on New Orleans' best thoroughfare - Frenchmen St.
On to the next saga in our “Top 5 Lists” column. We won’t stop until we hit all of the cities we have visited since our beer mania spawned. There are quite a bit of cities – we travel often.
Again, lets revisit the rules and disclaimer:
This will be a quick rundown of the 5 places that we would tell you to visit, if you happened across one of these fair cities. The reason that we want to do this is that we have been getting a lot of inquiries from readers who are simply traveling and want to know where to find beer mecca. The goal is to put this on the site in an easy to read format, cataloged for viewing at any time.
First, the rules:
- We go places because we want, not because someone asked. I cannot stress this enough. We were never enticed to these places by promises of freebies, attention, pats on the back or back room happy endings – we just went because we heard the word.
- We cannot be everywhere. Typically when we visit a city, its for a few days only. This severely limits what we can visit. If there is a critically-acclaimed otherworldly place that we did not make it to, we will try and asterisk it in the Top 5 list so that you know it exists.
- We are not millionaires. Wow, bet you could have guessed that one. We cannot purchase the best of the best all of the time. This limits what we might get out of a particular venue. Just want you to know.
- We like all types of places. These lists are not “beer bar” centric – far from it. In fact, you may find places that make you shake your head. But, if they have the total package of beer, character, service, food and aura – they get the mark.
- We try to poll our choices, but sometimes there is bias. There are 3 primary writers for BeerBlotter.com. We always try to discuss what we like best and poll our choices. Unfortunately, you cannot do it all the time because we are all not at the same places at the same time. As the variables change, so do our opinions. Thus, you might get some choices that are filled with bias. Again, just a warning.
Ok, now that we are through with the rules, lets move on to the Top 5 list for New Orleans, Louisiana.
New Orleans, LA.
- Visits: Man oh man. We have been here many times. The most recent being May 2009, July 2009, and October 2009.
- Area Brewers of Note: Not too many. A recent growth has significantly expanded the list – Abita Brewing, Nola Brewing, Lazy Magnolia Brewery (MS), Heiner Brau, Parish Brewing Co., and to some extent Dixie Brewing Co (though now made up in Wisconsin)
- Town Favorite: There is only one actual brewery in NOLA – Nola Brewing Co. They make some tasty beer. But the town favorite continues to be Abita Brewing Co., who makes beer up north about 45 minutes in Abita Springs. Read more about them below!
- The Top 5…..
Honorable Mentions – Generally a brewery and a beer store make it into the Top 5. Unfortunately, New Orleans lacks a Top 5 brewery to visit that is in New Orleans. As for bottle stores – almost non-existent.
NOLA Brewing (New Orleans Lager & Ale Brewing) is emerging and the staff is incredible, but its not a “place to go drink a beer” (unless there are changes since 2009). Abita Brewing is a very cool place, and probably would have made the list if it rested within the boundaries of New Orleans (NOLA). Abita is out in Abita Springs, about 45 minutes north of NOLA, close to gator farms, swamps and back country Louisiana. Its a very good visit.
In the past, Abita had a self-serving tasting room! You’d guzzle endless beer in preparation for a brewery tour that began and ended in the beer room. Great fun. Since then, Abita invested quite a bit in making an incredible taproom. Their beer selection has expanded as well – including an IPA, Satsuma Ale and now….an Imperial Stout (would love to try that). If you visit, make sure to hit both the brewery and the pub, where you can sample some bottled ales and decent NOLA food.
Bottle Shop. There is only one that can be mentioned: Steins Market & Deli, 2207 Magazine, Lower Garden District. At Stein’s, you can find bottles from Brooklyn Brewing, Harpoon Brewing, Jolly Pumpkin, St. Somewhere and breweries across Belgium. If you don’t make it to Stein’s – Whole Foods (Magazine St) is not too bad and generally has some Brooklyn beers.
Now on to the Top 5…..
after some beers at Turtle Bay, get some culture here at Mollys.
#5 -Turtle Bay -1119 Decatur St., French Quarter
This place makes it for a combination of good tap selection and excellent location. The place is located beside or across the street from three of our favorite places in New Orleans – Molly’s at the Market (excellent cocktails, incredible culture), Coops Place (our favorite restaurant in the city) and Fiorella’s (best fried chicken in the city).
But lets talk about Turtle Bay. Nothing flashy, but the same great edgy, back of the quarter, atmosphere that you expect from the Decatur bars. Turtle Bay has about 24 taps, including most of the best from the LA/MS scene. While we were there we had a NOLA Brewing Hopitoulas IPA and a Lazy Magnolia Sweet Potato Stout. These are our two favorite New Orleans beers.
Hopitoulas IPA is lightly bitter with a wonderfully delightful sweetness that has you coming back for more. The beer is named for New Orleans’ famed Tchoupitoulas Avenue that runs from downtown to uptown.
Lazy Magnolia’s Jefferson Sweet Potato Stout is typically poured on nitro and served as a sweet, creamy stout. The beer has a light smokey flavor with an incredible smoothness. A very good late fall beer in New Orleans.
Back to the place – it does the job. Go there and start up with a few beers. Head next door to Coops for their famous jambalaya, grab a few pieces of fried chicken at Fiorella’s and then head to Molly’s for an after drink cocktail. After that – head to Frenchmen Street…..more on that later.
The Bulldog stands along Magazine Street, uptown in New Orleans.
#4 – The Bulldog – 3236 Magazine St., Garden District
This place is perpetually on the “must visit” list for beer bars in New Orleans. Its not our favorite, but its one of the original beer bars in the city, with one of the largest tap lists.
The thing that holds Bulldog back in our mind is that though they have a ton of taps, they are generally stuffed full of international macrobrews and beers that would not interest the beer aficionado. I do not want to dog the Bulldog (no pun intended), but the atmosphere here is directed towards college students and young professionals. Its more of a party joint – which is fine by us. We have had amazing times there over the years.
But, the Bulldog stays up here on the list for a combination of a few things. First, they are brilliantly located in the heart of Magazine’s bar district, walking distance to other entertaining watering holes. Second, they have really good food. Try the wings and any of their sandwiches. Finally, they do have an incredible outdoor seating area right on Magazine St. This has been the perfect spot to watch Magazine parades over the years.
Stop by and grab something from Abita on tap. Check the bottle list as well. Its pretty substantial.
filling the oyster tray at Cooters.
#3 – Cooter Browns – 509 S Carrollton Ave., Uptown
Oh baby. Cooter’s is a lot like The Bulldog. Classic Uptown bar, extensive taps and bottle list, and even better food. Its probably the #1 spot on most “must visit” lists.
But unlike The Bulldog this one passes all our tests. The crowd can be strange, but the space is large and you are certainly never bothered. The tap selection is impressive, typically carrying everything that Abita, Lazy Magnolia and NOLA Brewing each offer. Their bottle list is the most extensive in the city. If for some reason you aren’t intrigued by any of their 50+ taps, you will find something in their bottle cooler, which generally has a few hundred selections, including many European ales.
The best part about Cooter Browns is the extensive and tasty food. Cooter’s is one of the only places in Uptown where you can have oysters on the half shell. Not only are their oysters affordable and delicious, but they come with the full gamut of toppings.
Head to the ordering space off the front and grab one of their famous po boy sandwiches. A favorite is the crawfish pie po boy, filled with two deep fried crawfish pies, gravy and all the fixins.
Stop by Cooters for any sporting event. They have about 12 large screen plasmas and a projector for New Orleans and LSU games. Its the perfect place for a mid-day beer stop.
d.b.a. dark and ominous. we likey.
#2 – d.b.a. - 618 Frenchman St., Marigny
#1 and #2 were very close, but for the wrong reasons. Since beer is the focus, I think this order is best.
d.b.a is a close #2 for one major reason – its on Frenchmen St. Frenchmen is the center of the musical universe in New Orleans. Besides having some of the most incredible music you will ever hear, the bars are also incredibly alive and filled with the culture that you expect to see in New Orleans. We spent many a day on Frenchmen during our times down there.
d.b.a is also one of probably three bars on Frenchmen that have music almost every night; and boy do they have music. This used to be the frequent home of the New Orleans Jazz Vipers (Now Cottonmouth Kings), and we have seen many impressive national blues and folk acts travel through those doors over the years.
On to the beer. d.b.a. New Orleans is the follow up to its sister bar in the East Village of NYC. The New Orleans version has typically slacked behind in the beer realm, but it seems to have a growing tap list. In the past two years, we have noticed that they are being more creative with what fills the taps. Now you will see Harpoon Leviathan Imperial IPA, Stone Smoked Porter, Sierra Nevada Bigfoot Barleywine, Lazy Magnolia Pecan Brown, and Nola Hopitoulas.
During our last visit we saw an impressive swing band over a couple Leviathan Imperial IPAs. If you visit, check out Frenchmen extensively. Visit the Apple Barrel and the Spotted Cat, both icons seen in the HBO series, Treme. Also, try a bite at the authentic Japanese Izakaya (tavern), Yuki. Hint: get the beef tongue and mini fried crabs.
the lineup at Avenue Pub - our favorite place to grab a beer.
#1 – Avenue Pub - 1732 St. Charles Ave., Lower Garden District
Avenue Pub is situated in a rather unknown area on St. Charles up from downtown. Its essentially a place that visitors do not find. For these reasons, it had to be amazing to unseat d.b.a. for #1 on our list – it is.
Avenue Pub has the best of both worlds: the best beer selection and the best bar food of any place on the list. What makes it so head and shoulders above the rest is its creative beer and food menus.
The beer selection rivals that of your typical NW and NE beer bars. Its diverse, style-fulfilling, and unique to the area. They have a great relationship with Stone, who gives them vintage ales for their taps. They also have a cask on some days, and other beer events that are impressive. While we were there they had a Amarillo dry-hopped version of Hopitoulas on cask.
Their bottle list includes some favorites from Mikkeller and Brooklyn. They have approximately 50 selections in the bottle, and none of them are beers to frown upon.
Their food is almost as unique. The bar operates J’anita’s, a tiny kitchen/stand connected to the backside of the bar top. J’anita’s menu requires a double take. It has some items you would never think to see on a bar menu. Lets go over a few favorties…..
Buddha’s Temptation – bleu cheese stuffed, bacon wrapped, deep fried apricots!?!
Crunchy Duck Balls - duck breast rolled in Panko and fried, served with berry chipotle sauce.
Beach Sammich – blackened redfish, spicy slaw, and ceaser on a toasted ciabatta.
Swamp Reuben – this isnt anything amazingly weird, but its the best reuben we’ve ever had. Lose the pastrami, this one comes with pulled pork or beef brisket.
St. Chuck Duck – grilled sourdough w/ currant tapenade, topped with chedder and bleu cheese, over cabernet sauteed duck and granny smith apples. Wow.
Sweet Spot – Cabernet soaked burger with caramelized onions, pears, bleu cheese and balsamic reduction.
Got your appetite going yet? Whats cool about Avenue Pub is that they feed you normal pub grub – something you might get a hankering for after your 12th po boy, 6th bowl of gumbo, 4th order of jambalaya and 35th friend crawfish/crab/shrimp/fish.
Oh yes, we don’t want to forget to tell you about the balcony. Avenue Pub is right along the streetcar line. Their rooftop balcony peers over St. Charles and the streetcar as its passes you by every 20-30 minutes.
Go and grab some Buddha’s temptation over a Jefferson Stout. Love life.
*****
Live in New Orleans? Know the area? Hate something we wrote? Let us know below in our comments, or by sending an email to beerblotter@gmail.com.
